Detailed information is still coming together this morning, but it appears that four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in Libya by violent protesters. Responding to an obscure anti-Islam video posted to YouTube by some random bigot, and promoted by an obscure Florida pastor, protestors attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Romney campaign, which dismissed foreign policy as a "distraction" yesterday, now hopes to exploit the violence to advance Mitt Romney's political ambitions.
Before violence erupted at the American consulate, the U.S. embassy condemned the fringe YouTube video. Romney, in an official statement, said "the Obama administration's first response" to the violence was to "sympathize with those who waged the attacks" on our consulate. That's not what happened.
I genuinely want to know what kind of person sees a foreign attack on Americans -- an attack that has reportedly led to four U.S. deaths -- and thinks it's acceptable to lie about the violence to gain a few points in the polls. The campaign isn't going Romney's way right now, but is that an excuse to exploit the death of Americans with cheap rhetoric? In the face of violence abroad, this was Romney's first instinct?
President Obama issued a statement this morning, "strongly" condemning "the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued her own condemnation of the attack overnight, "in the strongest terms." The White House also rejected some tweets from U.S. diplomats in Egypt that had not been cleared by the administration.
Update: This post originally quoted a statement from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, but he was referring to Egypt, not Libya.
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Mitt Romney is the new Mike tyson.He never met a Country he didn"t want to fight.Old tought Mitt,never fought a fight except the fight to part workers from their jobs so that he could reap his profits.Ann romney said,"it was a stuggle,living in a basement Apartment and watching five boys running around."Ann,with all due respect,that was impossible,You didn't have five boys then,and your Father and his Father was rich.Mitt gave a student this advice,if you need some help go to a parent.You mean Mitt didn't take his own advice? Ann,Please.Which Basment Mansion did you Enjoy His Fathers or yours.in the words of that Repubican who hollored out at President Obama,Ann,You lie.
First we are dealing with Romney and his antics.He seems to want the spotlight as of lately.He wants to hone in on President Obama's territory re reacting to breaking news.He has no business as a candidate holding a news conference and discussing the handling of important foreign security matters. We know that Romney doesn't adhere to protocol when it comes to honesty and showing his own tax records as the precedent has been.But now he is carrying things too far..he could inflame the entire world with his insulting and not thinking before speaking. Is he that desperate that he insists on sticking his nose into the matters that he should leave to those in charge? What is the Oval Office Replica on the 5th floor in the LDS temple in Wash DC for??Is there any truth to this?This is getting to look preplanned.
Rachel here's a better question- what kind of U.S. President attacks his political opponent in an effort to "score political points," BEFORE he speaks out against the attacks themselves? Or better yet, what kind of a U.S. President apologizes to the lunatic-animals that killed our diplomat, for their hurt feelings? It's cool though Rachel ... we all know you really think we deserved it for being evil Americans. You'll never admit how much you hate this country, because you'd lose your job, but we all know you think we deserved to be attacked. And it's for that reason that you can move to Canada for all I care. Oh and Rachel ... I'm a Smith graduate and a lesbian - not everyone from Noho, and not all gay women think you're "oh so brilliant." I think you're an egotistical idiot who needs to move to Canada.
Rachel is such an idiot.
When the Constitution was written, the fastest news traveled was on the back of a horse. Nobody could foresee the power of instant communication or what that meant. What to do about this Now I have no idea. I can't help but believe that all of this hatred (Republicans-Democrats, Christians-Muslims, right-left, whatever) is feeding a collective consciousness that doesn't bode well for humanity as a whole.
Why isn't any TV channel saying the truth about what happened in Lybia? How about the Ambassador's body been dragged by rebels and abused on the streets after his death??? Is this Somalia again?? We need to declare war to people who do this to human beings!