Engaging in some pre-nomination diplomacy, Susan Rice and acting CIA Director Michael Morell sat down this morning with Republican Sens. John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Kelly Ayotte, hoping to clear the air on the Benghazi attack. How'd it go? Not well.
For those who can't watch clips online, Graham told reporters, "Bottom line: I'm more disturbed now than I was before." He added, in reference to the intelligence community's talking points written just four days after the attack, "I think it does not do justice to the reality at the time and in hindsight clearly was completely wrong. But here's the key, in real time, it was a statement disconnected from reality."
Let's unpack this a bit, because it's awfully difficult to take Graham's complaining seriously.
When Rice appeared on Sunday shows the week of the attack, she explained that it was too early to draw "definitive conclusions," but the "best information we have to date" suggested the violence "began spontaneously ... as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo" in response to the anti-Islam internet video.
The ambassador then added, "But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that effort with heavy weapons." Asked about a possible al Qaeda role, Rice said this was unclear, explaining, "I think this is one of the things we'll have to determine."
Why did she make these comments? Because the CIA prepared talking points, reflecting the combined judgment of the intelligence community, which told her and others this was the best available information. Rice stuck closely to the CIA materials, and embellished nothing.
What Graham argued this morning, in effect, is that Rice shouldn't have believed the intelligence community -- indeed, he thinks the intelligence community shouldn't have believed the intelligence community -- and everyone involved had all of the knowledge they needed four days after the attack to understand exactly what happened.
What's more, this may be inconvenient timing for such details, but for all of Graham's huffing and puffing about the intelligence being "completely wrong" and "disconnected from reality," maybe now is a good time to point out that the talking points have actually stood up pretty well. We know more now than we did two months ago about the events in Benghazi, but the week of the attack, the intelligence community said the anti-Muslim video helped lead to violence, the attack was hardly planned out well in advance, and extremists seized an opportunity, exacerbated by inadequate consulate security.
And do we know now? As Joe Klein explained:
There were two attacks in Benghazi that night. The first was a spontaneous response to the anti-Islamic film that had caused similar protests in Cairo and elsewhere. That is important: there would have been no terrorist attack if the film hadn't provided the opportunity for mayhem. Most of the protesters were members of local salafist militias, who quickly realized that the security at the consulate was nearly nonexistent. They organized a second attack with heavier weapons, including mortars. And so we have four essential facts that do not contradict one another:
1. the attack was a spontaneous reaction to the film
2. it was followed by an organized attack.
3. both attacks were populated and organized by terrorist militias, with loose ties to Al-Qaeda.
4. security at the consulate was inadequate
In other words, what the CIA told Rice and other officials four days after the attack looks pretty accurate with the benefit of hindsight.
So what is Graham so "disturbed" about?
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Love Stephen Colbert's comment: 'Tammy Baldwin isn't the first openly-lesbian Senator. That honor belongs to Lindsey Graham.'
These crazy bastards need medical help. All the facts have been presented and it still isn't enough. re: bad information; how in the hell would she know she was being given bad information? That's really stupid. Please media stop wasting the time of true Americans with this racially motivated hate fixation on the current Administration. We've got bigger issues then these baseless conspiracy theories.
Remember Condelessa Rice, who warned us of WMD and the mushroom cloud? Thousands of innocents were wounded and killed in Iraq by either the wrong intelligence or just lies. But for that they have nothing to say?
I have no respect for McCain or Graham.
I'm waiting for someone to point out that every one of Rice's detractors supported the Iraq war, for which much of the intelligence and justification were simply made up. How are these same people now "disturbed" over Rice's words in the wake of Benghazi and her potential nomination?
Graham is upset that Susan Rice is married to a hunky Canadian and he can't be (being from South Carolina).
I can't even keep track of who said what and when they said it and who's against who for saying or not saying what...
The only thing that comes to mind is this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2f-MZ2HRHQ
The definition of Hindsight. Means looking at a situation not with one's eyes but looking out through one's ass. That defintion definetly applies in the case of Graham and McCain because both have become the old stinky farts in the Congress.
As the three of them have said "I'm more disturbed now." I wholeheartedly agree that they are disturbed and should just be ignored for their infatuation with their conspiracy theory. I guess all of this attention that they are wasting on this means that they have nothing better to do. They must have been feeling left out somehow and are trying to make themselves relevant. They obviously only watch Fox.
When will Graham/McCain going to be voted out? Soon, I hope. Then things might get done. I say "might" because there are other obstructionists itching to be heard.
poor little old GOP guys. They have nothing left to them so they eke out their last 15 minutes of fame whining and lying about how many questions they have. Let us not forget that these are the morons who also has so many "questions" about President Obama's citizenship.
"If you don't know what happened, just say you don't know what happened," Graham said. "People can push you to give explanations and you can say I don't want to give bad information. Here's what I can tell you --"
Isn't this what Rice did? Isn't this what the administration had been saying from the beginning? That they don't know what happened and that they'd rather not say until they had more information? And then the Republicans started caterwauling about there being a cover-up and conspiracy!theory!OMG?
Now what, they're saying that this is all they've really wanted anyway, as if they hadn't been yelling about the opposite?
Sons of b*%^es. Can't win with these a-holes.
Isn't the word "disturbed" only a polite, politically correct, way of saying CRAZY?
Is it possible for Graham to be more disturbed? Perhaps Cliffside Malibu will be beneficial.
if ms rice is appointed the face of america will be black..the pres and the chief diplo has to drive these dementos nuts ..wept with compassion for conde and the general , used as cats paws by the bushies.. this lady will know someone has her back
I thought Ayotte had ambition beyond the Senate. Seems to me that a second-year member of the minority ought to choose here battles and her friends a little more carefully.
if mrs rice id appointed the face of america, pres and chief diplo, must drive these morons nuts
...And yet once again the Republicans prove they are evil incarnate. Let us just say, Republicans and Condi Rice and Iraq and how the GOP made a mess of 911?
Not certain, Lindsey seems as disturbed as ever.
They were NEVER interested in hearing the truth. They only wanted to be indulged and to find more fault and that's what they did.
The Black Tax is a MF!!!
If we learned one thing from Whitewater, it's that when Republicans are determined not to be satisfied with the information they are being given, they will never be satisfied with the information they are being given. Let's just hope THIS fiasco gets wrapped up before a totally unrelated, consensual, extramarital affair gets uncovered. Ooopsee. Too late.
" I'm more disturbed now than I was before."
And considering how emotionally and behaviorally disturbed you were before, that is saying something. Maybe you and Mrs. Robinson can get together in one of those homes for the disturbed and talk about old times and leave decent people alone.
The white House bothering to clear the air is a good thing. Republicans throwing another in a series of hissy fits will only come back to bite them in the ass next election.
Has Graham come out of the closet yet?
The immaturity of these outspoken senators is disheartening. What are they really trying to achieve? Do they think through the consequences of their persistent denial of facts? If they garner enough support to block a Susan Rice appointment can they find a better qualified candidate, or will they try to tear down everyone with their non-intellectual wrecking ball? It reminds me of little boys having a tantrum, destroying their rooms in unfocused rage, blaming others for their own destructiveness. The only problem is they are supposed to be grown men, representatives of the people, and their tantrum is hurting us all. They should have to stand in the corner and think about what they've done. Has anyone considered that the GOP is suffering from poor comprehension? Maybe a tutor would help.