Killing of U.S. ambassador sets off firestorm; U.S. sends destroyers, Marines to Libya

Romney and the RNC chairman, Reince Priebus, have put the finishing nails in the coffin of the Romney candidacy. Really, there is no reason for him to even continue; he might as well drop out, retire to Utah, and watch the coming internecine warfare destroy what is left of the Republican party. His insensitive, undiplomatic comments will only reinforce his greatest weakness: that he is willing to say anything - ANYTHING - to win. Greg Sargent at WaPo hit the nail on the head with this:

It’s yet another sign of Republicans attacking the version of the President who is a figment of the GOP base’s imagination, rather than the one swing voters perceive.

The idea that Obama fecklessly roams the world apologizing for America, that is. This is a must-read: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum-gop-claims-obama-sympathizes-with-attackers/2012/09/12/899c3a92-fcc3-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_blog.html?hpid=z3

The attacks were a tragedy, but no one ever predicted that the road to stability in the Arab world would be smooth. The attacks in Libya, in particular, seem to have been carried out by the same groups who overthrew Gaddafi, and this could severely complicate Romney's argument that Obama has been remiss in not tossing arms to the rebels in the Syrian conflict.

Really, Obama has been masterful at keeping the US at arms-distance from events and from preventing as much as possible over militarization of the region. This event was a tragedy; Romney's suggested handling would have compounded it; his response was immoral. He is toast.

@Laguna

Well said! As I predicted, the Romney campaign will be throwing up hail Mary passes into an empty end zone out of desperation to save Romney's failing campaign. Both liberal and conservative pundits are having field day with their comments this morning. Sad thing this, only THREE conservatives made a direct attacks against Obama's foreign policy: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, and Reince Priebus. (Even Rush Limbaugh didn't go there with this). Ironically, of the three people who vocalized the false accusations, NONE- ZERO -DOUGHNUT has had ANY foreign policy experience.

I am going to make another prediction, and the conservative leg humpers are really going to hate me for stating the obvious (or maybe not so obvious for some)...not only is the Romney campaign OVER, I think this will be the end of the republican party as we know it. They'll need to disband and redefine themselves because they just don't represent mainstream or moderate conservatives (which I think makes up a bulk of the American population). They have gotten way too extreme and they have fallen off a cliff. They need to reform their party come back to the center where the rest of us are if they want to have any chance of winning in 2016.

Mitt just spews right wing talking points instead of anything remotely appropriate. Four American citizens are dead and all he can come with is the phony US "apology" argument.

As a Brit living in Japan it always fascinates me how anti GOP and pro Obama the majority of my colleagues seem to be. It astounds me even more how much they support a President who has destroyed America's reputation at home and abroad, whose policies become more communistic with every passing day, whose credentials are still somewhat questionable, and who seems to constantly pander to America's, and the rest of the Free World's enemies. Since he came to power, Obama has shown that he is more concerned with the despicable political correctness of pandering to Islamists than to defending, promoting and propagating the ideals and standards of his own once great nation. Add to that the fact that he is a really boring public speaker with none of the charisma of even George Bush, and I wonder at the mentality of any "intelligent" person who who desire to have him re-elected. I am so thankful I belong to a country which does not have an elected First Citizen. Mitt Romney might not be my ideal choice as an alternative to Obama as President, but he is a darn sight better than this failed president. Four more years of Obama will destroy America as we know it, and also do untold harm to the rest of the Free World.

Under Obama the USA is done.

"....Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later,” ............................................................ Sometimes that is better than capitulatung to the enemy

"Not only is the Romney campaign over"

Before the first debate?

From AP:

FACT CHECK: Romney misstates facts on attacks By KASIE HUNT, Associated Press – 21 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunfire at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, had barely ceased when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney seriously mischaracterized what had happened in a statement accusing President Barack Obama of "disgraceful" handling of violence there and at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

"The Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks," Romney said in a statement first emailed to reporters at 10:09 p.m. Eastern time, under the condition it not be published until midnight.

In fact, neither a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo earlier in the day nor a later statement from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered sympathy for attackers. The statement from the Cairo Embassy had condemned anti-Muslim religious incitement before the embassy walls were breached. In her statement, issued minutes before Romney's, Clinton had offered the administration's first response to the violence in Libya, explicitly condemning the attack there and confirming the death of a State Department official.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today," Clinton said in a written statement received by The Associated Press.

The FACT is : the attacks happened under OBAMA watch. His security people - CIA & who ever- had no prior information on it. .......................What is going on with the leadership of the US ! ?.....................The implications are VERY DIRE.

An attack on an Embassey is an act of war. The conscious, violent murder of an Ambassador warrants MORE than just a statement of OUTRAGE - which is all Obama can muster.

@realist What an amazing post. Some of the more febrile rightwingers on this site use 'Socialistic' but to use 'Communistic' to describe Obama's policies is just plain bizarre. As for Bush, the right would be better advised to steer clear of that car crash ( Romney/Ryan clearly do this ) as two disastrous wars and turning a surplus into a defecit isn't what the majority of prospective voters want to hear. The proof is in the pudding I'm afraid. As for your comparison with the UK, it is an affront to the UK people to have an elected head of state. US citizens are called 'citizens' not 'subjects' - a wonderful thing.

@realist

You must be living in "opposite" land because your statement would be true if everything was the opposite. LOL. Secondly, most of my British friends as well as friends from other parts of Europe tend to side with Obama and absolutely hated Bush, to the point where I was almost ashamed to say I am an American.

Add to that the fact that he is a really boring public speaker with none of the charisma of even George Bush, and I wonder at the mentality of any "intelligent" person who who desire to have him re-elected.

Yeah...Welcome to Opposite-Land, population: 1 -you!

Sometimes that is better than capitulatung to the enemy

Sounds like typical republican foreign policy. "Shoot the enemy!! Even before we're sure they're the enemy" -EPIC FAILURE!

Before the first debate?

Yup, the debates are completely trivial now. All that they will serve to do is drag down Romney even further. The best thing Romney can do now is STFU and lose gracefully like McCain did, if he wants to save the republican party.

Obama already shot at Libya and brought down their secular, functioning stable government. Now he has the aftermath to deal with.

Perhaps he should think twice before arming the Fundamental Islamist rebels in Syria.

Never Submit - well said!................................................................................................ So much for the Arab Spring . . . . . from all indications the countries that were swept the Arab Srping are experiencing the fomenting anti-democratic, anti-humans rights chaos.

Perhaps he should think twice before arming the Fundamental Islamist rebels in Syria.

What we are seeing is a "Lebanonization" of the entire middle east (incl. North Africa), where autocratic governments are overthrown and replaced by gangs of armed thugs. I predict Jordan will be next. That country has been living on borrowed time since the good old days of Black September and it's only a matter of time before infiltrators from neighboring countries remove its king and drag it into a state of anarchy, along with the other neighboring Arab states.

Sounds like typical republican foreign policy. "Shoot the enemy!! Even before we're sure they're the enemy" -EPIC FAILURE!

@ Mirai Hayahi: Actually it would seem that is the policy of the people who stormed two embassies over the making of a film, that was not even sanctioned by the US government.

@ realist: Good post! We see now how the CIA and other intelligence agencies didn't see this coming. Yet, when "W" was in the office and the 9/11 attacks and the weapons of mass destruction in the lraq war build up, it was all his fault.

This is jaw-dropping stuff.

Mitt Romney is turning out to be the male version of Sarah Palin, except he doesn't need his expense account like she did.

It seems every time he opens his mouth he puts his foot in it.

He screwed up on his 'foreign policy' trip and insulted America's closest ally, he proves relentlessly that he speaks before he thinks...and now this!?

Even Rush Limbaugh is slamming him.

Mitt, please don't spend any more time humiliating yourself and your party on the international stage.

No, on second thoughts, please do - the comedy value is priceless. :-)

Romney was angry the U.S. embassy in Cairo stood by a statement issued before its walls were breached in which it condemned a movie by a U.S. director deemed insulting to Islam as an attempt to “hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.”

So let me get this straight, Romney said that we should not apologize for the American values we have. Values that let this bozo make the movie in question since he has a right to free speech. Yet, the press attacks him (and it ws coordinated attacks too from the press we are now finding out).

Even if Romney spoke before finding out the death of the Ambassador, he is still correct. Why protest the goings on in another country that you don't like. If it were about a governmental policy that affected you, I can understand. But because what some private citizens have done, I don't get.

Good for Romney, at least we know he will not automatically kow-tow to everyone around the world.

Mitt's like a standup comedian who doesn't know he is one. Lol!

Obama already shot at Libya and brought down their secular, functioning stable government. Now he has the aftermath to deal with.

Exactly. How many ambassadors did Gadaffi have killed in his time in power?

You got it, Alphage !............................This was a PLANNED attack ! !! ! ! . . .How is it that Obama wen tto sleep the night of the attack without his administration KNOWING about it !!!! ??????????

Mitt is nothing more than a rank amateur, if that.

People like Sushi and Mirai just don't get it. They think we should just have a cozy conversation with these thugs, maybe some milk and cookies thrown in for good measure, apologize and stick our tails between our legs and run away, seems like the perfect typical and recurring theme that Dems and liberals live by.

@realist, you have spoken the absolute truth and you don't wear rose- colored glasses, you fully understand what we are dealing with, I wish more Europeans would be so politically aware as yourself to know that the Democratic party is the party that will bring down the US as we know it. We need a president that will stare these thugs down and let them know, that if anything happens like that again, expect a swift and decisive action to the fullest degree. Obama has sold out the country. Romney would let our enemies know, you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

Fact is it doesn't really matter who wins - USA is gradually sliding into ruin. Deficit is ballooning, military adventures just result in more blood and money being wasted for no real advantage to the US, culture is becoming more and more mindless (Kardashians, so much rap music, reality TV, facebook and the like to name a few of my pet dislikes), social policies also suck (huge prison population, gun culture, single parenthood), huge below the breadline population (the plebs of Rome??). Soo sad. And even worse is that the coming big dog on the block might be China. Pity all us non-Chinese who will be viewed as inferior to our Middle Kingdon overlords.

@Alphaape

We see now how the CIA and other intelligence agencies didn't see this coming. Yet, when "W" was in the office and the 9/11 attacks and the weapons of mass destruction in the lraq war build up, it was all his fault.

And you're saying that 9/11 wasn't W's fault?...really? W. was warned about an "immanent attack" on US soil by the CIA in May 2001. He was warned again on Aug 2001 while he was on vacation. His response was “All right. You've covered your ass, now.” How is 9/11 NOT Bush's fault? 9/11 could have been TOTALLY prevented, but this ass-clown sat on his hands and did nothing!

WMD's? Really? You still think they exist? LOL, BTW, I've a bridge in NYC to sell ya. let me know if you're interested.

@semperfi:

An attack on an Embassey is an act of war. The conscious, violent murder of an Ambassador warrants MORE than just a statement of OUTRAGE - which is all Obama can muster.

President Obama wasn't "outraged". I saw the press conference he gave earlier today. He acted more like it was regretful and sad. Obama's entire demeanor and the way he speaks on foreign policy issues oozes with weakness and inspires contempt from America's enemies. Obama has been an unmitigated disaster for America. If he is re-elected, America will become a shell of it's former greatness and on the fast track to mediocrity.

Values that let this bozo make the movie in question since he has a right to free speech

Where does it say that this "bozo" (your word not mine) has the right to free speech? Does it say that in either the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights?

Just curious.

WMD's? Really? You still think they exist? LOL, BTW, I've a bridge in NYC to sell ya. let me know if you're interested.

@ Mirai Hayashi: Yo u didn't get my point. I stated that the intelligence failures led to those events happening, and "W" was blasted about it as being incompetent and a bad President. Now, we have a similar situation with this case. Intelligence didn't catch it, and from reading the stories, there was confusion about the location of the ambassador after the first compound was overrun, and yet all the press can do is not find fault with the current administration, but try to shift blame on Romney for supposedly speaking out of turn.

In a way, I believe that the Media wants Romney to win. Right now, they can't really go after Obama for any of his failures since they have a too close relationship with the Dems. But give the GOP a chance back in, you will see the far left get energized and start back attacking, and not worrying about embarrasing the person they put into office. Maybe then the ratings for MSNBC, CNN will go up again. But as it stands now, they can't tell the truth, and have to keep going after Romney for every thing that goes wrong.

@bass and others

We need a president that will stare these thugs down and let them know, that if anything happens like that again, expect a swift and decisive action to the fullest degree. Obama has sold out the country.

What is your problem with Obama's statement, as follows?

"We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act," President Barack Obama said. "And make no mistake, justice will be done."

And to compare with GW Bush's on 9/11:

The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.

I don't see any difference. What is inappropriate or weak about Obama's statement?

Or do you demand an immediate nuclear strike? All these complaints about Obama have absolutely no connection to reality, but are simply another chapter in the inane and manufactured narrative that Obama is an 'appeaser' and 'apologizer for American values'. The statement by the Cairo embassy was not an apology for American values (i.e. freedom of speech), but merely a condemnation of a very inflammatory video that the embassy feared would stoke deadly attacks on US interests. Which it did. Condemning provocative bigotry is a wise diplomatic action, one that would be supported by ANY American president so far, Republicans included.

And it was followed with a string of condemnations of the attacks, and a resolution to bring those responsible to justice.

Romney's stance is ignorant and dangerous. It threatens the lives of US citizens, diplomatic staff, and military personnel. All in order to please the irrational rightwing fringe of the GOP. How patriotic is that?

We need a president that will stare these thugs down and let them know, that if anything happens like that again, expect a swift and decisive action to the fullest degree. Obama has sold out the country. Romney would let our enemies know, you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

Define "the horns". Military involvement? Economic sanctions? Breaking off all diplomatic relations? Total annihilation? Other?

Let us say that you are the President of the United States and are, therefore, forced to deal with this matter. How would you proceed?

Mitt the twit , Mitt the twit. Proclaimed so by the people who gives you FOX News.

It's pretty funny albeit a little sad to see Bass, Wolfpack, etc. thinking that the way to 'win' and show 'strength' in situations like this are to resort to mindless schoolboy-in-the-playground bluster.

Like taking out a cockroach with a baseball bat.

No, we don't need immature knee-jerk reactions like the ones Bass, etc. are advocating.

What we need is a calm, well thought out strategy that doesn't fray existing alliances the way that the bull-in-china-shop approach would.

Obama's the man for this.

Mitt would be an unmitigated disaster. He simply hasn't grown up to be trusted to act responsibly in the global arena.

Sorry.

A couple of statements by GW Bush's State Department in 2006, in response to rioting over a Danish newspaper's publication of satiric depictions of the prophet Muhammad:

"We find them offensive, and we certainly understand why Muslims would find these images offensive."

and

"Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-semitic images ... as anti-Christian images, or any other religious belief."

Now please explain to me how Obama, his administration, or the diplomatic staff in Cairo, have responded any differently.

I'm sure Mitt's a nice guy, but he's intellectually and morally weak and has nothing of the steadfast resolve GWB had.

Mitt Romney's mental resolve is about as steady as a ton of jello rolling off a sheer cliff face.

But that's Mitt and thankfully he'll be out of the race and out of the picture this November.

The FACT is : the attacks happened under OBAMA watch. His security people - CIA & who ever- had no prior information on it. .......................What is going on with the leadership of the US ! ?.....................The implications are VERY DIRE

semperfi -- horse feathers. Or are you conveniently forgetting that the greatest single terrorist attack -- the ONE on U.S. soil -- happened 11 years ago yesterday under George W. and the neo-cons watch? That's right, it is more convenient to ignore that. And, the implications of that -- poorly thought-out wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq --are what Obama has has to deal with for four years. They are the result of firing first and aiming later thinking, and we've had more of that than we need.

And resorting to gunboat diplomacy also.

SushiSake3 :Mitt is nothing more than a rank amateur, if that ............................................................................Mmmmm, that would put him in the same category as Obama. LOL

In a way, I believe that the Media wants Romney to win.

I don't know what media you're looking at FoxNews doesn't even like Romney. OMG even Rush Limbaugh is losing confidence in him Once you lose FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh's confidence, you KNOW you're done. They are the heart and soul of the republican party,

But give the GOP a chance back in, you will see the far left get energized and start back attacking

There's fundamental difference in the way these two parties attack each other. Dems use facts, numbers, statistics and historical data to make their case. GOP use emotion, hate, fear, lies, and self-projection to "try" make their case. Highly emotional and uninformed people will naturally side with them...but now, I think even some of the people who have no clue about politics are starting to see through the facade.

A classic example of self-projection

But as it stands now, they can't tell the truth, and have to keep going after Romney for every thing that goes wrong.

President Obama wasn't "outraged". I saw the press conference he gave earlier today. He acted more like it was regretful and sad.

LOL...what did you expect him to do? Beat his chest and throw a chair out the window? Get real! A politician has to be cool.

They think we should just have a cozy conversation with these thugs, maybe some milk and cookies thrown in for good measure, apologize and stick our tails between our legs and run away, seems like the perfect typical and recurring theme that Dems and liberals live by

And you would expect us to send up F16s and spend another trillion dollars on another senseless war. Diplomacy first, negotiations second, sanctions third, war should be the VERY last alternative...always!

Wolfpack: Obama has been an unmitigated disaster for America. .................................................................................YES ! Right on!

Four more years of Obama will destroy America as we know it

If only...

Promises promises...

SushiSake3:

He screwed up on his 'foreign policy' trip and insulted America's closest ally, he proves relentlessly that he speaks before he thinks...and now this!?

Obama: Police "acted stupidly".

plasticmonkey:

What is your problem with Obama's statement, as follows?

And to compare with GW Bush's on 9/11:

I don't see any difference. What is inappropriate or weak about Obama's statement?

The difference comes with the actions that follow. Bill Clinton made similar statements every time America was attacked under his presidency... over and over.. but never followed his statements with the appropriate substantive actions. Bush 43 did. We'll see if Obama is all words, like Clinton, or is a decisive leader.

President Obama has shown resolve by dispatching destroyers.

I'm sure GOP contender Mitt Romney has a plan....somewhere .....that he'll tell us all after the election, just like he said he'd do with explaining which tax loop holes he'd close. Lol!

No, Mitt Romney proves why America does need universal healthcare - with compulsory cover for whiplash to help Americans deal with Mitt Romney's constant flip-flops, lol :-)

“For Mitt Romney, an overseas trip is what you call it when you trip all over yourself overseas. It wasn’t a goodwill mission—it was a blooper reel.”

Classic, and 100% true to boot!

Dems use facts, numbers, statistics and historical data to make their case. GOP use emotion, hate, fear, lies, and self-projection to "try" make their case.

@ Mirai Hayashi: Let me provide you with a very simple counter to your argument. If the Dems are so into facts and statistics, then why is it that during their convention, when Sen Kerry and a retired Vice Admiral were speaking, the background picture that they used to show pictures of the USN and our military were not USN warships, but actually Russian Navy warships. Probably to the untrained eye the ships may look similar, but some guy watching TV noticed the differences, and upon closer examination, the ships were flying the flag of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. So the party of facts and figures, can't review the slides that go up to make sure that they were accurate. Small thing, but if they can't fact check something as simple as that, then I am sure that the figures that they give us on unemployment and other statistical data is probably not accurate. But at least they did turn around and apologize for that, but they blamed not their DNC convention staff, but blamed the vendor for the mistake.

Also, it seems that whenever the GOP makes a counter to the Dems, all we get that it is somehow related to "racism." That's the biggest emotional string puller in the Dems bags. Same goes with the whole OWS movement earlier this year. The Dems were fully behind this movement, pulling on the emotional strings of people, or with the case in WI and Gov. Walker and his move against the unions.

It's interesting that a major (and deadly) foreign policy mistake by Obama's administration (endorsement of the "Arab Spring") is being spun as a nail in the political coffin of Romney. Dear Leader, it seems, can do no wrong.

Mitt Romney has made himself such a joke he would be better suited to audition for Saturday Night Live than for the office of president.

Like taking out a cockroach with a baseball bat.

As opposed to coax a roach?

Use soft spoken, logical thinking on extremists who attack and kill American Embassy people in retaliation for a youtube video?

Or are you conveniently forgetting that the greatest single terrorist attack- the ONE on U.S. soil- happened 11 years ago yesterday under George W. and the neo-cons watch?

Maybe you don't remember the first World Trade Center bombing, on Clinton's watch?

He did dick. Literally.

After 9/11, there were no more such attacks on the US, during GW Bush's presidency.

That was not because he played nice with the poor, misguided terrorists.

Oldhawk - "The difference comes with the actions that follow. Bill Clinton made similar statements every time America was attacked under his presidency... over and over.. but never followed his statements with the appropriate substantive actions. Bush 43 did. "

Bush did all right. And bankrupted the nation in the process.

Thank God Obama is smarter than that.

And you would expect us to send up F16s and spend another trillion dollars on another senseless war. Diplomacy first, negotiations second, sanctions third, war should be the VERY last alternative...always!

@ Mirai Hayashi: They attacked us first. Embassies are deemed as soverign territory. They didn't choose to go through the proper procedures and attacked us. So after we took the first hit, we should go to the table and talk to them. I am glad you were not around in Dec. 1941. I guess you would have preferred the US to just talk to the Japanese after they bombed Pearl Harbor, hoping that things would work themselves out.

We all know Obama is scraping for money, but I can't believe he took no questions in his press conference and hopped on AF-1 full speed ahead for Las Vegas.

Any rational leader would have rescheduled a fundraising event for one day for something of this magnitude.

I don't know who is dumber. Any of Obama's advisers (If any) who told him to just go to Vegas, Or Obama for just doing it. It was the wrong thing to do executively, and an even worse thing to do politically.

Worse, who else might die if he blows off future security briefings?

Lordy, Mitt's superpacs are going to have a field day with this.

RR

I 100% support Romney's statement. When an embassy is attacked and diplomats are murdered, which is the first thing you should do?

a. Condemn the attack b. Apologize for 'upsetting' the attackers

Alphaape - "They didn't choose to go through the proper procedures and attacked us."

So, you're saying the angry mob failed to follow the appropriate Attack and Burn Down The Foreign Embassy regulations?

Perhaps they forgot to knock first? :-)

Romeo, I really doubt even you buy into your faux outrage. :-)

RomeoRII:

We all know Obama is scraping for money, but I can't believe he took no questions in his press conference and hopped on AF-1 full speed ahead for Las Vegas.

I can believe that he took no questions. Because he never takes questions. Except for softball interviews by fawning sycophants.

Any rational leader would have rescheduled a fundraising event for one day for something of this magnitude.

But Obama has long proven he's not rational. Emotional, yes, narcissistic, absolutely. The only surprise here is that he didn't get in a round of golf too.

I don't know who is dumber. Any of Obama's advisers (If any) who told him to just go to Vegas, Or Obama for just doing it. It was the wrong thing to do executively, and an even worse thing to do politically.

I'm sure the supportive media will dig up a Romney quote they can use to distract the voters from Dear Leader's mistakes. Even if they have to take it out of context.

Ok, so Mitt's flown off the rails again and criticized the president.

But what's Mitt's plan?

Anyone know?

.

What is your problem with Obama's statement, as follows?

"We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act," President Barack Obama said. "And >make no mistake, justice will be done."

I'll tell you what's wrong with it, given his the history of his highness, it would seem more likely that Obama wouldn't do anything, but run, duck and cover!

And to compare with GW Bush's on 9/11:

The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence >and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice.

With Bush you knew he meant it, No if ands or buts about it. Unwavering, unflattering. And these thugs would pay the price.

I don't see any difference. What is inappropriate or weak about Obama's statement?

his highness taking the initiative.

Or do you demand an immediate nuclear strike?

Don't be ridiculous.

All these complaints about Obama have absolutely no connection to reality, but are simply another chapter in the inane and manufactured narrative that Obama is an 'appeaser' and 'apologizer for American values'.

If the shoe fits...

The statement by the Cairo embassy was not an apology for American values (i.e. freedom of speech), but merely a condemnation of a very inflammatory video that the embassy feared would stoke deadly attacks on US interests. Which it did. Condemning provocative bigotry is a wise diplomatic action, one that would be supported by ANY American president so far, Republicans included.

That remains to be seen.

And it was followed with a string of condemnations of the attacks, and a resolution to bring those responsible to justice.

Believe it when I see it.

Romney's stance is ignorant and dangerous. It threatens the lives of US citizens, diplomatic staff, and military personnel. >All in order to please the irrational rightwing fringe of the GOP. How patriotic is that?

I applaud Romney and personally, I hope he turns it up a notch or two!!

Alphaape - "@ Mirai Hayashi: They attacked us first. Embassies are deemed as soverign territory. They didn't choose to go through the proper procedures and attacked us. So after we took the first hit, we should go to the table and talk to them. I am glad you were not around in Dec. 1941. I guess you would have preferred the US to just talk to the Japanese after they bombed Pearl Harbor, hoping that things would work themselves out."

Sorry, that argument doesn't jive.

In Libya, it was an angry mob. With Pearl Harbor, it was a well-planned attack backed by a foreign government.

Hillary and Obama did not say one word about Islamist, extremist, terrorist; regarding this 9-11 horrible acts by these thugs who replacing U.S flag with black Islamist flag! It was a coordinated attack, and if you are not brainwashed; you would guess it right of who is behind all these? This is part of reality in Islam against the West (please, read the Qua-ran, the Hadith, and the life of Mohammed to find out why?). Islamization is happening, both hard Jihad and soft Jihad. The liberals and the West favor political correctness avoid facing this issue. Two different value systems will be clashed in days to come. How to solve it? through reasoning, open discussion with Islam, or......? It is sad to see folks attack Romney and avoiding the real cause of problem. Obama leads from behind creating a boiling pot for Middle East. Iraq is now becoming a proxy state of Iran under Shiite Muslim, the Pakistan is milking $ billion every year, The Russian and Chinese exploit and veto at the U.N for their benefits- vow, is U.S getting weak with mounting deficit, thus Obama rerun?

President Obama has shown resolve by dispatching destroyers.

They should've been on station in that area of the Med already before this happened. Sept 11th in the Arab world is a rallying flashpoint for the extremists and to not have our Military forces and embassies in the area already in a heightened security and rapid response posture in that theatre and already set to be able to respond is just inexcusable on this administrations part.

This resolve to deploy now is nothing more than leading from behind after the fact.

So after we took the first hit, we should go to the table and talk to them.

Do you even know who "them" are? If you think it's Libya, then you're wrong. Declaring a full scale war to find a handful of extremist is definitely not the way forward. There is a difference between dealing with extremist groups and governments, but I guess republicans don't know that.

I guess you would have preferred the US to just talk to the Japanese after they bombed Pearl Harbor,

maybe...it may have prevented 100,000+ needless deaths of innocent people.

We all know Obama is scraping for money

I guess we have another opposite land citizen! Welcome! Fact: Obama has out raised Romney in campaign funds for the month of August. It doesn't matter anyways, because Romney is not using his funds effectively and hurting his campaign by opening his pie hole.

I don't know who is dumber. Any of Obama's advisers (If any) who told him to just go to Vegas, Or Obama for just doing it.

Here's who's dummer: Reince Priebus for making STUPID inflammatory and highly inaccurate comments a month and a half month away from the probably the most important election in his party's history!

Lordy, Mitt's superpacs are going to have a field day with this.

Conjuring up lies and dunking their candidate under the water even more?...sure have at it...please! Any ads that the Romney campaign puts out from now on will most likely only serve Obama, because Romney has lost an immense amount of credibility and trust in the last 2 weeks

I applaud Romney and personally, I hope he turns it up a notch or two!!

Romney has just committed a very serious political error - one that has been roundly condemned by both sides of the isle. It is an error that will surely injure his chances in the upcoming election. If you cannot see that, then I am afraid that you are blind.

That should read "aisle", of course.

Triumvere:

Romney has just committed a very serious political error -

As I said earlier...

It's interesting that a major (and deadly) foreign policy mistake by Obama's administration (endorsement of the "Arab Spring") is being spun as a nail in the political coffin of Romney. Dear Leader, it seems, can do no wrong.

While you bicker about this and that, and hurl pointless insults about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum at each other, your attention is off the main event: the political destruction of the economy. Another false-flag event for the rubes.

@Deplore

When an embassy is attacked and diplomats are murdered, which is the first thing you should do?

a. Condemn the attack b. Apologize for 'upsetting' the attackers

a. Condemn the attack. Which is what Obama did after the embassy was attacked.

Your so-called "apology for 'upsetting' the attackers" is a fiction. There was never any apology to the attackers. The embassy in Cairo issued a statement condemning the video hours before any embassy was breached.

It is also important to remember that this statement was made by the Cairo embassy, not by Obama.

In Libya, it was an angry mob.

Egypt was the angry mob - you know, the ones that tore down the flag.

Libya was a coordinated jihadist attack, planned in advance, that used the protests over the film as cover.

The governments of both nations have some serious self-examination to conduct concerning their failure to safeguard the embassies of a sovereign foreign nation; Egypt in its promotion of the protests and lack of condemnation of the behavior of the protesters, and Libya on the connections between jihadist groups and the Benghazi security council, and the allegations that the jihadists were supplied by and aid by the military and security apparatus.

It's interesting that a major (and deadly) foreign policy mistake by Obama's administration (endorsement of the "Arab Spring") is being spun as a nail in the political coffin of Romney. Dear Leader, it seems, can do no wrong.

I do not for one moment believe that support for the Arab Spring was a "mistake." This week's events do not in any way alter that belief.

@bass

With Bush you knew he meant it, No if ands or buts about it. Unwavering, unflattering. And these thugs would pay the price.

I think you mean unfaltering.

So with all that unwavering determination to smoke the evildoers out of their holes, how is it that after a few months Bush pretty much gave up on bringing Bin Laden to justice? "Not a top priority" is how he put it.

I knew one of the men killed (Sean Smith) through an MMO I used to play. RIP. I notice that people are being careful not to use the word to describe this attack in Libya for what it really was; a terrorist attack that was all about it being 9/11 the film they were protesting was merely an excuse. I pray for the families of the victims and hope that justice is swift and without mercy on the perpetrators.

Let's be clear here. What Romney may or may not have said is not relevant. He isn't the president (yet). This situation is 100% at the feet of the current President. It's clear that Obama dropped the ball. He failed to make proper security precautions at the Libyan consulate. He probably was worried about angering the locals. So, instead of properly securing the building and staffing it with professional/military personnel.

This is NOT about Romney.

Do you even know who "them" are? If you think it's Libya, then you're wrong. Declaring a full scale war to find a handful of extremist is definitely not the way forward. There is a difference between dealing with extremist groups and governments, but I guess republicans don't know that.

@ Mirai: The same could be sad as to why this mob attacked the US embassy. The movie was not produced by the US government, nor was it sanctioned by the government of the USA. Yet, this mob went after US government facilities since the individuals who did it were not there. So that is fine by you then to attack a country's embassy just because the actions of a few offend you.

Maybe you don't remember the first World Trade Center bombing, on Clinton's watch?

Don't forget the Oklahoma City bombing that also took place on Clinton's watch.

Or, the Lockerbie Bombing, and Beirut Marine Barracks under Reagan.

Carter had to deal with Iranian Hostage Crisis.

etc., etc., etc.

Tragically, these types of things have been happening throughout history. No policy advocated by any former US President has been long-term effective in preventing extremists from being extreme. Domestic or foreign, it makes no difference. People with an axe are just looking for any reason at all to use as an excuse to grind it.

It's interesting that a major (and deadly) foreign policy mistake by Obama's administration (endorsement of the "Arab Spring") is being spun as a nail in the political coffin of Romney. Dear Leader, it seems, can do no wrong.

True story. An English friend of mine once said that one of the reasons the world was so screwed up was because of a major (and deadly) foreign policy mistake made by both Spain and France, etc. in supporting a group of "rebels" (first indirectly and then more overtly) in 1776.

I'm surprised that the some of the liberal posters haven't blame Bush for this tragic incident...

It is also important to remember that this statement was made by the Cairo embassy, not by Obama.

Since when did the rules change that a President can’t be held responsible for official U.S. embassy declarations?

Well it didn't take long for this to become a political football. My guess is that the bodies aren't even in the ground yet. Perhaps we need a law that says politicians cannot use murder as a tool to further their campaigns for a period of 72 hours after the incident. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic.

VRWC- "This situation is 100% at the feet of the current President. It's clear that Obama dropped the ball. He failed to make proper security precautions at the Libyan consulate."

lol! State is in charge of embassies, not the WH.

Please try again.

9/11 will for the time being be, say, a kind of open wound for the USA, so Al Qaeda etc..KNOW THIS, what do they do?? Look for SOFT TARGETS, now they see chances in messed up parts of the world, meaning Egypt, Libya etc..those countries are just barely trying to get their new governments in order, WAY easy for the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda etc..to go and complain about some crappy movie. Ok, so this movie was insulting?? Go and kill Americans?? Egypt needs to be controlled ASAP, these Muslim Brothers need to have a taste of nice, shiny American drones ASAP. I do like Obama, but he better send a nice signal to Egypt, Libya etc..you mess with our Embassies, you then will get to become a martyr right quick. I do hope this idiot Mitt Romney lets Mr.Obama do what he has to do meaning sending many, many drones deep in Egypt, Libya etc..Like I said, I DO NOT LIKE Mitt Romney, but Obama better not turn out to be a yellow belly Carter type of president, that idiot Carter let the Iranians take over the US embassy, take hostages etc..sorry Carter, you are a PENDEJO, I did not like Regan, but when he got into the white house, them Iranians knew what would happen under a new president, if Mr.Obama wants to become president for a second term, he better let our drones, etc..do our talking, meaning hit both Libya and Egypt hard but precise, kill off some of these leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda etc..they need to pay with their lives and pay ASAP!!!

lol! State is in charge of embassies, not the WH

@ SushiSake3: But they all get their marching orders from the WH. Many a Secretary or other government official has been fired for speaking out of line and not following the tone as set forth by the WH.

My heart goes out not only to the ambassador but also the Marines and others who lost their lives. From the reports I have been reading and hearing, they fired warning shots at the mob. Those Marines were simply following the ROE (Rules of Engagement) that have been set by the State Dept and the WH on not to use deadly force if they can avoid it. Just like the troops in Afgh and Iraq were hampered by the ROE set forth by the Pentagon, which was set forth by the political leaders.

So, there is a place where this all leads to. Whether GOP or DEM, it lies with the WH.

Triumvere. Egypt was the angry mob - you know, the ones that tore down the flag. Libya was a coordinated jihadist attack, planned in advance, that used the protests over the film as cover.

I do not for one moment believe that support for the Arab Spring was a "mistake." This week's events do not in any way alter that belief.

Sorry - I can't catch your idea - supporting jihadists against Gaddafi was not a mistake ?

So american ambassador is dead (and he was killed not by Gaddafi but by US supported jihadists ), what you whant next ?

Let's be clear here. What Romney may or may not have said is not relevant. He isn't the president (yet).

What Romney said is quite relevant in terms of judging his qualifications for the presidency, and judged he is being: even Ryan is not supporting him on this (Ryan is, of course, running still for his House seat so he'll have someplace to go post-November and thus must sound somewhat sane).

This situation is 100% at the feet of the current President. It's clear that Obama dropped the ball. He failed to make proper security precautions at the Libyan consulate.

That is true, and I am sure Obama is willing to take responsibility. We are, though, talking about the death of four people - a far shade from Bush's debacles, not to mention Saint Ronny and his ill-conceived, ill-fated crusade in Lebanon that cost the life of 241 American servicemen. Following that, Reagan turned tail and fled with nothing having been achieved. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombing

The work the State Department is doing in Libya is crucial, it is continuing, and it will succeed. Photos are already flooding the Net of Libyan and Egyptian citizens supporting the US. Sacrifices like yesterday's, when handled carefully, will draw support from the Arabic silent majority.

Romney's thus far completely inept response (religious intolerance is, after all, un-American, whether perpetrated by Muslims or by whoever made that damned film, so Romney's initial statements were just plain wrong) will only make things worse. That is quite worthy of note.

Alphaape,

There were no Marines protecting our Libyan Consulate.

No U.S. Marines were guarding the consulate at the time of the attack, according to U.S. officials.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/12/world/africa/libya-us-ambassador-killed-fallout/index.html

Laguna

That is true, and I am sure Obama is willing to take responsibility.

Let him start there first.

So that is fine by you then to attack a country's embassy just because the actions of a few offend you.

Not what I said, but we shouldn't be even thinking about war at this point. We need to find these people and work with the Libyan government to get them. We use special forces armed with the right intelligence and the right weapons, like what we did to get Bin Laden...not another trillion dollar war that the republicans and their defense contractor donors want to do,

"Mitt Romney's sharply-worded attack on President Obama over a pair of deadly riots in Muslim countries last night has backfired badly among foreign policy hands of both parties, who cast it as hasty and off-key, released before the facts were clear at what has become a moment of tragedy.

Romney keyed his statement to the American Embassy in Cairo's condemnation of an anti-Muslim video that served as the trigger for the latest in a series of regional riots over obscure perceived slights to the faith. But his statement — initially embargoed to avoid release on September 11, then released yesterday evening anyway — came just before news that the American Ambassador to Libya had been killed and broke with a tradition of unity around national tragedies, and of avoiding hasty statements on foreign policy. It was the second time Romney has been burned by an early statement on a complex crisis: Romney denounced the Obama Administration's handling of a Chinese dissident's escape just as the Administration negotiated behind the scenes for his departure from the country.

"They were just trying to score a cheap news cycle hit based on the embassy statement and now it’s just completely blown up," said a very senior Republican foreign policy hand, who called the statement an "utter disaster" and a "Lehman moment" — a parallel to the moment when John McCain, amid the 2008 financial crisis, failed to come across as a steady leader.

He and other members of both parties cited the Romney campaign's recent dismissals of foreign policy's relevance. One adviser dismissed the subject to BuzzFeed as a "shiny object," while another told Politico that the subject was the "president's turf," drawing a rebuke from Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol.

"I guess we see now that it is because they’re incompetent at talking effectively about foreign policy," said the Republican. "This is just unbelievable — when they decide to play on it they completely bungle it."

Romney has not backed off the response — "It's never too early for the United States government to condemn attacks on Americans and to defend our values," he said Wednesday — but his campaign faces a near consensus in Republican foreign policy circles that, whatever the sentiment, Romney faltered badly.

"It’s deeply unfortunate when the circumstance of the statement becomes the story," said Rick Perry's former foreign policy adviser, Victoria Coates, who is now an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and who suggested that Romney should simply have "gone earlier rather than save it for midnight" to avoid appearing to play politics on September 11. "It’s unfortunate that it’s playing out this way, and hopefully they can get back on message, because their point is sound," she said.

Other conservatives were less sympathetic.

"It's bad," said a former aide to Senator John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. "Just on a factual level that the statement was not a response but preceding, or one could make the case precipitating. And just calling it a 'disgrace' doesn't really cut it. Not ready for prime time."

A third Republican, a former Bush State Department official, told BuzzFeed, "It wasn't presidential of Romney to go political immediately — a tragedy of this magnitude should be something the nation collectively grieves before politics enters the conversation."

But the third official defended the substance of Romney's words: "Romney's attack is spot-on — disgusting that the first Obama administration impulse was to apologize instead of condemning violent religious intolerance. Obama's gotten a real pass on his intervention in Libya, his failed strategy in Afghanistan, and his lack of leadership in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. By trying to cut it down the middle in his foreign policy, no one knows where or for what Obama or America stands in the world these days."

The Republicans declined to speak for attribution, for fear of being publicly disloyal to their party's nominee. Veteran Democratic foreign policy hands, operating under no such restriction, called Romney's quick move all but disqualifying.

"He did jump the gun. It revealed yet again that his foreign policy team is not ready for prime time," said David Rothkopf, a former Clinton State Department official. "It is ugly and amateurish. It also seems strangely out of character with Romney who elsewhere in the campaign seems inclined to be restrained to a fault."

Heather Hurlburt, who heads the National Security Network, a Democratic group, said the statement "shows not just poor judgment and a willingness to use tragedy for political gains, regardless of the security consequences — but also poor management. He has policy people on his team who know better. Clearly they weren't consulted."

"As someone who worked at state and with diplomats for many years, it makes me feel sick," she said.

"Romney blew it and revealed how seriously maladroit he is when it comes to foreign affairs and national security," said Steve Clemons, the founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation. "An attack on an Embassy, the murder of U.S. officials including an Ambassador, is an attack on all Americans and the idea of America — and Romney gave terrorists what they want — a divided country still torn emotionally and politically by the events of 9-11. Romney talks of leadership but with his reckless commentary when events were fragile and still unfolding, he belly-flopped."

Source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/foreign-policy-hands-voice-disbelief-at-romney-cai?s=mobile

Is Romney REALLY the GOP nominee??

Is Romney REALLY the GOP nominee??

Limbaugh already implied that if and when Romney loses, the republican party will make him the scapegoat to save the ideology....like I said earlier, if you are a republican, once you lose the respect of Limbaugh and/or Fox News, YOU'RE DONE...politically.

Such terrible tragedies are going to continue as long as violence is considered an accepetable option throughout the world. Extremists come in all shapes, sizes, creeds and colors. No matter how many times you knock 'em down, they are going to keep getting up and coming back for more. Makes no difference if you try to flatter them with flowery words or beat the crap out of them with a big stick. They ain't going away anytime soon. These people are in it for the long haul.

I think subsequent and level-headed analysis of the news will show that Ambassador Stevens made a fatal mistake, to attempt hands-on field work instead of going by the State Department book and remaining in his security bubble at the US Embassy in Tripoli. He was young, and obviously has some kind of intelligence background (that's all I'm saying at this point), and made the snap decision to put himself at risk.

What's ironic is that the film that set off the bloodshed this time appears to be a false-flag operation that was specifically designed to set off hysterical mobs. No evidence has yet to be found that the "Israeli" who allegedly made the film even exists. Likewise for the others involved in its production and posting on YouTube with Arabic subtitles. I wouldn't put it past some sinister Muslim to have instigated the whole thing from the get-go. In any case, the US will be well advised to recall ALL its diplomats from the region and mothball its embassies and consulates until the Arab Spring has chilled out into the Arab Winter.

There were no Marines protecting our Libyan Consulate.

There were, however, marines protecting the US Embassy in Teheran. They weren't too effective.

A handful of marines probably would not have been much of a deterant in either Egypt or Libya. If anything they would have remained inside to try and protect embassy personnel and classified materials. I am know expert but I doubt they would be equipped with any heavy weapons which might be effectively used against such a crowd. It is possible their presence would've deterred some, but once the crowd realized that the local government forces assigned to protect the embassy were not going to do anything then the party would've been pretty much over.

Not what I said, but we shouldn't be even thinking about war at this point.

@ Mirai: No we shouldn't just jump to war, but according to international agreements, if a country attacks another embassy, that country has grounds to attack back. Just from reading the reports, I am not so sure that this was just "a mob" of ruffians but it must have been pretty coordinated. The film in question, came out well before yesterday so for them to all of a sudden to get irate about it seems suspicious.

Regardless of whether the Pres is Obama, Romney or Jay Leno, we are missing the problem here. One badly made movie made anywhere in the world insulting Islam is justification for rioting, ransacking and murdering innocent people. Four people have just died.

This is the problem. I can't see that it's Obama's, Bushes or Romney's fault. If some Japanese guy made a silly movie tomorrow, no doubt Japanese embassies in other countries would be targeted. (Even though, making fun of other religions is open-season.) Solve this problem and I'll give you TWO Nobel peace prizes.

I hope Republicans could give Obama just a day or two or support on this problem right now, and hopefully the administration can concentrate on this problem on hand without scoring points against Romney.

A young Ambassador has just been killed. And three others.

if a country attacks another embassy, that country has grounds to attack back.

The keyword here is COUNTRY. The Libyan government didn't attack the US ...why would they? We helped liberate them from a dictator. We have no grounds for striking them.

We need to figure out who these people are and team up with the Libyan government to find them and bring them to justice.

came out well before yesterday so for them to all of a sudden to get irate about it seems suspicious.

Of course it was orchestrated...9/11 anniversary, which brings the suspicion around to Al Qaeda operatives.

@Yasukuni

Of course there is no justification for attacking over a poorly and fraudulently made crap movie. But the producer knew that it would potentially be highly explosive politically, to the point where the original story line was completely different and the original script was dubbed over without the actors' knowledge.

Tatanka,

"I'm surprised that the some of the liberal posters haven't blame Bush for this tragic incident..."

As opposed the intellectually challenged screamers on the far right present above? Maybe that should tell you something about Romney's supporters or what's left of them, even compared to those on the radical left.

It's funny, speaking of W, how the radicals act blatantly different in or out of power, as we watched his supporters quell any criticism or dissent at the time with accusations of "giving comfort to the enemy". Now the far right are reduced to shrieking from the wilderness, they will vomit up any mindless comment in the hopes it will gain them political ground, as Romney's latest blunder shows.

If you want to know what the media commentators think of Mr Romney's strategy you can choose between "noxious and indecent", "rash and shameful", "craven and ill-advised" or "unfair and hyperbolic".

Mark Mardell the BBC's North American correspondent says of it "There are those who defend Mr Romney, but in the last two years of following him I can't remember such unity of scorn from the media."

Mr Romney's comments are the acts of a desperate man or the wrong side of an election.

There were, however, marines protecting the US Embassy in Teheran. They weren't too effective.

Different situation entirely. It was an unarmed mob that took over the our Embassy in 1979 in Teheran and opening fire on unarmed civilians no matter how belligerent or unruly is and always will be something to try avoid at all costs. The Libyan Consulate on the other hand was under direct attack by rocket propelled grenade launchers and no doubt semi-automatic Ak-47 and small arms fire.

If there was a Marine contingent that was posted there to protect our Consulate they would not have been so constrained when the bullets started flying. An attacking force that doesn't anticipate armed resistance and all of the sudden meets bullets flying back at their firing positions would have changed the whole situation and quite likely would have had a much better outcome than this tragic loss of our Ambassador and our U.S civilians that were there when the attack happened.

Of course, election time has come around again!

Time for another war, always gets the voters going!

Madverts,

The part you left out of Mr. Mardell's reporting:

Although the latter is from Senator McCain's former chief of staff, conservatives have a point when they say most of the condemnation comes from liberals in the "mainstream media".

There are those who defend Mr Romney, but in the last two years of following him I can't remember such unity of scorn from the media.

He's reporting on the Liberal Media Bias towards Romney that even he acknowledges Madverts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19582693

Sailwind,

He's talking about the condemnation of Romney's latest gaffes mostly coming from the mainstream media, not the constant media bias that you perceive. Read what I said about W's early years, the media were in the tank for him back then banging the drums for war, as dissent was unbelievably screamed down as "unpatriotic".

Mirai hayashi. I realize that. It offended Muslims, and perhaps it was meant to.

There are skits, and movies and songs intended to make fun or and offend Catholics too. If Catholics started assassinating people and attacking embassies, would you warn people to stop offending people?

I don't offend people's religions, I don't burn flags. If I had it my way, nobody would produce material that is offensive to another religion. If Monty Python made Life of Brian 2, they would be okay. If they made a similar movie "Life of Mushak" who was mistaken for Muhammed, then riots would break out everywhere, and liberals would tell people to not offend Muslims. But if Christians complained they'd be told to toughen up and shut up.

And that's the issue nobody talks about. Someone in a country could make the same movie about the Buddha but would people get killed over it?

Anyone that thinks that the Libyan and Egyptian Governments were not well aware that these attacks were being planned is just not paying attention. The ME situation is not looking good,the Muslim brotherhood and other extremest have gained control in both Egypt and Libya and are also the driving force behind the Syrian opposition . Mitt Romney,regardless of ones political view of him, was right to scold Obama for not paying heed to the dangers presented by the ME extreme element. The US needs to break away from it's policy of aiding ME countries.we also need to stop trying to influence ME policy.. The US should remove all US personnel from ALL the ME and make it clearly known that if we are EVER attacked again by these extreme idiots that we will unleash the full extent of our military mite(including Nuclear war heads) against ALL COUNTIES known to be harboring extreme Muslim terrorist groups.

By the way, I just saw the trailer on youtube - couldn't help myself. It is definitely so awfully made that it's hard to not laugh at it. It's not rotten tomatoes level, its rotten tomatoes with dangerously high cesium levels. Wow. The poor actors might have a hard time getting work after that one.

@Mirai "We use special forces armed with the right intelligence and the right weapons,"

that I agree with. These things have to be dealt with in the smartest way possible.

"Mark Mardell the BBC's North American correspondent says of it "There are those who defend Mr Romney, but in the last two years of following him I can't remember such unity of scorn from the media.""

The BBC - experts on scorn and political objectivity ...

"The BBC - experts on scorn and political objectivity ..."

Impartiality you mean.

@ Bass & Steve McGrew 'You mess with the bull, you get the horns' 'Unleash the full extent of our military mite ( including Nuclear war heads )' Yeah, bomb 'em back into the stone age, squash 'em like a bug, make them feel the power of the most awesome military force in the history of mankind. Can I ask right wingers not write their erotic evocations of mass slaughter here - it turns my stomach. Write porn instead - you can make money.

Madverts,

not the constant media bias that you perceive.

Let me know when the "Media" starts asking President Obama the tough questions about why our consulate and Ambassador In Libya (of all places as if that was a stable country in the first place) Why he didn't have adequate security. Instead of focusing and yammering on and on about Romney being critical of his Foreign Policy in an election year.

there you have it, month of talk and talk but you want action? kill one u.s. citizen and stage it like the opposition did it (not saying it happened that way ofcourse)

photos of the mobs in libya burning our flag in front of the embassy have shown a few of the crazies wearing black and white grinner mustache masks just like the ones from that idiotic canadian movie "v for vengeance." i had no idea that the two movements occupy wall street and the al-quaeda- backed arab spring were so tightly linked.

open mic caught cbs reporter jan crawford and (tax payer supported) npr hack ari shapiro laughing as they openly strategize about how to coordinate questions to romney to help provide cover for their man-child in the white house, who slept thru the proverbial 3 am call , on the anniv of 9-11.

www.therightscoop.com/exclusive-open-mic-captures-coordinating-questioins-for-romney-no-matter-who-he-calls-were-covered/

"Instead of focusing and yammering on and on about Romney being critical of his Foreign Policy in an election year."

Heh, but the thread is about Mr Romney and his cheap shots at the president.

To join your camp for a minute, I'd say divisive, craven and ill-advised commentary from candidate Romney just gives comfort to the enemy.

white house administration officials are now saying romney was correct.

an apology for America’s values is never the right course.

Oh dear me.

America's values?! That depends entirely on which part of the world you happen to live in. In most of the Middle East they have had more than enough of the United States imposing their 'values' on the region. They know all about American 'values', and what it translates into. The arrogance and insensitivity of that comment is extraordinary. Honestly, I have met and heard Americans who, after the 9/11 attacks, asked "Why did they attack us?! What did we ever do to them?". Well, the Mitt Romney comment, in context of the background of the US involvement in the Middle East over many decades explains exactly why......

Heh, but the thread is about Mr Romney and his cheap shots at the president.

As in President Obama agreed with him after all?

One staffer at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was responsible for the statement and tweets Tuesday that have become grist for the presidential campaign, and that staffer ignored explicit State Department instructions not to issue the statement, one U.S. official close to the issue told The Cable.

Two additional administration officials confirmed the details of this account when contacted late Wednesday by The Cable.

"In an effort to cool the situation down, it didn't come from me, it didn't come from Secretary Clinton. It came from people on the ground who are potentially in danger," Obama said. "And my tendency is to cut folks a little bit of slack when they're in that circumstance, rather than try to question their judgment from the comfort of a campaign office."

But Obama's remarks belie the enormous frustration of top officials at the State Department and White House with the actions of the man behind the statement, Cairo senior public affairs officer Larry Schwartz,

Before issuing the press release, Schwartz cleared it with just one person senior to himself, Deputy Chief of Mission Marc Sievers, who was the charge d'affaires at the embassy on Tuesday because Ambassador Anne Patterson was in Washington at the time, the official said.

Schwartz sent the statement to the State Department in Washington before publishing and the State Department directed him not to post it without changes, but Schwartz posted it anyway.

"The statement was not cleared with anyone in Washington. It was sent as ‘This is what we are putting out,'" the official said. "We replied and said this was not a good statement and that it needed major revisions. The next email we received from Embassy Cairo was ‘We just put this out.'"

A heated discussion ensued among State Department and White House officials over e-mail as the controversy over the statement grew Tuesday evening, even grabbing the attention of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, those same officials were dealing with a more serious attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that resulted in the death of four American officials, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

"People at the highest levels both at the State Department and at the White House were not happy with the way the statement went down. There was a lot of anger both about the process and the content," the official said. "Frankly, people here did not understand it. The statement was just tone deaf. It didn't provide adequate balance. We thought the references to the 9/11 attacks were inappropriate, and we strongly advised against the kind of language that talked about ‘continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims.'"

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/12/inside_the_public_relations_disaster_at_the_cairo_embassy

Limbaugh already implied that if and when Romney loses, the republican party will make him the scapegoat to save the ideology...

WRONG.

Rush said that of OBAMA: The Liberals will never put the blame on Liberalism, if Obama loses...

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/09/06/media_shrinks_expectations_for_obama

Meanwhile, the praise for Mitt Romney keeps pouring in....

'Most Craven And Ill-Advised Move'... 'Not Worthy Of A President'... 'Bungle... Utter Disaster... Not Presidential... Lehman Moment'... 'Over The Top... Desperate'... 'Awesomely Awful'... 'Glaring Foolishness... Disgraceful'

You go Mitt! :-)

It's called a Mitt Slam.

Self inflicted. :-)

I can't wait for the first debate.

Mitt probably can.

Obama definitely can.

Conservatives identify with and embrace failure, stupidity and ignorance.

This is why the GOP exists and why this election cycle's lead clown is a guy called Mitt Romney...

"Is Romney REALLY the GOP nominee?"

Is Obama REALLY the Democratic nominee?

Conservatives identify with and embrace failure, stupidity and ignorance.

that says more about the person who would post such sentiments.especially when he devotes hours of his day in futility trying to change the minds of people he considers beneath him.

I would like to remind you this is a global site.

The chaos against Americans are spreading like fire everywhere in the Middle East.

Keep a difference in Presidential campaign aside. Safety for Americans first and stay cool. The justice will be done.

The chaos against Americans are spreading like fire everywhere in the Middle East.

Its not chaos. It was all planned. If you are the type who think its coincidence that the attacks occurred on 9-11 well then you undoubtedly also swallow Obama's sad, silly, 60s radicalism blame America first backwash

Each religion has its own way of portraying itself. The apostles asked Jesus, "How will we know who are the true worshippers"? In response he said, "By their fruits you will recognize them". "By their brotherly love

If there was a Marine contingent that was posted there to protect our Consulate they would not have been so constrained when the bullets started flying. An attacking force that doesn't anticipate armed resistance and all of the sudden meets bullets flying back at their firing positions would have changed the whole situation and quite likely would have had a much better outcome than this tragic loss of our Ambassador and our U.S civilians that were there when the attack happened.

Perhaps. But typically how many marines would guard a diplomatic mission like the ones in Egypt and Libya? Are we talking 5? 10? 100? Also, are they armed with heavy weapons? Mortars? RPGs? Do they have tactical air support or armor support?

Do you have to be close up to use an RPG effectively? Isn't it a relatively long rang weapon? I have read that Ambassador Stevens and the others were killed in a rocket attack..I am assuming this was a surprise attack. Ambassador Stevens is said to have died from severe smoke inhalation. He and the others weren't taken out back, lined up and shot. So, how could marines have prevented this?

The US gives billions in aid, now we have Obama who was supposed to make ME countries love the US again, and they still attack the embassy and kill an ambassador.

I thought once Bush was off the scene everyone was supposed to like American again?

So with all that unwavering determination to smoke the evildoers out of their holes, how is it that after a few >months Bush pretty much gave up on bringing Bin Laden to justice? "Not a top priority" is how he put it.

If you think that Bush gave up looking for OBL, then you might as well lump Clinton in their too, especially when the CIA had OBL in their sites in '08, but Clinton did nothing. But yes, Obama gets a pat on the shoulder for tapping into his inner Bush and with the recommended advice from Bush to use SEAL team 6 to get the job done properly. So, yes, it was a top priority. Stay away from Think progress and Media Matters, it'll confuse you more.

@Sushi

Conservatives identify with and embrace failure, stupidity and ignorance.

Every time you say that, I know deep down inside you are talking about the current admin. just own up to it. No shame in doing so.

This is why the GOP exists and why this election cycle's lead clown is a guy called Mitt Romney...

The last 4 years were nothing short of a circus and NOT even Cirque Du Soleil level!

Meanwhile, the praise for Mitt Romney keeps pouring in....

'Most Craven And Ill-Advised Move'... 'Not Worthy Of A President'... 'Bungle... Utter Disaster... Not >Presidential... Lehman Moment'... 'Over The Top... Desperate'... 'Awesomely Awful'... 'Glaring Foolishness... >Disgraceful You go Mitt! :-)

How many of those comments were from Conservative or traditional Americans and not Europeans or Liberals

Conservative or traditional Americans and not Europeans or Liberals

I call them fundamentalists like Al Qaida. They are ready to use armed conflict and are extremely religious.

While it might be viewed as over simplistic and racist, it is none-the-less true that given the summation of the whole of folks in the middle east, there shall never be peace. The issue of Israel aside, they were fighting and killing each other long before 1947/48 and will be forever. Yes, I understand that there are many beautiful and wonderful people in the ME who are smart, thoughtful and do not thrive on the violence and chaos that has become so intertwined in the region. Despite so many hating westerners and particularly Americans, I hold no ill will and would gladly welcome them to my table (as many would). But given a people that generally suffer from great economic disparity in a mostly third-world region sharply divided by a zealous (read fanatical) belief in religion and hating each other with such fervor, how can it ever be otherwise? They are far too governed by religious insanity and clannish divisions to ever become (as a whole) a peaceful region in society.

If the west pulled out tomorrow and left them to it they would still likely all blow themselves up. Well, Israel would clean house to a degree. It was heartening - if somewhat sad - so see signs of apology by some in the region in the killing of Chris Stevens; he seemed to generally be extremely well respected which is a great measure of the person that he was.

some users on this site use 'Socialistic' but to use 'Communistic' to describe Obama's policies is just plain bizarre...

True. Obama and his crowd aren't communists. The constant inablilty to accept that there might be a valid opposing view that is based on a difference in perspective and policy rather than simply insulting the people who disagree sounds more like facism.

The latest reports indicate that this was a hit job that was done by some militant group. Nobody seems to be sure who yet but the location of a "secret" safe house was given away and the attackers were well organized and armed. This was not a protest gone wrong.

The question is; when will these people get it through their heads that civilized people don't riot over a film. The answer, unfortunately, is not as long as the koran is taken seriously as it says that anybody who insults the prophet should die. There's the root cause of the problem. How do you get past that?

Romney will be the next U.S, President

Obama will be re-elected for sure.

Seems any comments on here promoting Romney gets a thumbs down. I want to see which of my above replies wins to prove it.

Because of extremist of Islam, two US Navy warships are moving towards the coast of Libya. They wont be there to protest. They are there to take action, and there will be blood.

Sorry - I can't catch your idea - supporting jihadists against Gaddafi was not a mistake ? So american ambassador is dead (and he was killed not by Gaddafi but by US supported jihadists ), what you whant next ?

Surely your understanding of the Libyan revolution is not confined to "Gaddafi" on one side and "jihadists" on the other?

With all due respect to the Ambasador and his deceased colleagues, If I had to choose between their lives and the liberation of the Libyan people, I would still side with the revelation; we have spent the lives of our soldiers for considerably less elsewhere. Given the ambassadors avowed commitment to the Libyan people and their freedom,, I humbly suggest that he might have agreed in principle. After all, they knew the risks involved in accepting such a posting.

Ambassador; revolution; etc...

I apologize for the copious errors. Too bad there is no edit function.

Seems any comments on here promoting Romney gets a thumbs down. I want to see which of my above replies wins to prove it.

An interesting experiment, but poorly executed. I might also suggest that context makes a difference as well. - (ie a thread discussing behavior by Mr. Romney which has brought wide-spread condemnation might not be the most favorable to soliciting approval, in the same manner that, say, a thread about Mr. Romney saving adorable orphaned puppies would be less likely to draw disapproval.)

Sending destroyers only fuels anti-american sentiment.

I call them fundamentalists like Al Qaida. They are ready to use armed conflict and are extremely religious.

I never knew Johnson and Clinton to be Conservatives, but what the heck do I know!

Sending destroyers only fuels anti-american sentiment.

Sometimes you need war if you want peace. Being weak and pacifist only emboldens the enemy, believe me, I know! Besides, this is NOT a popularity contest.

Sometimes you need war if you want peace. Being weak and pacifist only emboldens the enemy, believe me, I know! Besides, this is NOT a popularity contest.

Wow. And some wonder why American Embassies get attacked and the why US is so widely disliked in certain parts of the world. Imagine if the Chinese were belting out rhetoric like this. Or the Russians. Or the French. Or the Germans. Is there a different set of rules for the US than everybody else? Do you think there should be?

To All Americans

Stay calm and vigilant. Safety of Americans first!

@Tama

No, there is not, but you are making an excuse for these murdering thugs, just because ONE idiot in the states made a crazy movie that justifies a lynch mob?! Because of this ONE man's action, 4 people and some embassies had to be raided and burned down?! Please spare me!

Also last I heard, the US is a democracy and as such, this idiot and I call him an idiot sill has the right in the US is allowed FREEDOM of SPEECH! Everyone else can go to.... Atheists can say or disparage Christians or Christianity or Judaism all day long, which I have absolutely NO problem with, but because these thugs are Muslim, we have to tread lightly and watch what we say, how we say and be sensitive to these people, KMA, I don't care how many thumbs down from Liberals I get on JT, I am so outraged about this. I don't know what was in the mind of this guy for doing this, but now because indirectly of what this guy did, 4 people are dead. And anyone making excuses for these criminals and thinking we should understand or tone down the language, I say, go milk a rubber duck! If it's in their country, by all means, follow the rules and do in Rome as Romans do, but I would never stand for anyone to tell me what to do in my own country! This is sheer utter madness. Apologizing and appeasing these thugs is an absolute insult. Egypt and Libya has the man power and the resources to have stopped this from every happening, of course they did and if anyone thinks otherwise is not dealing with a full deck! No one had to die, they could have stopped this, but they let it happen, pure and simple!

bass4funkSep. 14, 2012 - 08:24AM JST

Also last I heard, the US is a democracy and as such, this idiot and I call him an idiot sill has the right in the US is allowed FREEDOM of SPEECH! Everyone else can go to....

bass4funk, your lack of understanding in freedom of speech is unacceptable. Please go to US Supreme Court decision on that. Safety first before freedom of speech.

Freedom of Speech is what it is. You love it, you hate it. Deal with it.

I don't condone that filmakers actions at all. If in fact he lied to his cast and the production crew then he should be arrested and locked away. The lies and deception have put people at risk.

So I would try moving away from the argument of Freedom of Speech or U.S. foreign policy.

Behind all of this is a deceitful individual who was filled with religious hate. An irresponsible individual.

If we allow his actions to dictate a chain of events that lead towards more violence then he has won. Obama's reaction was just fine. See the situation for what it really is. Be understanding of the Muslim. Don't condone murder but don't condemn an entire group or nation.

Mitt Romney has clearly shown that he is not qualified to be President on the Global Stage. Hey Mitt. can it and come back when you have a Nobel Peace Prize, okay.

I don't condone that filmakers actions at all. If in fact he lied to his cast and the production crew then he should be arrested and locked away. The lies and deception have put people at risk.

This guy has been identified and he is now hiding in fear. US government issued search warrant for his arrest..

your lack of understanding in freedom of speech is unacceptable. Please go to US Supreme Court decision on that. Safety first before freedom of speech.

Sorry, wrong!

As long as I don't threaten or show ANY indication of wanting to commit physical violence towards people or individuals. I have the right in MY country to say whatever I want. Again, Atheists do it all the time. I can't say Merry Christmas because it might anger some people, how many times have we heard Atheists going nuts over Christians wanting to practice religion the way they see fit. We have to bow down to them and be sensitive, that is in the US and NOW in our country, we have to be sensitive as to NOT offend people outside of the US. I will Never submit to that!

The movie by itself was only a tiny substance igniting the time bomb -- Arab Spring logically is followed by Arab Winter ? Sad to observe that the U.S.' sole Presence in every corner of the world is gunboats..and only gunboats ! Are there people trying to understand the civilians Afgans, libyans, Egyptians, Syrians seeing the US troops passing by like a hurricane, with only civil wars, ruined cities, broken families left behind..and then.. Population left behind hopeless & helpless : if they are not yet refugees on a wrecked boat heading for Europe, Australia or members of terrorist groups, they will one day be part of it given the fact that there are no other choices to make a living. The secretary Clinton's said the US Govt has no link to the film to try to defuse the bomb -- what a naive response ? These people, qualified as terrorists or not ( by the way, they will be flattered being named so, as weapons are available everywhere after the 2011 chaos ), unless you start building fortress like embassies, these people would come back again whenever they feel expressing their grievances towards the West that destroyed their home & normal life even under dictator regimes. Finally, RIP the ambassador Stevens & his colleagues...

bass4funkSep. 14, 2012 - 10:03AM JST

your lack of understanding in freedom of speech is unacceptable. Please go to US Supreme Court decision on that. Safety first before freedom of speech.

Sorry, wrong!

@bass4funk, you need to tell it to the US Supreme Court. We cannot live in our own rules. There are good reasons behind it. Hope you learn them for your sake.

will Never submit to that!

Good Luck to you.

I don't condone that filmakers actions at all. If in fact he lied to his cast and the production crew then he should be arrested and locked away. The lies and deception have put people at risk.

I agree, the film sucked and done in VERY bad taste. It's a pack of lies, designed to insight violence and hatred towards the US. Having said that, it 's freedom of speech. The film makers are within their rights to say whatever they want in favor of or against Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, etc, and in my opinion shouldn't be banned.

Furthermore, violence in protest of this film only serves to state how little these Muslim extremists have faith in their own religion. If they really had faith in Alah, god, Buddha, the Picard, or whatever, then the should have faith that their sky god will punish those blaspheme. But they DON'T have faith, so they feel have to take matter into their own hands. What a bunch of idiots...ALL religious extremists and Zealots are idiots!

Not to pile on but

Also last I heard, the US is a democracy and as such, this idiot and I call him an idiot sill has the right in the US is allowed FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

and

Having said that, it 's freedom of speech. The film makers are within their rights to say whatever they want in favor of or against Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, etc, and in my opinion shouldn't be banned.

sound nice but misunderstand what the First Amendment says regarding "freedom of speech".

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights does not guarantee unlimited freedom of speech for any US citizen. It simply states that Congress cannot pass any law that abridges the freedom of speech. This among other things was extended to apply individual state governments as well by the 14th Ammendment. Neither Congress or any state government has passed any law denying this person the right to make or exhibit their film. This has nothing to do with 'freedom of speech'.

Moreover, the Supreme Court has ruled many times that not all speech is protected under the First Amendment. In other words, certain types of speech can be legally restricted and regulated by government and is being done so everyday throughout the US. If you think that's not true then the next time you are at shopping mall, sporting event, movie theater, airport, train station, etc. trying screaming out "bomb", "gun", "fire", or "You #$%&". If those are too much for you then try something a little more pleasent sounding. When security or whomever approaches you and asks you to calm down or be quiet and stop bothering other customers then tell them no and that you are only exercising your First Amendment right of free speech. See how that works out for you.

This person posted their clip on YouTube. YouTube is a private company that is free to regulate content posted on it's site anyway it wants. If YouTube decides that this film clip violates their TOS then they can remove it and there's pretty much nothing that anybody can do to stop them. Movie theaters can decide not to show this film and there is nothing anybody can do to force them to show it.

Also, it is quite possible that this "film maker" through alleged lies to the cast and production crew may have violated some other laws; laws that really have nothing to do with the "right" to speak one's mind. Not only may he (or she?) be crimminally liable, I imagine civil suits are going to follow as well. Those will probably be the straws that break's that camel's back. Putting people like this behind bars hurts, but ruining them financially really hurts.

Has it escaped everyone's attention that this happened in Libya, not the U.S.? If the U.S. isn't welcome then JUST LEAVE. The Ambassador was an idiot to stay where he wasn't welcome. I'm sorry he's dead, but the U.S. had the resources to evacuate him well in advance and he stayed.

I can empathise with the Libyans and other Muslims, the U.S. is killing people daily in Pakistahn, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I don't think Libya wants to be the next occupied country. No-one in their right mind could claim that the threat of U.S. invasion isn't a real and plausible threat, and while I don't condone the attack on the embassy I can certainly see the rationale behind it.

Just leave the middle East U.S., or at least acknowledge that it's your own darned fault when your people get killed because you put them in harm's way. Romney's rhetoric ignores this. At least Obama can see the writing on the wall.

No, there is not, but you are making an excuse for these murdering thugs, just because ONE idiot in the states made a crazy movie that justifies a lynch mob?! Because of this ONE man's action, 4 people and some embassies had to be raided and burned down?! Please spare me!

This is intereasting. Countries have been bombed to rubble and many innocent people have been killed because of ONE man's (or ONE group's) crazy actions. Lynch mobs (so to speak) have been formed and innocent people have had their lives destroyed (literally or figuratively) becomes of ONE man's (or ONE group's) crazy action. Such retaliatory responses have been justified and even praised because this ONE man (or ONE group) is a threat to "our way of life" and, therefore, needs to be eliminated at any cost.

For all those who continue to consider the events in Egypt to be a nail in the political coffin of Romney instead of Obama, you might want to read a current article at the Washington Free Beacon about Egyptian ambassador Anne Patterson not allowing Marines guarding the embassy to carry live ammo.

This:

Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson "did not permit U.S. Marine guards to carry live ammunition," according to multiple reports on U.S. Marine Corps blogs spotted by Nightwatch. "She neutralized any U.S. military capability that was dedicated to preserve her life and protect the US Embassy."

And:

"She did not defend U.S. sovereign territory and betrayed her oath of office," the report states. "She neutered the Marines posted to defend the embassy, trusting the Egyptians over the Marines."

The Pentagon is denying this, of course, and Ambassador Patterson was in D.C. during the attacks. But first-hand reports from the Marines aren't easy to dismiss.

A nail in Romney political coffin? Did Romney pick Patterson? No? Huh, fancy that. But please, keep focusing on Romney's "gaffe" while ignoring the dozens of gaffes committed by Obama, and the almost daily samples from Biden. Get your news from Jon Stewart and Chris Mathews.

I wonder, how many of you even have a vote in November's election?

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights does not guarantee unlimited freedom of speech for any US citizen. It simply states that Congress cannot pass any law that abridges the freedom of speech. This among other things was extended to apply individual state governments as well by the 14th Ammendment. Neither Congress or any state government has passed any law denying this person the right to make or exhibit their film. This has nothing to do with 'freedom of speech'.

Moreover, the Supreme Court has ruled many times that not all speech is protected under the First Amendment. In other words, certain types of speech can be legally restricted and regulated by government and is being done so everyday throughout the US. If you think that's not true then the next time you are at shopping mall, sporting event, movie theater, airport, train station, etc. trying screaming out "bomb", "gun", "fire", or "You #$%&". If those are too much for you then try something a little more pleasent sounding. When security or whomever approaches you and asks you to calm down or be quiet and stop bothering other customers then tell them no and that you are only exercising your First Amendment right of free speech. See how that works out for you.

@Yagura, very impressed. Sounds like law scholar writing to me. Job well done.

I hope this was not a CIA OPERATION, because it makes no sense that no MARINES protecting the US embassy in Bengazi!! This would not surprise me, but why????

Egypt needs to be controlled ASAP, these Muslim Brothers need to have a taste of nice, shiny American drones ASAP. I do like Obama, but he better send a nice signal to Egypt, Libya etc..you mess with our Embassies, you then will get to become a martyr right quick. I do hope this idiot Mitt Romney lets Mr.Obama do what he has to do meaning sending many, many drones deep in Egypt, Libya etc..

I agree and when the US has finished contolling Egypt then I think they should turn their sites towards Mexico and start giving those horrible drug cartels and their lackeys a taste of some shiny American drones. That violence is horrible and needs to be controlled ASAP. Many, many drones need to be sent deep into Mexico etc to let these criminals that such horrific drug violence is unacceptable.

Wake up people! Obama is a great manipulator, while he talks about change and all his visions. All those terrorist are planning how to end all the Americans and our country. But hey, Mr. Obama keep lending money, weapons and have them blow up our American troops and civilians. Shame on you Obama! Guess people will wake up once you destroy America!

The Pentagon is denying this, of course, and Ambassador Patterson was in D.C. during the attacks. But first-hand reports from the Marines aren't easy to dismiss.

Of course you have a link to these blogs? Not Nightwatch, the originating blogs, plural?

Of course...

Pentagon Lt. Col. Chris Hughes told the outlet: ''The ambassador and RSO (Regional Security Officer) have been completely and appropriately engaged with the security situation. No restrictions on weapons or weapons status have been imposed. This information comes from the Det Commander at AMEMB (American Embassy) Cairo''

Personally I don't think the US should be sending anything over to Libya right now. Close down the embassy, pull out the US citizens (except those foolish enough to stay there). Same should go with any other "western" people over there. Cut their umbilical cord and let them flounder around on their own legs of foolishness. The US has tried to help and support countries that keep choosing to take themselves and anyone else down with them they can get their hands into. Its time to let them go as US has done with corporations in the US that were given help and screwed up anyways.

The killing of the American ambassador to Libya reverberated around the world on Wednesday, challenging perceptions of the Arab Spring ...

So what does the man that sent that ambassador to die in Libya do the next day? He flies off to Las Vegas to raise money for his re-election campaign. Meanwhile, American embassies are under seige all over the Muslim world. But hey, at least Obama got to see a few naked show girls so I suppose it wasn't a total loss.

HonestDictator The US has tried to help and support countries ...

By invading&destroing them ?

"By invading and destroying them?

No, by liberating them. Is Iraq and Afghanistan really worse off now than when Saddam Hussein and the Taliban were in charge?

Neither Obama nor Romney know what the heck to do! They both are idiots when it comes to foreign policy and the decline of America is just going to continue on.

Neither Obama nor Romney know what the heck to do! They both are idiots when it comes to foreign policy and the decline of America is just going to continue on.

At least Romney sounds as though he is for a pro-American foreign policy. Obama seems to be doing all he can to validate the views of Islamist extremism.

At least Romney sounds as though he is for a pro-American foreign policy. Obama seems to be doing all he can to validate the views of Islamist extremism.

So you would prefer the lesser of two evils? My preference is neither!

appropriate substantive actions.

Like attacking Iraq when the hijackers from 9-11 were from Saudia Arabia and other countries?

Serrano "By invading and destroying them? No, by liberating them. Is Iraq and Afghanistan really worse off now than when Saddam Hussein and the Taliban were in charge?

Yes Iraqi people totally liberated from oil revenues for the benefit of U.S. oil corporations...

(the same thing for Libya today !!)

And 1 mio of Iraqi was killed by US Army during after - Saddam era...

In Afhanisan US Army killing people as livestock....

In the name of freedom and democracy !!

Before his death I had not heard of Chris Stevens but I am moved by the compassion and humanity of the man. I hope he knew how deeply he impacted the people of Libya. Because he was such a beloved man he continues to help the "fight for freedom" for the Lybian people and the peace process for the world. So seldom in North America do we ever get to hear the voice of the actual people, as opposed to beurocrats and religious fanatics, but as a result of the injustice of his murder the newly freed Lybian people began to send messages of condolence and peace to the people of the USA through facebook.

I have never been anywhere close to saying this so I must get it out and see it in type. " I don't hate facebook today." Seems weird to say, but to continue ...

Whether there is a conspiracy by oil companies and governments to keep unstability strong and promote violence or whether it's just a bi-product of corperate greed and politics is not clear, but what I do know is that waiting for elite mega rich executives and politiions to promote freedom and pece is a massive waste of time. If you ask the fat guys to defend and hand out the cookies don't be surpised if you are left with a couple of cumbs and an empty milk glass. communication and compassion between people is really the only way to insure actual stability peace and it seems that communication has begun as a result of the good will that Mr. Stevens spread.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheSorryProject

Olegek:

" Yes Iraqi people totally liberated from oil revenues for the benefit of U.S. oil corporations... "

Absolute nonsense. The Iraqi oil industry is currently a mess, with the central government trying to set outrageous conditions for oil companies. The only place where the oil industry is currently signing contracts is in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north... as long as the Shiite Bagdad government does not stop that violently.

Your talking points do not pass a reality check.

Frungy:

" Has it escaped everyone's attention that this happened in Libya, not the U.S.? If the U.S. isn't welcome then JUST LEAVE. "

They did not need to go in there in the first place. Gaddafi, for all his faults, at least kept the islamist crazies at bay. But no, Obama and Sarkozy just HAD to support the islamist "freedom fighters", and now they have to live with what they created.

No matter how much Obama postures with sending friggates and the like around, this is his creation. Under Gaddafi, US diplomats were safe. Now, he can look at the black Al Quaeda flag fluttering on to of smoldering ruins of the consulate in Benghazi and wonder what happened to his pipedream.

And it is not like people did not warn about exactly this.

yagura:

" This person posted their clip on YouTube "

The Youtube video has nothing to do with this. The suggestion that hundreds of thousands of Arabs suddenly, just conveniently around September 11, went on Youtube and discovered an obscure clip that offended them so much is ludcrious. And oh yes, after being spontanenously offended, they also got out there rocket launchers and other heavy weaponry from under their mattresses, and spontaneously assaulted US missions in a dozen countries? Who in the world is supposed to believe that mother all coincidences?

These raving mobs are about as "spontaneous" as the anti-Japanese demonstrations in China.

Of course this was arranged by a network of radical islamist leaders. The number of the rioters who have actually watched the clip (or, for that matter seen the Danish cartoons before that, or read the Rushdie book before that) you can count with the fingers on one hand. ALL it takes fo arouse these mobs are a bunch of imams telling them in Friday prayer that the infidels have insulted their prophet. And off you go.

@WilliB

My post about the clip being posted on YouTube was only in response to those going on and on about how the film makers "freedom of speech" was being threatened by the US Government, etc. I wasn't making a statement about why the video might have been posted or whether the attacks in either Libya or Egypt and subsequently in other places were or were not planned. Personally, I do think there is more to this story then it just being the "mother of all consequences".

However, I do think that YouTube and the Internet itself are seen in some parts of the world as another example of "Western" decadence and cultural domination. Posting the clip on YouTube, therefore, might only reaffirm this belief in some people's minds, even though anybody pretty much anywhere in the world can post anything they want on such sites without having to go through any initial screening process. Perhaps for many in the world, the distinction between the privately owned and operated YouTube and say the US Government and the American people as a whole is not so clear. For many, anything that is American must be evil and since the video was posted on the website of an American company, all Americans must feel the same way as a film maker.

If you're looking for a spark to get Muslims across the globe up in arms then I agree that this video clip would have been a convenient way to light the fuse.

Anybody still think it's about Romney's "gaffe" and not Obama's failed foreign policies?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-collapse-of-the-cairo-doctrine/2012/09/20/72fb7f62-035f-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html