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'Foreign Threats: Politics & Policy': Karl Rove on the potential effect the White House's mismanagement of Libyan embassy attack both worldwide an...
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Owners of four Americans including ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya did the White House completely fumble its handling of the Ben Ghazi consulate attack.
For more than a week we heard different stories on different days from different members of the Obama administration including the president himself.
Take a look.
Yesterday for these extraordinary Americans were killed in the attack on our diplomatic post in big -- it's our -- The United States and a nation that respects all faiths -- We reject.
All efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.
But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence.
Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior along with the protests.
It took place at our embassy in Cairo yesterday.
As a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet.
We do -- -- concerns.
About the.
Films that and -- and violence this is a fairly volatile situation and it is in response not United States policy.
And city administration not to -- American people it is in response to it a video.
We've seen rage and violence directed at American embassies.
Over an awful.
Internet video that we had nothing to do where.
The information the best information in the best assessment we have today.
Is that in fact this was not a pre planned premeditated.
Attack.
That what happened initially was it it was a spontaneous.
Reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo.
It as a consequence of the video.
Based on what we need to know and now and new at this time we have no evidence eight -- plan.
Video that was police.
Somebody who lives here.
Shadowy -- Extremely offensive and video directed at -- That Mohammed and Islam this caused.
Great offense.
Much of the Muslim world.
What also happened was extremists.
Terrorists.
Use this season and attack.
On Friday where uses including the one the consulate in.
And Libya.
Were killed in the course of the terrorist attack on our -- we are looking -- indications.
-- individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al-Qaeda -- -- Qaeda is the feeling.
Now Jay -- just a short while ago aboard Air Force One told reporters in fact -- self evident that this was a terror attack.
Okay.
And I today sex K state Hillary Clinton referred to the Libya murders as eight terrorist attack.
So while the flip flopping and how did impact the election Karl Rove joins us -- to the question of how could impact the election I'm curious.
Besides a flip -- you look looking sloppy and -- a little bit of -- was on first at the White House.
I'm curious whether on the world stage this back to -- sloppiness has any sort of.
Consequence.
Assured us they look at us and say.
False friends and allies alike and see what the heck -- you -- can.
And the president was too quick to go out there and along with a -- your state.
And it basically blame this all on this video that I suspect very few people wanted to protest in hand.
Cairo had ever seen.
And very few of them militants.
Who stormed the embassy here -- from the console remain Ghazi.
Had ever seen and why they didn't simply say look we're gonna wait until all the facts -- -- We're troubled by some of the circumstances here and we're gonna make certain that we know everything we need to know.
Instead they were -- out to serve basically solace -- fault.
They're not terrorists involved when there were lots of early indications that this was a terrorist attacks.
Ordinary demonstrators don't show up -- -- heavy weapons mortars and report rocket propelled grenades or maybe a few.
-- some AK forty sevens in the crowd.
But you don't show for those kind of sophisticated weapons and conduct two assaults on the facility.
Beacon drive off a Libyan paramilitary -- -- sent to recapture control the facility if you're just sort of you know the neighborhood demonstrators wired up about a video.
Not a question of how it how if at all people tend to be -- used to think and jobs generally in terms of elections in domestic issues.
Do you foresee this this event having an impact.
Or even -- foreign policy on the election.
Well have some impact it's ironic I think in most instances when there is a moment of -- danger and to the United States is in the murder of our best remember this extraordinary offense only eight times in our history as the US ambassador been.
Killed last time was 1979 in Kabul so this is this is so big moment.
And normally moments like that people rally around the president and rally around the government but.
Not in this instance and I think it's because them -- handling in the administration part and also.
Because they're just too many troubling questions this is not eleventh.
That they may have started to slip on the consciousness of America but it is not it is first and foremost in the minds of the jihadist.
And why we had our ambassador a very skilled diplomat people who knew him say was an extraordinary human being.
Why we had him in a thinly guarded.
In secure facility on 9/11.
Mean the administration's State Department sent out guidance to Cairo saying before September 11 -- take security precautions no similar.
Instructions apparently were sent to Libya nor to most of the other the hot spots in the Middle East.
And this was a facility that RD minute tacked on in June.
With it improvised explosive -- and had the lowest level of security available free US diplomatic facilities so called lock and key.
Which describes -- had a lock and key.
Pop art and one -- -- -- -- focused on.
International foreign affairs that I -- see what happens overseas and terms of like you know obviously -- fixate on the fact of four Americans have been murdered and now many of our embassies at high risk.
But I went back and looked at the national security strategy may 2010 from the White House own website and it's a White House paper essentially a national security.
And what it what the president spoke about is how important is to reduce our deficit and then essentially -- for -- global leadership which has an impact on national security.
How will the fact that -- does our domestic economy.
Play into this whole foreign policy.
And doesn't have an impact on the voters are they just simply focusing on -- -- have a job -- not a job.
Look at the job -- big part of of the the deficit also matters that's why perhaps.
A big blunder that has not been covered by the media this week occurred on the Letterman show -- -- Obama could not remember or wasn't willing to say the size of the deficit the national debt is.
Is now you don't 161000000000020.
Some -- thirty some odd billion dollars.
As of the time he was appearing on Letterman and look the worst the world looks at the United States -- says.
How can you lecture us and how can you lead us if you can't put your fiscal house in order -- -- -- running deficits in the trillion dollars.
Your deficit -- do your debt as a percentage of the GDP is skyrocketing.
To the levels -- of the basket cases of Europe like Greece and Spain.
And -- the United States claim to be the world leader for something else here too which is not passed I suspect the and to view the American people and certainly not past.
Did the the view of of leaders abroad.
September 11 are masters killed.
September 12 the morning of September 12.
President Obama postpones his presidential daily brief his meeting with intelligence officials.
In order to go to the State Department as a proper thing to do go to the State Department stand when the secretary of state.
-- the foreign service but then apparently he did not go back to the White House and reconstitute that median and say to the director of national intelligence and the director of the CIA the director that NSA.
The director of the State Department intelligence in the military intelligence agencies he did say what do we know.
What are we doing and what are you need glowing green instead he got on a plane and flew to Las Vegas.
In order to attend a political -- any fund raiser before turning to -- should tell me.
Did -- could have gotten information that Blair force one is like the White House they've got an information on Air Force One hundred.
Conceivably talked to one or two people but look it is better to -- -- -- -- you know what it's better to sit in the -- to -- those people and have an open discussion.
And ahead and to have them and maybe you have to do by secure video conference occasionally but he could've and should've done it he -- -- of the people in law.
