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Liz Cheney sounds off on why the Obama administration refused to immediately acknowledge the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya was a terrorist at...
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-- a very disturbing question did the Obama administration just flat out -- the Obama administration didn't know from day one that the attack in our consulate in Ben Ghazi was terrorism so why didn't they just tell us is there's some reasonable explanation just like we ask governor Sununu -- former State Department official Liz Cheney.
Hi I'm Liz can you -- you to the State Department.
Can you think of any hypothetical -- reason why we didn't get the right get the true threat to get.
Yeah well I think there a couple of reasons one and you've heard today in the president's speech in Virginia he said -- Al-Qaeda is on a -- to defeats and a son Ben laden is dead.
And that's been their main claim to foreign policy national security success that in fact the killing of Osama bin Laden has somehow.
Ended the war or put al-Qaeda on a path to feed the president said today.
So it's a very inconvenient fact for them politically.
If in fact al-Qaeda is resurgent across North Africa in the gulf as we've seen now in the last few days.
So for them to have to come out and say.
This is a terrorist attack on.
An American official and assassination and American official by al-Qaeda.
On September 11.
Really you know after they had just had a week of spiking the football of their own convention.
Makes things very difficult for the.
Well I played -- -- less -- -- -- why the president can't say look you know read the get go we suspected terrorist and who did this 9/11 American property Americans are murdered and and cool wounded -- suspect that but we have to wait for facts.
-- and we mistakenly thought that it there was a video we've now learned that -- that it that it's you know that is not the video that it's this.
From what we and -- gotten we diamond Mikey he does he even likes of confront this sort of the situation out well and NIC.
Most people had their first incarnation -- there was something very wrong here with Susan Rice that first weekend out.
Saying you know this was a video this is a video of this was spontaneous and people knew it wasn't.
I think -- second problem they have Greta is that.
We now know because the reporting of Katherine Harris primarily here that there -- -- DOD assessment there was a CIA assessment he had the chairman of the joint chiefs today say.
There's been this thread of intelligence that in fact al-Qaeda is resurgent in Libya -- particularly in Ben Ghazi.
There may well -- -- information out there that the president should have been aware of that State Department should have been aware of when you combine that with governor Sonny and his point that the president has missed 60% of his daily briefs is in person daily -- -- got a real problem on their hands.
And finally the fact that you know we learned that the FBI -- -- even on the ground now.
So they've been telling the American people we won't know anything more until there's an investigation that's under way and that's not actually really underway that -- Another -- so I have.
Confusion.
Deception and they -- not knowing or whatever that in the investigation he really isn't I'm going there.
-- how do you find that having worked the State Department he's fine and -- that the one who is dispatched to make it go all the for them Sunday morning rounds was.
The UN ambassador because I'm a little bit suspicious at a ceremony went on the food chain -- that someone -- some didn't wanna go on those shows and say that it was YouTube that's just my suspicion.
You know I don't think that Secretary Clinton has been a particularly effective secretary of state but I do think she's very savvy operator and I would suspect she did not want to be the one out having to make this claim which we now know.
You know frankly was not honest to the American people so.
Susan Rice I don't know -- -- -- -- extra hours she volunteered board but at any rate she certainly could have said we don't know all the facts yet.
You know and again I think -- they're probably got here is this it's pre 9/11 mentality and the administration doesn't -- to have to say to the American people.
We are in fact now dealing with terrorism as a law enforcement matter they don't -- admit that that everything that they've done today shows that in fact they view it as a crime.
Not as a matter of war.
And certainly having to say we were attacked again on the anniversary of 9/11 would remind people that in fact we are still a war kiss any political fact.
Men in America people typically historically -- vote for the economy that's sort of the primary.
Is this have on the eve of the election the sister of an issue that's going to go away by -- -- system one that is gonna stick a little but I think the combination.
The resurgence of al-Qaeda the combination of seeing this on television screens.
Plus what people are now seeing looks to have been lying to the American people has very real potential.
To make people understand this president is not somebody who I believe this again for another four years this thank you.
Thanks -- -- --
