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Subscribe to RSSSen. John McCain, R- Ariz., Thursday continued to raise questions about the Obama administration’s handling of the aftermath of the September attacks in Benghazi, Libya. In an interview on Today McCain said “it is either a cover-up or it is incompetence” for President Barack Obama to have continued to say as late as Sept. 25 that the attack on the U.S. consulate was a reaction to an inflammatory anti-Islamic video.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) discusses the Obama administration's handling of the aftermath of the Benghazi attack, accusing the president of "either a cover-up or incompetence." McCain also vowed to block any nomination of UN Ambassador Susan Rice for secretary of state to replace Hillary Clinton.
McCain told NBC’s Matt Lauer the most vital question that former CIA director David Petraeus must answer when he testifies Friday before both the House and Senate Intelligence committees is “why we were not prepared for this attack, where there was ample evidence, because of previous attacks and overwhelming intelligence information, that attacks were very likely on our consulate. There had been two (attacks) previously in April and June. On Aug. 15 they sent back a message that in the case a concerted attack they could not defend the consulate.”
McCain on Wednesday introduced a resolution to create a special eight-member select Senate committee to examine the attack on the consulate in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, and Sean Smith, were killed.
But McCain’s proposal got a mostly chilly reception Wednesday from his several of his fellow senators NBC News spoke with, even from some Republicans who have been his allies in the past.
Lawmakers were shown real-time film of the assault on Benghazi, where Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.
A State Department Accountability Review Board (ARB) is investigating the attack. That panel includes former Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Pickering and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, now retired from the military.
But McCain argued that the Obama administration had no credibility to carry out an investigation of its own actions or inaction.
Joining McCain in calling for the special committee was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R- S.C., who said “a segmented, stovepiped investigation – where you have three different (Senate) committees going off in three directions and not comparing notes…is going to lead to failure.”
The bipartisan opposition to McCain's idea was rooted in the prerogatives of Senate committees that are already conducting their own investigations of the attacks. Senators serving on those committees defended their ability to conduct a thorough inquiry and seemed to see McCain’s efforts as potentially encroaching on their turf.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R- Ga., senior Republican on the Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday, "I told him (McCain) today that I'd just seen his resolution and I'm not sure whether it's not just a duplication of what we're doing."
Chambliss’s committee will hear testimony from acting CIA director Michael Morell and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper about the attack in a closed session Thursday.
Another Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said, "Listen, I think it's way too early to be calling for a special committee. I think you've got to allow the structure we have of oversight to function. And I think that the Intelligence Committee is more than capable of handling this."
Another opponent to McCain was the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who said of McCain’s proposal, "I really don't view it as being necessary. The Intelligence and the Homeland Security Committees are already investigating.”
Her committee got a briefing from CIA, FBI and State Department officials Wednesday. Collins pointed out that “Sen. McCain is a valued member of the Homeland Security Committee and can play an important role in help us uncover the facts."
Another Republican, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, who serves alongside McCain on the Armed Services Committee, reacted to McCain’s proposal by saying, "I'm listening. There's merit in the suggestion, but I'm not wedded to that."
A Democrat in the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, flatly rejected McCain’s proposal: "We have all the relevant committees, including the one that I sit on which is Intel. We're having a hearing on that tomorrow and he (McCain) sits on the Intel Committee as ex officio (as the senior Republican member of the Armed Services Committee)."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who has been mentioned as possible replacement for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, opposed McCain’s idea Wednesday.
“What we ought to do is first let the ARB make its determinations,” Kerry told reporters. “I think everybody ought to just step back. There’s a serious process in place and Secretary Clinton has put it in place.”
He added, “I have confidence in Tom Pickering and Admiral Mullen to put facts together.”
One senator who did voice support for McCain’s idea of a special select committee was Sen. Jim Inhofe, R- Okla., who serves on the Armed Services Committee and is slated to be its ranking member in the new Congress.
Inhofe said the lack of protection at the consulate, despite Stevens’s requests for more security, was “inexcusable” and “it’s got to be investigated.” Stevens was killed in the attack. Inhofe said, “I knew Chris Stevens. He was a friend. He was in my office right before he went over there.”
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Hamas has now retaliated for the killing of Bin Laden #2; what is this President going to do ?
Probably go to Vegas; oh that's right, he is going golfing in Burma while Hillary is at her 30 day long wine-tasting, and Panetta is down there in Australia with her.
This Administration is such a damn joke.
Trouble, he has already done it. He has already talked to Israel and cautioned them about escalating the conflict. You do realize that Hamas retaliated against Israel and not the US? You do realize that we do not take orders from Israel? You do realize we are a sovereign nation? Trouble, you are crapping your pants in front of everybody. Take a time out and clean yourself up.
Neither Israel nor Hamas wants this to escalate into a wider war. We don't need to get involved at this point. Israel has this under control.
Newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama will be in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Nov. 18 for a summit of leaders from Southeast Asian states and partner countries, a Cambodian minister said on Wednesday.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said..."We will have Obama and also (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and leaders from China and Japan," he told reporters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/07/cambodia-obama-idUSL3E8M791I20121107
"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Australia on Tuesday before a summit about deepening defense links between Australia and the United States.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is scheduled to arrive later. They’ll meet with Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday and with Defense Minister Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Bob Carr the next day.
...up to 2,500 U.S. Marines would rotate through a joint military training hub in the northern Australian city of Darwin.
The two countries also want to increase U.S. military access to the Australian navy base south of Perth and to bombing ranges in the northern Outback as part of the shift of U.S. might to the Asia-Pacific region.
Afghanistan will also feature in discussions. Australia has 1,550 troops in Afghanistan and is the biggest military contributor to that campaign outside NATO."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83742.html
Where was McCain when other attacks happened? Why no panels over those attacks? Oh yeah, because that was a republican administration... they do no wrong. Good Lord, the bluster the GOP has is incredible.
2002 - Karachi embassy - 10 killed
2004 - Uzbekistan - 2 killed, 9 injured
2004 - Saudi Consulate - 8 Killed
2006 - Syrian embassy - 1 Killed
2008 - Yemen Embassy - 10 Killed
So now they are concerned about security and demand investigation. Lets start at the beginning and see what we come up with!!
This coming from the man who brought us Sarah Palin. What a joke.
And the GOP continues their movement to become the most embarrassing chapter of American political history.
McCain...if I gave you my VISA, you couldn't buy a clue...so let me help you out.
Americans, except for the braindead ones that watch Fux news and still think Iraq had WMDs, are NOT interested in your witch-hunt on the President. We just chalk it up to you being a bitter dbag and it is saying a lot more about who your party is, than about the President.
GOP = The party of racist, misogynistic, whiny f'ing losers who can't admit that they lost because they're becoming increasingly more extremist while America becomes more Progressives.
So McCain, please keep up the crap. Democrats are not only laughing at you and your band of stooges, we encourage it.
Idiots like you and Trump, and Palin, and Hannity, and Jabba the Rush, and Glen Beck, and Todd Akin, and Mourdock...etc, etc, etc are awesome!
Keep foaming at the mouth tards...FLAME ON!
Once McCain held the respect of people on both sides of the aisle. Graham????
While crystallized intelligence and wisdom are one of the the gains of old age, along with it comes disinhibition, the lack of self control and blurting out, acting out without second thought. With that in mind, recall McCain's "bomb, bomb, bolm Iran" and acceptance of Palin without sober consideration. Now, he's out there on a soap box, along with Graham, and Ayotte (who has nothing to lose - she sees how it's going in NH).
McCain et.al. need to let the Benghazi investigation to go forward, for the CIA, State Dept, etc. to come forward with their information. Knee jerk reactions, and 10 second sound bytes are not needed. Once again, McCain is putting the cart before the horse.
Once all the info is in, then it will be more plausible to see if there is anything wrong or right with what Susan Rice has said and to determine what needs to be done. There has been a long chain of attacks on embassies and embassy staff across history and republican and democrat administrations. More funding should be considered now.
Right now the Republican Party needs time to regroup, and reconsider where the party needs to go, before it totally self destructs. Maybe they should stop and listen to Bill Crystal, RedState, and others with cooler heads are beginning to say.
MCCAIN ,you IDIOT ,you lost to President Obama 4 yrs Ago. Get over it you are acting like a Baby,which is not to bad for an OLD MAN that is trying to use his Military misfortunes as a CRUTCH.You always seem to find some STUPID comment or suggestion that might really be your RACIST Beliefs. GET OVER IT, YOU LOST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your once time sympathy from your war problems is wearing thin . YOU CAME HOME ALIVE THOUSANDS CAME HOME IN BOXES or didn't come back yet. You and your RESERVIST baby Graham have worn out any respect the country has for you both.GROW UP OR GET OUT and stay home and suck your thumb.
This may go away after the general talks to the senate tomarrow..If theres nothin there, theres nothin there..But if people are not truthful,than some people need to be held accountable..Scandal?..maybe..none of us on this thread have any idea..
It appears to me that John McCain is still extremely bitter from his loss of presidency to President Obama FOUR YEARS AGO! Mr. McCain lashes out without clear thought, without patience at anything and everything President Obama does, is thinking of doing, and has done! Mr. McCain, did you not get the memo about Republican Angry Old Men?
Sen. John McCain is just an old, bitter, disgruntled wannabe. Last weeks landslide victory by President Obama just brought all that jealous hatred back again. Put him out to pasture. Let him stew over it on his own.
Landslide victory what freaking joke. It's time to own up!
332 electoral votes to 206 is indeed a landslide. If fact, one of your fellow idiots, long-time, disloyal, whore-chasing, self-described political "pundit" Dick Morris, wrongly predicted a Romney "landslide" with the same electoral count reversed.
John McCain and his conspirator (Lindsey Graham) are absolutely wrong. They should be ashamed in the tactics they are playing in trying to bring Scott Brown back to the senate. They know very well that Susan Rice account of Benghazi was based on the information received from the intelligence. The President stated that “She made an appearance at the request of the White House in which she gave her best understanding of the intelligence that had been provided to her." In addition, Susan Rice account was verified by intelligence officials. Therefore, for John McCain and Lindsey Graham to travel down that road is looking for a scapegoat for the betterment of their agenda. In addition, McCain and Lindsey are hiding behind the deaths of four Americans in pursuit of their agenda. This is disgusting and it is wrong because they know Susan Rice had no involvement with Benghazi. These two men are doing their best to tarnish this young woman distinguished career for the expense of their agenda. These two men are doing their best to stop any upper mobility of this woman because of their agenda. The hearing for Benghazi is to find out the truth of what happened and correct the mistakes. It is very apparent that McCain and Graham see otherwise. McCain and Graham have other intentions and this is to find a way to tarnish Susan Rice to keep the President for nominating her to Secretary of State, as well as, looking to see if the President did anything wrong in effort to bring him down. The actions of McCain and Lindsey are atrocious, nasty, and vile. This is not the intentions of our government and they should apologize.
Why didn't the white house give her better intel or better yet why didn't she have a meeting with the CIA prior to stepping out on those shows? Not very good communication if you ask me.
Helloedock
Is that intelligence much like that provided the Bush administration?
You think he lied so what about Rice?
ozzie,
the CIA has already come out and stated that the info she gave, she received from them......And the CIA and State Dept. still stand behind her as Ambassador or for any other office.
We're waiting now to hear if further testimony agrees or refutes there previous position regarding Benghazi.
Grumpy old White man tells Black female Stanford grad and Rhodes Scholar she is not vey bright? The optics are astounding.
What in the hell does race have to do with this? Oh yeah it's Bush's fault ain't it?
Please call up McCain (202) 224-2235 and Graham (202 224-5972 to flood their offices over this partisan pettiness. Enough of this crap you two old turds!
Thank you David. I'm proud to do that and I'm going to encourage my friends to do the same.
Enough of this GOP f'ing nonsense.
Better yet lets just blame it on Bush!
ozzie - okay, because really that is all Bush was ever good for anyway.
Bush is the best president since Clinton without a doubt!
Bush never actually functioned as president - it was Cheney throwing his voice.
Many talk of a man who was tortured in Vietnam as if he is senile and useless....those of you who feel that way are shameless without appreciation....you are a miserable person attacking a hero EVEN if you have some political reason to feel that way.
Americans should be about finding out why four Americans [one an Ambassador] died without any aid being sent, no relief forces ordered to defend, no air cover, no support at all, just let them get killed.
L. Penetta stated, there was not enough information to send men into harms way...what a joke, he had people lighting up targets, two trained seals on the ground, and an eye in the air...his statement is as lame as those of you attacking John McCain. What a bunch of miserable people you seem to be.
This coming from a member of the party that never investigated one of the 12 embassy attacks under GW Bush....36 people died in those.
This coming from a member of the party that actively stifled a 9/11 investigation on American soil...over 3000 people died in that.
This coming from a member of the party that wouldn't investigate Valerie Plame or the falsified information leading up to the illegal war in Iraq....100 of thousands died in that...both innocent foreign nationals and American military personnel.
Forgive me if I find you a bit hypocritical and digusting.
You are a prime example of why the GOP is losing elections.
McCain WAS tortured in Vietnam AND is ACTING senile and useless. Do you have difficulty with complex statements or are you simply at the "See Jane Run" level?
Crashing your plane and being captured by the enemy doesn't make you a "hero" and calling angry John a hero denigrates those who are truly are.
Mr. McCain deserves the honor and respect universally accorded him in the past. He is however quickly amending his erstwhile reputation with a new one, best described as "Old Codger." McCain's family and physicians should convince him to retire before he makes an entire fool of himself.
I saw sombody write this and what they said was the Truth: John McCain, serial adulterer, angry drunk, chose Sarah Palin as his VP, crashed five jets, almost sank an aircraft carrier, accuses Barack Obama of somehow engineering the deaths of 4 Americans in Benghazi, half way around the world, then blackmailing CIA director David Petraeus into...what? Having an affair with his biographer groupie?
In all the swirling, hazy mists of time, has there ever been an accusation more vague? Did the children not get off your lawn, you mean old man?
"You lie" . Obama did call it an act of terrorism within days.
then how come Rice doesn't listen to her boss?
Gary:
Repiglicans only believe what Fux news and Jabba the Rush tell them to....they can't manage to actually read a transcript..that's too challenging for them.
If people would actually listen to her statements, she indicated that what she said was the information she had at the time, not the final word, and while she linked some of the activity to the protests going on in the Muslim world at the time, she did not say that the entire event was solely involving protesters.
I used to respect John McCain. Beginning with the Palin decision, I find him to be out of touch with reality now. Sad, but it makes no difference. It is time for McCain to retire before he becomes a laughinstock. He can salvage a bit of his reputation if he goes now. Much more of this bluster, and irreparable damage will be done.
McCain is a PTSD addled, angry, old, hypocritical loser who can't get over the fact that Obama beat him like a faded rug in 2008. He was a congressman in April, 1983 when 17 Americans were killed in an attack on the Lebanon embassy but there was no call for a Watergate-style investigation then (Reagan was Prez). In October 1983, 241 American servicemen were killed in an attack on the Marine HQ in Beirut, again no demands from McCain or his cohorts for an investigation of the Reagan administration's failures. This is nothing more than crass "politics as usual" from one of Congress' biggest hypocrites
McCain, it's time for your mid-morning nap, right...?? Go back to bed and leave all important matters to those who are capable & able to participate constructively.
There was no protest in Benghazi? Want to bet your career on that McCain?
I'm sure Obama is just as happy about a possible investigation as Nixon was about the Watergate investigation.
It will be interesting to see if the outcome of these investigations will be similar
lmao...you wish teatard.
What's actually happening is that Americans are getting increasingly sick of your GOP bullcrap.
But you're not exactly "in-tune" with America these days, are you tard?
Keep it up dbags!
The Repubs need to let Libya go just like the Fast and Furious thing, and all the rest. This Pres is a master at the electric slide, and knows people forget quickly. The GOP will just look stupid looking for answers that hit the shredders months ago, and all the various stories and scenarios the Pres has tossed out.... forget it. Add to this he is running around doing his big protector of all his little women act again. Just give up. The guy is slime, he will always be slime, and if you mess with slime... they just make you slimey.
go figure- does the possibility that your viewpoint is WRONG ever enter your conscious? See post number #56- were was the outrage?
hypocrits is all you are and apparently all you will ever be. You LOST the election. Quit with the succession talk, the "urban voter" talk, and now that Romney has spoken and confirmed he does believe in the 47% concept drop it as you dont know what the fig you are talking about.
You lost the black vote starting in 1970(you had it for over 100 years) when the "southern strategy" became the republican method of ramping up the angry white man vote. You are losing the latino vote when you call them illegal aliens and want them to self deport. Look in the mirror- the problem is you.
Keep on subsidising big oil and the corporate model of american capitalism all the while bitching about the poor in this country.
When you have generational poverty whose fault is it?
Gofigureit is classless and clueless...should be good drinking buddy for angry old McCain.
Richard- is it me or isnt that the case with 95% of the posters from the right on this site?
You people are too too funny in your absent minded disbeliefs. You never read, you never reflect, you never find fact... you just notice something may be one color and go off on your meaningless simple tangents to nowhere. You are all absurd.
I expect to see any day now, Bat Sh*t Crazy McCain preaching on the Senate floor wearing a White Hood
This Asshat has got to leave the Senate the whole world is laughing at him !
Megan its time to do your duty as a daughter and save your father from further disgrace
Advertising Announcement!
The GOP...once the party of male, pale and stale is now updating their image with another adjective!
The "NEW" GOP = The party of male, pale, stale and FAIL!
To solidfy the new party image, the marketing group has added more bitterness to the party. No more will GOP freaks just engage in behind closed doors racism and misogyny which enrupts occasionally in excerpts to the general public.
No, now the loser, bitter party members will update their image by ranting and raving in public and trying to start a witch-hunt wherever they can.
I hope you enjoy this newly improved GOP as much as America did in the election 2 weeks ago!
People look up The Keating Five, McCain should be the last one speaking about and investigating into Beghazi.
Republicans and John McCain.....get over it, you lost the election fair and square. McCain you need to get over your trouncing in 2008!
Republicans are destroying our nation! Whenever a Democrat gets elected to a 2nd term as President, the Republicans either assassinate him (they killed Kennedy), or they try to impeach him (Clinton and Monica.....it's amazing how the Repubs are coming to Petreaus' defense as just a an affair), and now they are trying to whatever they can to sabotage President Obama's 2nd term.
The Republicans are destroying our country.....they didn't get the lesson from the 2012 election so we'll have to vote the rest of them out of office in 2014 & 2016! This country will erode into dust if we don't get rid of the Republicans!
go2- while I agree with your overall critique the Republicans did not kill Kennedy. Sometime after Reagan the Republicans got it into their head that ONLY their viewpoint is correct. With the election of Clinton they began the whitewater investigation then the Foster investigation to see if Clinton had him killed to cover up!!!!!! With Obama on the day of his INAUGURATION they held a meeting to make him a ONE Term President.Now we have the Benghasi fiasco(see post #56) which if the RepubliCON party has ts way will become a never ending investigation in the House.
Hypocrits is all the Repugs seem to want to be