Even though the mainstream media’s Narrative Gatekeepers won’t allow for a national discussion on the security failures in Libya and the subsequent White House cover up, that doesn’t mean voters are disinterested or that local media outlets in the individual states aren’t covering the September 11 anniversary attacks. This morning, the Columbus Dispatch out of the crucial swing state of Ohio, published a brutal (because it’s true) editorial lashing out at Obama’s dishonest and incompetent mishandling of Libya:
The fact of a successful terrorist attack against the U.S. on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks — a day, above all others, when security for American officials in volatile countries should be at its utmost — is demoralizing and infuriating.
After months of concern by diplomats in Libya about the country’s deteriorating security, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three embassy employees were murdered by heavily armed and organized terrorists. The possibility the government could have prevented their deaths by responding to their pleas for greater security is devastating. …
What is equally evident is that, despite repeated concerns by diplomats working in Libya, the administration shortchanged security. And when the worst happened, it wasn’t willing to tell the truth to the American people.
And as of Wednesday, administration officials continued to insist that the consulate had adequate security.
The tragedy is magnified by the fact that Stevens, by all accounts, was passionately devoted to restoring Libya as a U.S. ally. He wanted to help build a democratic nation. But he wasn’t blind to the danger still posed by militant Islamists and other anti-American groups.
The murder of Stevens and his colleagues raises serious questions about the administration’s priorities and competence.
The administration’s serial lying continued straight through to last night’s vice presidential debate when Vice President Joe Biden declared twice that the administration never received requests for increased security in Benghazi. This is the moment most likely to haunt Obama for the rest of the election. According to one report, the White House has already attempting to distance itself from Biden’s remarks:
The Cable asked Deputy National Security Advisor for Communications Ben Rhodes whether Biden was speaking for the entire Obama administration, including the State Department, which acknowledged receiving multiple requests for more Libya security in the months before the attacks. Rhodes said that Biden speaks only for himself and the president and neither of them knew about the requests at the time.
This is the rare White House scandal that’s very easy to unpack and Ohio unpacking it is not good news for Obama.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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