President Bush's former Secretary of Defense

CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 05-13-2013, 03:23 AM
http://on.aol.com/video/robert-gates...hazi-517777439

WASHINGTON -- Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates defended the Obama administration's response to the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi on Sunday, saying he would not have done anything different militarily if he had still been at the Pentagon.
"Frankly had I been in the job at the time, I think my decisions would have been just as theirs were," said Gates on CBS's "Face the Nation," referring to the role of then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey.
"We don't have a ready force standing by in the Middle East -- despite all the turmoil that's going on, with planes on strip alert, troops ready to deploy at a moment's notice. And so getting somebody there in a timely way -- would have been very difficult, if not impossible."
Republicans have harshly criticized the Obama administration's military response to the Benghazi attack. In recent days, they have been championing the suggestions of Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission for the U.S. in Libya, who testified before a House committee last week.
Hicks said he was furious that the administration did not send in a team of Special Forces or fly a fighter jet over Benghazi to intimidate the attackers.
Gates did not single out Hicks by name on Sunday, but he mocked those sorts of suggestions, saying they painted "a cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces."
"And frankly, I've heard, 'Well, why didn't you just fly a fighter jet over and try and scare 'em with the noise or something?' Well, given the number of surface to air missiles that have disappeared from Qaddafi's arsenals, I would not have approved sending an aircraft, a single aircraft -- over Benghazi under those circumstances," he said "And with respect to -- sending in special forces or a small group of people to try and provide help, based on everything I have read, people really didn't know what was going on in Benghazi contemporaneously," Gates added. "And to send some small number of special forces or other troops in without knowing what the environment is, without knowing what the threat is, without having any intelligence in terms of what is actually going on on the ground, I think, would have been very dangerous."

Gates served under both Obama and President George W. Bush as defense secretary.
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 05-13-2013, 06:11 AM
if Bush and Gates were in office when Benghazi went down do you think W would be receiving the same questioning from the House Republitards?
I B Hankering's Avatar
http://on.aol.com/video/robert-gates...hazi-517777439

WASHINGTON -- Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates defended the Obama administration's response to the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack in Benghazi on Sunday, saying he would not have done anything different militarily if he had still been at the Pentagon.
"Frankly had I been in the job at the time, I think my decisions would have been just as theirs were," said Gates on CBS's "Face the Nation," referring to the role of then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey.
"We don't have a ready force standing by in the Middle East -- despite all the turmoil that's going on, with planes on strip alert, troops ready to deploy at a moment's notice. And so getting somebody there in a timely way -- would have been very difficult, if not impossible."
Republicans have harshly criticized the Obama administration's military response to the Benghazi attack. In recent days, they have been championing the suggestions of Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission for the U.S. in Libya, who testified before a House committee last week.
Hicks said he was furious that the administration did not send in a team of Special Forces or fly a fighter jet over Benghazi to intimidate the attackers.
Gates did not single out Hicks by name on Sunday, but he mocked those sorts of suggestions, saying they painted "a cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces."
"And frankly, I've heard, 'Well, why didn't you just fly a fighter jet over and try and scare 'em with the noise or something?' Well, given the number of surface to air missiles that have disappeared from Qaddafi's arsenals, I would not have approved sending an aircraft, a single aircraft -- over Benghazi under those circumstances," he said "And with respect to -- sending in special forces or a small group of people to try and provide help, based on everything I have read, people really didn't know what was going on in Benghazi contemporaneously," Gates added. "And to send some small number of special forces or other troops in without knowing what the environment is, without knowing what the threat is, without having any intelligence in terms of what is actually going on on the ground, I think, would have been very dangerous."

Gates served under both Obama and President George W. Bush as defense secretary. Originally Posted by CJ7
Four things are immediately apparent, CBJ7.

1) Gates doesn't address the fact that Odumbo reduced the Mediterranean fleet; thus, any possibility that there would be a contingency of Marines nearby.

2) Gates doesn't address nor have an excuse for the administration's decision to DECREASE embassy security in Libya in the weeks before the anniversary of 9/11.

3) Gates doesn't address nor have an excuse for HidaBeast's fucked-up decision requiring Ambassador Stevens to work in an unprotected "facility" in Benghazi. And you, CBJ7, and your ilk can cry and squirm all you want: HildaBeast made a fucked up decision on the anniversary of 9/11.

4) And most importantly, notice how Gates doesn't address nor excuse Odumbo and HildaBeast's lies afterwards.
Randy4Candy's Avatar
CJ7, what in the HELL do you think you are doing? You are talking to these guys (and girl) here who truly believe the cartoons.
I B Hankering's Avatar
CJ7, what in the HELL do you think you are doing? You are talking to these guys (and girl) here who truly believe the cartoons. Originally Posted by Randy4Candy
Here's a non-token reminder of the facts, Randy4Andy:

http://eccie.net/showpost.php?p=1052875403&postcount=3
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 05-13-2013, 06:19 AM
Four things are immediately apparent, CBJ7.

1) Gates doesn't address the fact that Odumbo reduced the Mediterranean fleet; thus, any possibility that there would be a contingency of Marines nearby.

2) Gates doesn't address nor have an excuse for the administration's decision to DECREASE embassy security in Libya in the weeks before the anniversary of 9/11.

3) Gates doesn't address nor have an excuse for HidaBeast's fucked-up decision requiring Ambassador Stevens to work in an unprotected "facility" in Benghazi. And you, CBJ7, and your ilk can cry and squirm all you want: HildaBeast made a fucked up decision on the anniversary of 9/11.

4. And most importantly, notice how Gates doesn't address nor excuse Odumbo and HildaBeast's lies afterwards. Originally Posted by I B Hankering

it doesn't matter if house republicans cut state dept funding, remember?
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 05-13-2013, 06:22 AM
CJ7, what in the HELL do you think you are doing? You are talking to these guys (and girl) here who truly believe the cartoons. Originally Posted by Randy4Candy

yeah, I fucked up didn't I .. no cartoons no saavy

my bad
I B Hankering's Avatar
it doesn't matter if house republicans cut state dept funding, remember? Originally Posted by CJ7
That sounds like HildaBeast talking about dead Americans, but actually it's what Charlene Lamb* stated during her Congressional testimony. The decision to reduce -- "normalize" -- embassy security in Libya was a political decision, and not a fiscal decision imposed by the budget.

Furthermore, CBJ7, the U.S. Embassy is STILL in Tripoli, not Benghazi. HildaBeast made a fucked-up decision sending Stevens to Benghazi on the anniversary of 9/11!!!! Americans died and HildaBeast and Odumbo lied!!!!

On 11 September 2012, the U.S. Embassy in Barbados had its compliment of Marines for security, Ambassador Stevens stationed in Libya had NONE. Valerie Jarrett had more security while on Vacation in Martha's Vineyard than Ambassador Stevens had in Benghazi.


*http://cnsnews.com/news/article/stat...bassy-barbados
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 05-13-2013, 07:08 AM
if Bush and Gates were in office when Benghazi went down do you think W would be receiving the same questioning from the House Republitards? Originally Posted by CJ7
Not a peep!....it would be the Dem's crying, "The poor families deserve the truth!". What a circle jerk up in Washington.






I B Hankering's Avatar
CJ7, what in the HELL do you think you are doing? You are talking to these guys (and girl) here who truly believe the cartoons. Originally Posted by Randy4Candy
yeah, I fucked up didn't I .. no cartoons no saavy

my bad Originally Posted by CJ7
Here are some "pictures" for you two libertards:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LRKG...ature=youtu.be
CJ7's Avatar
  • CJ7
  • 05-13-2013, 07:35 AM
Not a peep!....it would be the Dem's crying, "The poor families deserve the truth!". What a circle jerk up in Washington.





Originally Posted by WTF
hell, the dems didn't squak this when W duped the world
I B Hankering's Avatar
hell, the dems didn't squak this when W duped the world Originally Posted by CJ7
You Dimotards are still squawking and blaming Bush. Hell, in last Friday's White House briefing, WH spokesman Carney had the audacity to again blame Bush for events that transpired on Odumbo's watch between 2011 and 2013!!!!
WTF's Avatar
  • WTF
  • 05-13-2013, 07:47 AM
hell, the dems didn't squak this when W duped the world Originally Posted by CJ7
Good point!....Probably because half of them sided with Bush and Cheney in all that cherry picked intel in the run up to the Iraq War. They didn't have the balls to say "You fuc'd us on the intel!" .... probably because the country had moved on. Our citizen really only seem to care when their pocketbook is effected directly.
JD Barleycorn's Avatar
If Bush were still in office I have reasonably good faith that we would have responded and there would be no need for Monday morning quarterbacking except for the idiots who thought he should have waited. Then again, we may not have been trying to ship weapons to Syrian rebels throught to Turkey so Stevens would not have been there. If Bush were still in office the naval presence would have not been reduced. If Bush were still in office we would have gotten the agreement with Iraq and a stronger presence in Liyba if Ghaddafi was gone. So many things and I am just scratching the surface. You can't just throw out something without thinking it all the way through. Then again, you don't know that.

By the way, if Bush were still president unemployment would be lower and the IRS wouldn't be investigating Americans for believing in limited government or conservative principals..
You Dimotards are still squawking and blaming Bush. Hell, in last Friday's White House briefing, WH spokesman Carney had the audacity to again blame Bush for events that transpired on Odumbo's watch between 2011 and 2013!!!! Originally Posted by I B Hankering



Anyone who squawks like you do Ida Bell should cut him some slack.