The limits of American power

Caroline Glick; The limits of American power  "But from what was said, we can be fairly certain that a second Obama term will involve no departure from his foreign policy in his current term in office.

"As far as Iran and its nuclear weapons program is concerned, that policy has involved a combination of occasional tough talk and a relentless attempt to appease the mullahs."....   However Glick asserts that Romney's statements, though welcome, are out of date. And what about any change a Romney foreign policy would bring to the Iran situation?   "Romney would face intelligence, diplomatic and military establishments that at a minimum have been complicit in massive leaks of Israeli strike options against Iran and that have so far failed to present credible military options for a US strike against Iran's uranium enrichment sites and other nuclear installations.
"He would face a hostile media establishment that firmly and enthusiastically supports Obama's policy of relentless appeasement and has sought to discredit as a warmonger and a racist every politician who has tried to make the case that Iran's nuclear weapons program constitutes an unacceptable threat to US national security."

http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2012/10/leading-from-behind/

Where was the "gutsy call"?

American Thinker directs us to this piece on Benghazi by Clarice Feldman: Issa Benghazi Transcript, which features this post below.

JustOneMinute
" On Saturday, retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer told Fox News that according to his sources, President Obama watched the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, from the White House as it took place.

" “This was in the middle of the business day in Washington, so everybody at the White House, CIA, Pentagon, everybody was watching this go down,” he said on Fox News’ “Justice with Judge Jeanine.”“According to my sources, yes, [President Obama] was one of those in the White House Situation Room in real-time watching this,” he added.

"Col. David Hunt, a Fox News military analyst, said the "entire U.S. government was paying attention," since this was the fourth embassy to have been attacked in a 24-hour period.

"But President Obama said Friday that he was "not personally aware" of any requests for additional security."

Having your Soldiers' Back  "The Israelis have been known to trade live terrorists for the bodies of its soldiers held by its enemies. That's what it means to have your soldiers' collective back. And their families' back. "

....

"If Secretary Panetta and Chairman Dempsey denied the SEALS request, they should resign in shame. If the decision was made higher up, the President and Vice President should resign -- the President because he is Commander in Chief, the Vice President because he is the father of a soldier."

Related to the aftermath: Condolence, Then and Now

Obama's beautiful economic picture book. Honest, I just get it for the pictures.

Rich Lowry; Obama's pathetic picture book   "As an artifact of the diminishment of President Barack Obama, it is hard to top his newly released pamphlet, "The New Economic Patriotism: A Plan for Jobs and Middle-Class Security." "  ...."It cobbles together his current policies with some ill-defined new bullet points to barely cover 20 pages largely devoted to nice pictures of the president."
.... "On the deficit, the pamphlet touts the same old $4 trillion plan, which is a little more than a hoary talking point. On entitlements, the president's plan evidently is to do nothing on Medicaid, do nothing on Social Security and do nothing on Medicare, except pretend that his $716 billion in cuts to fund "Obamacare" were a boon to the program. "

Obama’s “New Economic Patriotism”   "Let’s examine a few of its claims:

•Has the President created 5 million jobs? No.
•Has the President “strengthened Medicare”? Definitely no.
•Is the President “leading the fight to safely and responsibly develop all sources of domestic energy”? No and more no.

"President Obama’s plans do nothing to address the major problems with the U.S. economy. He does not tackle the fundamental budgeting problems, which would require reforming entitlement programs and halting out-of-control federal spending."

Remember back in 2008 when Uncle Joe said paying more taxes was patriotic?

Krauthammer; Obama stoops, doesn’t conquer

Charles Krauthammer  “This nation. Me.” — Barack Obama, third presidential debate .
"Okay, okay. I’ll give you the context. Obama was talking about “when Tunisians began to protest, this nation, me, my administration, stood with them.” Still. How many democratic leaders (de Gaulle excluded) would place the word “me” in such regal proximity to the word “nation”?"
....
"Obama may blithely dismiss the need for more ships, but the Navy wants at least 310 and the latest Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel report says that defending America’s vital interests requires 346 ships (vs. 287 today). Does anyone doubt that if we continue as we are headed, down to fewer than 230, the casualty will be entire carrier battle groups, precisely the kind of high-tech force multipliers that Obama pretends our national security requires?"
,,,,
"Romney chose to do a Reagan: Don’t quarrel. Speak softly. Meet the threshold.
"We’ll soon know whether steady-as-she-goes was the right choice."

GAFFNEY: The real reason behind Benghazigate

Washington Times  Note that this article uses words such as "suggests", "appears", "what cries out for further investigation... is whether..." and, of course, "it seems".  Bear that in mind as we wait to see if this story grows past this one column. TD
"What cries out for further investigation — and debate in the remaining days of this presidential election — is whether this shipment was part of a larger covert Obama effort to transfer weapons to our enemies that could make the Iran-Contra scandal, to say nothing of Operation Fast and Furious, pale by comparison."
...."In short, it seems President Obama has been engaged in gun-walking on a massive scale. The effect has been to equip America’s enemies to wage jihad not only against regimes it once claimed were our friends, but inevitably against us and our allies as well."

Other related links below are from a Townhall printing of the previous article.
 
Clare Lopez; Arms Flow to Syria May Be Behind Benghazi Cover-Up

http://cartoonsbyhenry.com/?tag=libya

"According to August, 2012 reports leaked to the media, sometime earlier in 2012, President Obama signed an intelligence finding to permit the CIA and other US government agencies to provide support to the Syrian rebels, whose ranks are reported to be dominated by Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood and other jihadist fighters who already are supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other jihadist regimes. Was Belhadj a conduit for U.S. support, perhaps via Turkey?"

Egyptian officials say Stevens worked with Saudis against Assad

"Similarly, the Obama administration is currently aiding the rebels fighting Assad’s regime in Syria amid widespread reports that al-Qaida jihadists are included in the ranks of the Free Syrian Army.

During the revolution against Gadhafi’s regime, the U.S. admitted to directly arming the rebel groups."

Bret Baier's Fox report links Libya and gun-running in this report: (video)

Hat tip to Harley Standlee; Placerville, CA

More on Benghazi

Lucianne:
Benghazi: A Reader Assesses the Evidence
"A reader, relying on publicly available information, has reconstructed what we know and can infer about what happened in Benghazi. I haven’t tried to verify all of his facts nor do I necessarily vouch for his inferences, although in general they seem reasonable. But his analysis is, I think, a valuable contribution to our understanding, and I reproduce it here in slightly edited form: This last week may have finally broken the protective wall around the POTUS. Between the comments of Hillary Clinton, Gen. Petraeus, Defense Secretary Panetta and the FOX News report, the picture of what really transpired "

Why did Obama choose to “stand down” in Benghazi?
"As John and Scott point out, the CIA has issued a statement making it clear that “no one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need [in Benghazi]; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate.” That statement surely was issued with the approval, and presumably at the direction, of the CIA’s director, General Petraeus. Who, then, made the several decisions denying help to the Americans in Benghazi who needed it? Who, initially, told CIA to “stand down” in face of the attack? Who decided that American defense forces an hour or two away."

Bill Kristol;  Ten Questions for the White House
1.) To whom did the president give the first of his "three very clear directives"—that is, "make sure that we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to?"
2.) How did he transmit this directive to the military and other agencies?
3.) During the time when Americans were under attack, did the president convene a formal or informal meeting of his national security council? Did the president go to the situation room?
4.) During this time, with which members of the national security team did the president speak directly?
5.) Did Obama speak by phone or teleconference with the combatant commanders who would have sent assistance to the men under attack?
6.) Did he speak with CIA director David Petraeus?
7.) Was the president made aware of the repeated requests for assistance from the men under attack? When and by whom?
8.) Did he issue any directives in response to these requests?
9.) Did the president refuse to authorize an armed drone strike on the attackers?
10.) Did the president refuse to authorize a AC-130 or MC-130 to enter Libyan airspace during the attack?

'Stand Down': U.S. Had Two Drones, AC-130 Gunship, and Targets Painted in Benghazi

"Reports indicate two drones and an AC-130 gunship were in the area when Benghazi was attacked, yet their resources were not used. This runs completely against the current explanation coming out of the White House, which is that Obama did everything he could once he learned of the attack. You'll remember that in the second presidential debate, Obama said that as "soon as I was aware the Benghazi consulate was being overrun, I was on the phone with my national security team." The not-so-subtle intimation is that Obama was stepping up to the protect the U.S. personnel who were in Libya."

Blackfive;
Bigger than Watergate: Proof that the President is Lying about Benghazi?

"One of the former SEALs was actively painting the target. That means that Specter WAS ON STATION! Probably an AC130U. A ground laser designator is not a briefing pointer laser. You do not "paint" a target until the weapons system/designator is synched; which means that the AC130 was on station.

"Only two places could have called off the attack at that point; the WH situation command (based on POTUS direction) or AFRICOM commander based on information directly from the target area.

"If the AC130 never left Sigonella (as Penetta(sp) says) that means that the Predator that was filming the whole thing was armed.
"If that SEAL was actively "painting" a target; something was on station to engage! And the decision to stand down goes directly to POTUS!"  ( Emphases added)

The Consequences of Benghazi

...."The President made the decision to not use F18s (even in a flyover to shake the resolve of the terrorists). "The President made the decision to go to Vegas to a campaign dinner.

"So what is worse than our State people now knowing that the President will do nothing if they are attacked?

"Al Qaeda knows that now, too."

Victor Davis Hanson;
A Bright and Shining Libyan Lie 
"To keep that shining message viable until the November election, the Obama administration and the media had been willing to overlook or mischaracterize all sorts of disturbing events. We had asked for a United Nations resolution for humanitarian aid and a no-fly zone to intervene in Libya, but then deliberately exceeded it by bombing Gadhafi's forces — after bypassing the US Congress in favor of a go-ahead from the Arab League."

PC in the Military Establishment

American Thinker  "Much of our political elite, and the foreign policy establishment, reject anyone who thinks the Third Jihad is inherently a threat, that the outer jihad is inherently incompatible with the US Constitution, or that Islam is a holistic, totalitarian ideology rather than a religion like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism. They do not accept the original meaning of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution or Article VI para 3 prohibition on "religious tests" for public office.
"Also the political elite is too heavily dependent upon exports of energy products from the Middle East to acknowledge the truth. Decades of very clever Saudi-Wah'abi funding, propaganda and subversion have given our leaders a benign impression of Islam. "

A Foreign Policy Failure to Acknowledge the Obvious; After the Benghazi attack, the Obama administration's focus on the YouTube video reflected a years-long denial of the Islamist threat.

Thus the way to defeat the terrorists, according to President Obama, isn't to counter extremist Islamist ideology but to focus on how the United States, through its actions and delinquencies—its supposed excessive support for Israel, for example, and failure to provide more economic aid—is to blame for the hatred that spawns terrorism.

Counterjihad

Romney vs. Obama and Beyond: The Church's Prophetic Role in Politics

Before reading this article, we need to define terms, namely what is meant by "the Church" in this article.

The universal church is that organism of professing believers making up the body of Christ through baptism by the Holy Spirit, which was formed first on the day of Pentecost, is distinct from the nation of Israel, and is not limited to local congregational or denominational affiliation.
Everyone, living or dead, who has ever put their faith in Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost till now, is a member of the universal church, Christ’s body, of which He is the head.     From bible.org

By Dr. Lawrence Terlizzese at Probe Ministries   "Dr. Lawrence Terlizzese answers a common question of a Christian view of politics and government: How would a biblical worldview inform us on being in the world of politics but not of it? “Dr. T” models a critical yet engaged distance in assessing the beliefs of Presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama."

The Church could not be true to its universal calling if it was a political power like Israel because this turns its mission into one of war and conquest, such as the Crusades in the middle ages, rather than conversion through faith (John 18: 36). Islam is a good example of a religion that does follow Israel’s kind of political identity in the establishment of Sharia Law. The Church is not one nation, but one people among many nations, cultures and systems. It cannot afford to be a nation with its own civil law and government, which sets itself against other governments and other people. When the Church establishes itself as a political power it compromises its prophetic mission and loses its unique contribution to politics. Instead the Church has a more complex role in any system it finds itself in.

Read a related post: Urban legend: Should Christians Support President Obama? A message attributed to Dr. David Barton on the Charles Stanley program
My own comment to this post was this (in case anyone cares):

I know all this and am troubled over the way my blog runs counter to the Biblical injunction to always build up and never to tear down. But somebody please tell me how to remain silent and supportive when I see this administration bully average citizens and drive hate-filled wedges between segments of the American population.

Every facet of my beliefs I see being denigrated by the left in Washington, academia, news media and the entertainment industry; people who have my convictions being ridiculed on every channel, called "extremists" in the halls of Congress and I cannot remain silent.

But I do realize that in the end, all will come out as our Lord has ordained and that he chooses who will rule over us. In the end, all that matters is that all will bow down before Him as King of Kings.

So my issue is still unresolved; I only know that - in the end - the good guys win.

                                                                                                                      The Tunnel Dweller

Epic Rant of All That is Wrong With Obama Administration

Dunham

Erin Haust   "The Obama For America “First Time” ad featuring young actress Lena Dunham got my blood boiling. As a woman, I am appalled at the President’s campaign sexualizing the act of voting; an act for which men and women have died. This shameful piece of political garbage demeans all of the struggles in our history fought by very brave women to gain equality, be taken seriously and be given the right to vote.

....
"Beneath the surface of questionable advertising is a culture of immaturity and disrespect not seen before in American history. This president, his campaign staff and his chosen administration has, over the course of 4 short years, belittled the office of the presidency."...

....Instead of screaming into a pillow or drinking away my frustration, I ranted on Facebook with all of the immature, demeaning, weak and embarrassing moments that have dominated this presidency. Many have asked that I post it here so they can share it with friends.
So, here ya go: ...   Read on. 

We the People

That experienced transformed me.

However it was forcible, not consensual while I was being held down by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid who bragged all over town about what they had done. Nancy even taunted my friends about helping Obama do it to me.

BOMBSHELL: CIA Operators On Ground In Benghazi During Attack Were Denied Request For Immediate Help, Told To Stand Down…Watching other networks to see if they cover the story

Rush calls this a major breaking story:

Via Weasel Zippers   "BOMBSHELL: CIA Operators On Ground In Benghazi During Attack Were Denied Request For Immediate Help, Told To Stand Down…"

EXCLUSIVE: CIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack, sources say
"Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.” "
....
But they went anyway:
"Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the Consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The quick reaction force from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the Consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
"At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied."

As of 11:40 CST, no coverage at NBC
Nothing so far at ABC  and nothing at CBS
FOX, on the other hand...

Update at 12:45, CST NBC, nothing; ABC, bupkis; At CBS, just this.

More Evidence of the Administration’s Failure in Benghazi

Max Boot  "Defense Secretary Leon Panetta now explains the decision not to act militarily by saying that he and top military commanders “felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation” because they didn’t have enough “real-time information about what’s taking place.” But of course more real-time information could have been obtained by sending aircraft to overfly Benghazi.
"In any case, Special Operations Forces and other military forces are used to acting on incomplete information, especially in a situation where Americans are under fire and in danger of being overrun. At that point, caution is normally thrown to the wind, and Quick Reaction Forces are launched. It is indeed puzzling that there was apparently no standing plan to send a Quick Reaction Force to Benghazi (or other areas in North Africa where U.S. outposts are located) or, if such a plan existed, the decision was made not to activate it."
Ah HA! It all becomes clear now; the Bush Administration failed to set up this plan! Obama was merely following the procedures left behind by the previous administration! Watch and see if this petulant juvenile doesn't use this excuse. TD

The men at the safe house were killed by a mortar barrage. This video shows you what we could have done with Islamist mortar positions

Andrew C. McCarthy on Sharia killing Ambassador Stevens:  "...our willfully blind government refuses to assimilate despite years of anti-American atrocities. Under the supremacist interpretation of sharia ...non-Muslim Westerners who seek to implant Western ideas and institutions in Islamic countries are deemed enemies who must be driven out or killed. As U.S. Ambassador to Libya, as an American attempting to transition the former Qaddafi dictatorship into something approximating Western democracy, Christopher Stephens was deemed an enemy worthy of killing; therefore, sharia ideologues killed him, along with three other similarly “culpable” Americans."