"The investigation is… too late, and will actually tell us what we already know: CW was used."
Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, dismissing the need for a United Nations investigation on if chemical weapons were used in Syria.
I have no doubt that President Bashar al-Assad is capable of using chemical weapons on his own people. After the Iraq war, we don't need another National Security Advisor making claims on weapons without first making a strong case to the American people and the international community. Rice isn't doing much to assure Americans that the case for war against Syria will be transparent.
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham are going off into conspiracy land with their attacks on Susan Rice. Sen. Harry Reid has had enough. Reid sent out this press release.
The personal attacks against Ambassador Rice by certain Republican senators have been outrageous and utterly unmoored from facts and reality. I am shocked that senators would continue these attacks even when the evidence—including disclosures from the intelligence community about the information she presented —have made it clear that the allegations against Ambassador Rice are baseless, and that she has done absolutely nothing wrong.
Ambassador Rice’s service as United States Ambassador to the United Nations has been impeccable. She has answered all questions raised in relation to the Benghazi attacks completely and repeatedly. The Senate committees of jurisdiction are in the midst of examining the events leading up to the Benghazi attacks, and I agree with those— including the ranking Republican members of both the Intelligence and Homeland Security committees—who have said we should let the committees do their work. There should be no place for such blatant partisanship in oversight of our nation’s intelligence community.
The election is over. It is time to drop these partisan political games, and focus our attention on the real challenges facing us as a nation.
I'm a progressive that would have no problem if President Obama showed Secretary of Treasury Tim Geithner or Attorney General Eric Holder the door. Rice was not in charge of security of the Benghazi consulate. The CIA approved the talking points Rice used that McCain and Graham ha e taken issue with. The consulate of under Sec. of State Hillary Clinton's duties. NcCain a.d Graham do not want to pick a fight with Obama's most popular cabinet member. The fact that they targeted a black woman says much about their true motives.
We may finally be seeing the tougher President Obama that progressives have demanded. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. John McCain made it clear that they intend to go after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice over the Benghazi attacks. Obama had these words directed at Graham and McCain.
But when they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she’s an easy target, then they’ve got a problem with me. And should I choose — if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity — the State Department, then I will nominate her. That’s not a determination that I’ve made yet.
Damn. Where has this Obama been the past four years.
Why anyone takes McCain and Graham seriously on national security is beyond me. The truth is they are clueless on national security issues. Think Progress is very friendly with the Obama administration and is going after McCain and Graham for defending Condoleezza Rice's intelligence failures on the 9-11 attacks and Iraq WMD intelligence.
Rice was pressed after stonewalling to releal the title of the August 6, 2001 CIA PDB. The title of the PDB is "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US." The PDB warned of future al-Qaida was planning future attacks and hijackings. Rice's testimony to the 9-11 Commission was untruthful and embarrassing.
Rice went on CNN with the unfounded claim that Iraq had a nuclear weapons program in development. Rice made this famous comment to Wolf Blitzer.
"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly he can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."
As we now know, there were no nuclear weapons in Iraq. Rice commits two of the biggest intelligence failures in U.S. history and is rewarded with a featured speaking role at the RNC.
Just for fun: watch the Youtube video of Sen. McCain telling Wolf Blitzer that Americans can walk freely in Baghdad during the height of the surge. CNN's Michael Ware's informs Blitzer that an American "would barely last twenty minutes out there." No one should take the man that advocated staying in Iraq 100 years seriously.
The Obama transition team has been unable to plug leaks about the cabinet appointments. President-elect Barack Obama held a press conference today announcing his national security team.
Sec. of Defence
Robert Gates
Sec. of State
Hillary Clinton
Attorney General
Eric Holder
National Security Advisor
Gen. James Jones
United Nations Ambassador
Susan Rice
Sec. of Homeland Security
Janet Napolitano
Republican Senator Richard Lugar has voiced his approval of Obama's handling of his national security team.
“Well it's the team of rivals theme I suspect, which President-elect Obama has decided to strengthen his security team by having Democrats, Republicans, likewise having people even within the Democratic party that opposed him and certainly over the long vigorous campaign,” said Senator Lugar.
Lugar says he's impressed with Obama's organizational skills, showcased in the Presidential election. And says Obama has a good track record.
