Biden's Political Calculations Have a Basis; Americans' Reaction to Benghazi in 2012.
Obama Abandoned Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on 9/11, 2012. He Was Reelected Anyway. Elections Have Consequences. Even Past Ones.
Remember the movie, “13 hours?” It was about the courageous work of six CIA contractors to defend an American consulate - excuse me, a “Temporary Mission Facility” - in Benghazi, Libya, about a year after long-time Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi was, shall we say, terminated. Actor John Krasinski shed his “The Office” image in a breakout role.
The facility was overrun by terrorists resulting in the deaths of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stephens. Why the US military never responded remains a mystery, and we still do not know to this day where President Obama was. We surmise that President Obama didn’t want to be interrupted with an early morning flight to Nevada for a campaign trip and upcoming debate with GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
Things were left to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta who, through the lack of any directive from the President and a lack of resolve on their part, never dispatched US military assets to protect American lives. Not really their fault - that is on Obama.
Not long after the Benghazi debacle became public, the Obama White House dispatched then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice to all three Sunday morning news programs to blame an anti-Muslim “internet video” for the violent Benghazi attack. Not a single mainstream news outlet or “journalist” pushed back. Or followed up.
We now know she lied. But she’s now President Biden’s Director of his Domestic Policy Council. And guess who admitted she lied, with their strong support? Then Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes and Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan. This, from emails obtained by FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests by Judicial Watch:
While Rhodes isn’t part of the Biden universe today, Sullivan is Biden’s National Security Advisor. Personnel is policy, as Ronald Reagan once said. And this is the “personnel” Biden voters gave us last November. The Afghanistan debacle should not surprise anyone.
And sure enough, Obama was reelected handily in 2012, defeating Romney with more than 320 electoral votes less than two months later. Where did Benghazi rate on post-election polls? Pretty low. One pollster suggested Romney “blew it” on Benghazi. Romney blew the election in plenty of other ways as well.
So, what does this have to do with Biden’s calculations on Afghanistan?
Let’s turn to a reliable Democratic and pro-Biden outlet, CNN, and odious partisan shill Chris Cizzilla, who may be one of the few last remaining “journalists” who instinctively genuflects at nearly everything Biden does on Afghanistan.
Biden believes that you don't care about Afghanistan. Or, maybe more accurately, that you won't care about it by the time the 2022 (and 2024) elections rolls around.
He -- and his top aides-- wouldn't put it that way, of course.
But every signal he and they are sending makes clear that they simply do not believe the debacle of the last 10 days will be a voting issue for most Americans.
Start with Biden's first speech on Afghanistan six days ago -- his first major remarks since the Taliban effectively took over the country. While Biden bowed to the dangers posed by the need to evacuate thousands of Americans from the country, he was resolute about his decision to withdraw all American troops from the country.
Here's the key bit: "I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces."
The message was clear: We are not staying in Afghanistan indefinitely -- no matter how ugly things look right now.
Biden really thinks you won’t care, long term (by the 2022 elections), about Afghanistan. You’ll get over the damage to American prestige, honor, and respect among allies. You’ll ignore the story of an Afghan who helped us and crawled through raw sewage with his US-issued Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) toward the Kabul airport, only to be turned away to a certain, gruesome death. You’ll move on to his vaunted “infrastructure” and massive spending plans to put all kinds of dollars into the pockets of Democratic voters at the expense of higher taxes on so-called wealthy folks. Are you one of them?
Is that true? After all, 80 million supposedly voted for Biden and all his “build back better” nonsense. And over 60 million Americans voted to reelect Barack Obama after he abandoned Americans in Benghazi. Why are we surprised by Biden’s political calculations? I’m not.
Sad but true, the dems are more concerned with their so-called infrastructure legislation, elections do have consequences.