America’s Schizophrenic Response to Terror – Benghazi, Al-Qaeda & The Wardrobe

Allow me to present two scenarios.

Scenario One – Benghazi

It has been eleven months since the attack in Benghazi and the events surrounding that night are still encased in a cloud of secrecy.  For months leading up to the attack, there was a growing presence of Al-Qaeda in the region.  The presence of Al-Qaeda was also accompanied by an increase in violence.

Ambassador Christopher Stevens was concerned and this prompted the consulate to request a step-up in security.  The additional security was denied and on the night of September 11, 2012 the Benghazi consulate suffered a bloody terror attack.  The attack left four Americans dead and others wounded.

In the aftermath of the attack, the administration chose Susan Rice (Ambassador to the UN) to be the face of the talking points.  Rice paraded herself all over the Sunday talk shows and falsely claimed that the United States had no information that the attack was preplanned and that it was a reaction to an offensive YouTube video.  In the following months it became very apparent that the administration (including Hillary Clinton at the State Department) was engaged in a massive cover-up.  Apparently everyone had their handy plausible deniability parachute.

Let’s fast forward to 2013.

Scenario Two – Currently

Last week the administration learned of potential terror threats that could target American or Western interests.  The response?  Shut down approximately twenty foreign posts at various (if not random) places in the world.  To make matters worse it was leaked that part of the intelligence stemmed from intercepted communications between two top Al-Qaeda officials.  I am certain the folks at the Central Intelligence Agency have had their fill of the president either throwing them under the bus or sabotaging everything they are trying to accomplish.  The current response to the threat of terror demonstrates once again that the administration is not prepared to handle the important matters of security.

Isn’t Al-Qaeda Dead?

I think it is both important and comical to point out the hypocrisy of this administration when it comes to Al-Qaeda.  During the 2012 campaign we were repeatedly subjected to the mantra that Detroit was alive and Bin Laden was dead.  Al-Qaeda was on the run and reduced to an insignificant artifact in world history.  Now, eleven months later, Detroit is bankrupt and America is closing up shop across the globe like merchants in the wild west when the bandits role into town.  It appears that the president has failed to recognize the fact that Al-Qaeda is not on the run.  As Obama fumbles his way around the maladies of leadership, the terrorists have become more empowered.

At What Cost?

There are some who have speculated that the administration is being duped by Al-Qaeda.  For starters, the leak caused the administration to give up a lot of information.  This information is quite valuable to both sides.  Essentially, the enemy now knows four of the five cards in the president’s hand.  Moreover, Al-Qaeda is able to see how America will react to terror threats.  Finally, few can deny that the administration’s response is driven by politics.  I am glad that the administration has learned a lesson from Benghazi, which is to listen to the intelligence.  However, in trying to avoid Benghazi II, the administration is making America look weak.