While the Obama Administration and the State Department are trying to keep a lid on what really happened in the U.S. consulate in Benghazi — because they are treating it as a “crime scene” — the news media is doing its job.
CNN has an article about warnings that purportedly were given to U.S. officials in Libya about the deteriorating security situation there. The New York Times reports on the “problem of Libya’s militias,” which indicates that since the overthrow of Muammar el-Qaddafi Libya has become a fractionalized, lawless place dominated by heavily armed, autonomous “miliitias” with little sense of central control. A BBC story quotes the president of the Libya’s interim assembly as saying that the Benghazi incident was carefully planned by foreigners who came to Libya months ago and have been plotting the attack since then. The latter story, of course, undercuts the notion that the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens was a spontaneous reaction to an inflammatory internet video. And the photos of the burnt-out remains of the consulate, published in newspapers and on websites across the globe, demonstrate how devastating the attack was.
These reports raise obvious questions about the real cause of the Benghazi attack and whether the Obama Administration, the U.S. State Department, and the intelligence community ignored clear danger signs — or even explicit advance warnings — about the security situation in Libya. These questions can’t be adequately answered by spin-oriented flacks like White House press secretary Jay Carney. Instead, those questions need to be asked, in a public forum, and answered under oath by knowledgeable Administration officials whose jobs involve collecting intelligence, ensuring that our diplomatic outposts are adequately safeguarded, and communicating with host countries about embassy security. We deserve to know how this fiasco happened.
The article depicts the President as a proud man and perfectionist who wants to be the best at everything — and who apparently thinks he is the best or close to the best, whether it is playing pool, or reading children’s stories, or writing speeches. He practices regularly and works hard to improve, even at things like bowling or golf.
In fact, I’d like to try a kind of experiment with Andrew’s suggestion that we really haven’t done before — at least, not intentionally. Anyone who reads our blog knows that the Webner House posters approach issues from very different parts of the political spectrum. We frequently disagree on things, but try to do so reasonably and respectfully. Therefore, I’d like to invite Richard, Russell, UJ, and Uncle Mack to post their own views on the David Brooks column, and then see what Andrew’s thoughts are in response.
Mitt Romney is flying coach class to Boston and is seated next to Carolyn McClanahan of Jacksonville, Florida. He poses for a photo, then puts on headphones, reads a newspaper, and works on his iPad. But Ms. McClanahan has other ideas. She’s a doctor who “heads a financial planning company” and boasts of having read every page of the “health care reform” bill. She decides to tell Romney of her idea for improving health care by “switching to an electronic billing system.” Romney says “I understand” and goes back to his reading.
The article found that “clean technology” jobs account for only a small fraction of jobs nationwide, and that government programs to subsidize and stimulate creation of “green jobs” have largely failed. Job training efforts also have not borne fruit. And this story comes on top of 
Sorry, boys, but you’re not going to find any sympathy for that position from this quarter. Osama bin Laden himself was a mass killer who showed no regard for international law or the rights of the innocent victims of 9/11 who were killed in cold blood for no reason — or the rights of any of the other victims of the many terrorist acts that al Qaeda planned, bankrolled, or executed over the years at bin Laden’s direction. Nor do I think old mumble-mouth was much known for “truth.” For his many confessed crimes, Osama bin Laden deserved to die. I’m not among those who are squeamish about the circumstances of his death or the way in which his remains were disposed of.
