Columns

Benghazi — the saga continues

BY LEN TRIA, Uncommon Sense
Published: November 21, 2012

Last Friday the former head of the CIA, David Patraeus, testified that his agency had identified the attack as terrorist, initiated by organizations affiliated with Al Qaeda.

That information was prepared in their talking points and then disseminated to various intelligence agencies including the White House. He said that someone changed the initial CIA report and took out the references to a terrorist attack; however, he did not know who was responsible for that action.

Here we have the most advanced intelligence agency, perhaps in the world, unable to identify the person or persons responsible for changing his agency's report. This is the script for a B movie "Who Dunnit" that could be fodder for the Lone Wolf or the Saint detective characters.

The trouble is that both of these characters would have solved the crime by now. More than two months since the Benghazi incident that took the lives of four Americans, our prestigious intelligence community, the FBI, National Security Council and a host of others cannot identify the one responsible for changing the CIA's original assessment.

The altered assessment was what is claimed to have been given to Ambassador Susan Rice when she went on five national TV programs, at the behest of the White House, according to President Obama, and claimed the attacks were spontaneous and as a result of a video.

Now there is a claim that there was other information given to Ambassador Rice but she could not divulge that because the administration did not want to tip off the terrorist. What kind of blooming idiot does the administration think the American public is?

This is typical when politicians cover up a scandal, that soon the cover-up assumes a life of its own and challenges our ability to believe anything that is put forth in its defense. This however, is done on purpose, to so confuse the people that they have no clue as to who is lying or who is telling the truth.

The fact is that the president has the responsibility of not misleading the American people and it rests squarely on his shoulders to make sure the truth prevails. I can only surmise that the administration made a calculated decision before Election Day to not admit that Al Qaeda was alive and well contradicting the president who was saying they were decimated and on the run.

The facts show that Al Qaeda is indeed alive and well and now operating in some 30 countries. This is what happens when politics become the God to be worshiped and not the duty to one's country and its citizens.

Let's hope that some whistle blower will come forward to place the blame correctly on the people that changed the CIA report. After all, there must be some loyal Americans who love their country more than the politics of power!

Len Tria, a regular columnist for Hernando Today, lives in Spring Hill and is a former Hernando County commissioner.