Today, Americans commemorate two solemn anniversaries. Twelve years ago, the United States sustained the deadliest terrorist attacks in our history, as nearly 3,000 of our countrymen were killed by jihadists. Twelve months ago, the Christopher Stevens became the first US ambassador assassinated in the line of duty in more than three decades. He was murdered along with three other Americans during a chaotic, hours-long terrorist raid on two US compounds in Benghazi, Libya. Since that day, none of the terrorists responsible have been captured or killed, even though our intelligence services know where they are. Not a single government official has been fired over the historic security failures. And more than a dozen US diplomatic missions in "high risk" zones remain under-protected to this day. Nine months ago, I posed twelve unanswered questions about the Benghazi massacre; as of this writing, ten of them have yet to be adequately answered. The responses to the others reveal US incompetence and a politically-motivated cover up. Chris Stephen, the left-wing UK Guardian's Libya-based correspondent, has meticulously reviewed the record of what really happened in Benghazi on 9/11/12, and contrasted it with the Obama administration's "official" story. Here is the introduction from Stephen's lengthy report:
The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi was striking for a number of reasons: the date, 11 September, the toll – four diplomats killed, including an ambassador – and the knock-on effects on the careers of senior American politicians. But what is perhaps most striking is the inconsistencies: the US version of events compared with those of witnesses and the facts on the ground. The two do not tally. And so, a year later, there remain pressing questions about what happened that night – and what the Americans say happened
Read the whole thing. It's a harrowing account of terror and confusion, an indictment of the administration's reckless ineptitude in the weeks leading up to the bloodshed, and an expose of the government's numerous attempts at revisionism. Meanwhile, why haven't any of the perpetrators been brought to justice? Part of the equation is the Obama administration's dangerous obsession with treating these terrorists as common criminals. They want to build legal cases against the attackers, then try them in civilian court. Madness. But another element of the delay is the Libyan government's ongoing efforts at obstruction, and the White House's lack of urgency (via the New York Times):
A year after the attacks in Benghazi that killed the United States ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, the Justice Department has indicted suspects. Intelligence officials have a general idea of where they are hiding. And the military has a contingency plan to snatch them if that becomes necessary. But the fledgling Libyan government, which has little to no control over significant parts of the country, like Benghazi and eastern Libya, has rebuffed the Obama administration’s efforts to arrest the suspects...Some military and law enforcement officials have grown frustrated with what they believe is the White House’s unwillingness to pressure the Libyan government to make the arrests or allow American forces to do so, according to current and former senior government officials. Mr. Obama acknowledged last month at a news conference that the suspects had been charged but were still on the loose. “Whether he likes it or not, he is going to have to deal with this issue,” said a former senior American official, referring to Mr. Comey. “There’s a huge frustration on the issue among the agents about why nothing has happened to these guys who have killed Americans.”
In fairness to the Libyan government, they can barely keep themselves safe, and wield virtually no sovereign control over much of their nation. They live in constant fear of Islamist reprisals. It's also possible that the Libyans may still harbor a grudge over the public humiliation they suffered at the hands of the Obama administration in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. You may recall that Susan Rice's false talking points directly contradicted the assessment of Libya's president, prompting the Libyans to delay the arrival of US investigative teams at the attack site. Most gallingly, American officials on the ground are venting frustration over their assessment that regardless of the Libyans' posture, The White House isn't applying much pressure or leadership to resolve the situation. 365 days have passed since four Americans were murdered by a gang of radical Islamists, and that outrage has gone unanswered. No arrests, no military strikes, few (if any) lessons learned, no accountability -- even of the token variety -- and no justice. Appalling. I'll leave you with two video clips. The first features Hillary Clinton standing next to the Benghazi victims' flag-draped coffins and blaming the attacks on an "awful internet video," followed by President Obama vowing justice for the fallen. The second clip is of Amb. Susan Rice disseminating information that the administration knew to be false, days after the raid. She has since been promoted. Both spectacles speak for themselves: