It’s an interesting interview from the perspective of direct questions.
What are your thoughts?
“This was the fog of war. My own assessment careened from the video had something to do with it, the video had nothing to do with it. It may have affected some people. It may have not affected other people. I think the conclusion to draw is we were not just monitoring what was happening in Benghazi, but remember we also had a very dangerous assault on our embassy in Cairo.”
VP/Kerry/Hagel/Holder/McDonough/Rice/Podesta/Power/Eggleston/Clapper/Brennan/Dempsey/Winnefeld/Blinken/Monaco/Rhodes/McGurk/Beecroft
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 17, 2014
• Vice President Joe Biden
• Sec. of State John Kerry
• Sec. of Defense Chuck Hagel
• Attorney General Eric Holder
• Chief of Staff Denis “fixer” McDonough
• Senior White House Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice
• Senior Advisor to the President John “skippy” Podesta (representing Hillary Clinton’s interests)
• UN Ambassador Samantha Power
• White House Chief Legal Counsel Neil Eggleston
• Direction of National Security James Clapper
• Director of CIA John Brennan
• Chairman of Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey
• Vice-Chair Joint Chiefs Admiral James Winnefeld
• National Security Advisor Tony Blinkin
• Asst. To the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco
• White House Communications Director Ben Rhodes
• Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan, National Security Council Brett McGurk
• U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Robert Stephen Beecroft
That's the list of who was in POTUS's Iraq options meeting tonight.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 17, 2014
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama told Congress on Monday the United States was deploying up to 275 military personnel to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the country’s embassy in Baghdad after militants seized control of the north of the country.
“This force is deploying for the purpose of protecting U.S. citizens and property, if necessary, and is equipped for combat,” Obama said in a letter to lawmakers. “This force will remain in Iraq until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed.” The president said he was notifying Congress under the War Powers Resolution (read more)
I guess Donilon, McDonough, Blinkin and Rhodes don’t have as much political confidence as they did with the Libyan R2P fiasco. Then again, I’ve never been able to figure out the filter they use for application of the “Responsibility To Protect” doctrine….
Sometimes you just have to shake your head:
U.S. and Iran hold “very brief discussions” about Iraq and ISIS threat, State Department spokeswoman tells CNN. http://t.co/vE9Sr9IDMn
— CNN International (@cnni) June 16, 2014
State Official emphatic that US won't engage in military coordination or strategic determinations with Iran about Iraq’s future.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) June 16, 2014
To round up the basic positioning taking place within the U.S. administration vis-a-vi Iraq, it’s useful to look at similarly minded influential ideologues in and out of the current administration. Once you understand the mindset of the fellow travelers you can predict what the White House will do.
We start with Mike Morell, and his current position.
So there, we essentially have the framework outlined this morning for the current White House position.
So, is that indeed the message the day delivers? (more…)
Y’all already know the topic of this captured moment. However, in case anyone needs a reminder (more…)
Back in 2011, amid the discussions of withdrawal from Iraq, and the debate over how many troops would be needed to maintain a stable environment, two influential names rose to the surface, Tom Donilon and Denis McDonough. Both Donilon and McDonough overrode the Pentagon advice, and advised President Obama to dismiss the military and heed their counsel instead.
In August [2011], after debates between the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House, the Americans settled on the 3,000 to 5,000 number, which was reported in August. According to two people briefed on the matter, one inside the administration and one outside, the arguments of two White House officials, Thomas E. Donilon, the national security adviser, and his deputy, Denis McDonough, prevailed over those of the military.
Intelligence assessments that Iraq was not at great risk of slipping into chaos in the absence of American forces were a factor in the decision, an American official said. (link)
A written media report of this interview is HERE. However, here’s the audio portion being discussed.
The knock on Christianity is in the early segment. However, when Hillary is questioned about whether she evolved her opinion, or whether her belief in gay marriage was always present and she just couldn’t let it be known…. well, things get snippy.
That part begins just before @6:00:
#BanBossy