When I was a kid growing up in the Cold War, we used to figuratively roll our eyes whenever we would hear a reference made to the Russian “news system” known as Pravda. The word “pravda” in the Russian language means “truth,” and let’s just say that this paper didn’t tell it. One of Pravda’s main purposes was to make the Soviet leadership look good, and when it comes to the latest disclosures regarding the White House’s role in confusing us and covering up what happened in Benghazi, the more I feel that the Cold War is on again. However, this time it is contained within our own borders and perpetrated in part by our “media mouthpieces.”
Thanks to the suit filed by Justice Watch under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, scores of new Benghazi-related documents have come to light, and several are nothing short of damning. On the surface, some would be a touch amusing if the buffoonery weren’t connected to the deaths of 4 Americans, including some Navy SEALS who gave their lives to protect Americans under attack. My favorite was an email that was circulated amongst inner circle White House staff members prior to the infamous “Sunday Talk Show” appearances of Susan Rice, the former UN Ambassador who was the official spokeswoman to the media right after the attack. The email to which I refer was written by Ben Rhodes, an assistant to the President and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.
With reference to making the President look good, the purpose of the email was “to reinforce the President and Administration’s strength and steadiness in dealing with difficult challenges.” Strength and steadiness? Good night, Nurse! They claim to not even know where he was when it was going down. One scenario was that he had gone to bed! The other purpose of the email was “to underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy.”
Since then, it has been categorically proven that the obscure video that allegedly sparked the attack had nothing whatsoever to do with the protests that were going on at various embassies in the Middle East, let alone the attacks on Benghazi. Yet, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney once again seems to be the Dutch boy with his finger in the dike. Even the casual observer can determine that the pressure is going to cause the whole thing to give away sooner rather than later.
His recent maddening exchange with ABC News correspondent John Karl over the lies told would have been tragically comic if it weren’t so treacherous. What was sad was that Karl was the only one of the White House press corps present in the room who called him on it.
But here’s the kicker: it is now apparent that what the Administration was endeavoring to hide is that it was involved in running guns to our enemies, Al-Qaeda, and that is where this train does far more than leave its tracks. In an operation called “No Footprint,” the mechanics of running guns through a middle man, (reminiscent of “Fast and Furious,”) have become public knowledge. What we have is something far worse than trying to make an Administration look good. We are aiding and abetting the enemy, and there are no words for that kind of treachery. Our soldiers, (as are we,) are in danger, and the beast that is Benghazi is still on the loose.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
