Protecting Our Own

     On September 11, 2001, our country came under attack. Malicious, radical terrorists, who hated Americans so much they wanted to see innocent Americans die, killed almost 3,000 people. We mourned, learned from our intelligence mistakes, and began to rebuild. Sadly, 11 years to the day of 9/11, on September 11, 2012, we came under attack again.  Our consulate in Libya was attacked, and we lost four brave Americans, including our Ambassador.

        President Obama blamed a YouTube video. Further, President Obama’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, went on five Sunday morning television shows describing the attack as a spontaneous protest caused by a YouTube video. Three weeks later the Administration is still not leveling with us.

        To most of us, the fact that the attack was on September 11th was a clear clue that it was conducted by terrorists. Additionally, most would question how often do protesters show up with a massive number of guns with masks?  

        What is becoming apparent is the State Department knew the consulate was not entirely safe but did not take action. Despite 234 security incidents during the previous 13 months, multiple requests for more resources from the officers on the ground were ignored by the State Department bureaucrats who had never been to Libya. It is interesting to note, the Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa, recently pointed out that the State Department is sitting on $2.2 billion that should be spent on upgrading security at U.S. Embassies and consulates.

        The response by the Obama Administration is extremely troubling. Either it was inept or it was trying to push the issue aside.  While President Obama has stated he wants to get to the bottom of the attack, the Administration has clearly mishandled a serious national security situation losing the confidence of many. We rely on the President of the United States as our Commander and Chief to keep us safe and provide us with the truth.  

        Overall this attack also brings into question the effectiveness of the Administration’s foreign policy. I have trouble supporting taxpayer dollars to aid countries that actively engage in activities against United States' interests without a clear path forward. While you see people in these countries burning our flags and symbols of America, what you don’t see is these very same people burning our money that we give the governments of their countries. On September 13, 2012, I voted against House Joint Resolution 117, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution for 2013, because it was not clear to me that the resolution would prohibit taxpayer funding going to Egypt and Libya.