# Benghazigate: How do Liberals see it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 25, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843 "2012-10-25T17:17:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843/121 "2012-11-02T13:15:08Z")
So nobody wants to address that our presence there was almost certainly primarily an intelligence operation, weird stuff happens in intelligence operations, and we don’t always get the full story because making covert stuff public can endanger our officers, our informants and our mission? Check out the recent Washington Post series on drones and covert warfare. I’m not a huge fan of the fact that our intelligence agencies have become agents of war, conducting targeted killings, running air bases and otherwise operating as a military. In fact, I think that endangers our civilians by making their offices seem like a legit target. But it is what it is. Anyway I have no idea what was going on in Benghazi. My guess is that the office was on the edge of putting something into action that was shady but in our interest, something went wrong and they got attacked, this left a lot of potentially dangerous loose ends that would cause trouble if they were uncovered, and the BS story was to buy time to put stuff in order before the inevitable massive investigation. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843/122 "2012-11-02T13:31:14Z")
Speaking of the WaPo, [today they report the CIA coming out of hiding a bit](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-cias-benghazi-timeline-reveals-errors-but-no-evidence-of-conspiracy/2012/11/01/a84c4024-2471-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html) to help expose the Republican campaign of lies for what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843/123 "2012-11-02T14:06:45Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > So nobody wants to address that our presence there was almost certainly primarily an intelligence operation, weird stuff happens in intelligence operations, and we don’t always get the full story because making covert stuff public can endanger our officers, our informants and our mission? _ahem_ > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Unless the administration was trying to downplay its knowledge to avoid tipping off people the intelligence services were looking for. That was mentioned several times in the first couple of days (including here, IIRC) and seems to have been forgotten. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Here’s an honest question: Is not a consulate considered to be U.S. territory? No, that’s a bit of an urban legend. A consular mission remains the territory of the host state under international and US law. > [@](#): > > A United States embassy, however, remains the territory of the receiving state, and does not constitute territory of the United States. Restatement (Second) § 77 comment a. Thus, United States embassies are not within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. See Meredith v. United States, 330 F.2d 9, 10-11 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 379 U.S. 867, 85 S.Ct. 137, 13 L.Ed.2d 70 (1964). > > McKeel v. Islamic Republic of Iran, 722 F.2d 582, 588 (9th Cir. 1983) ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843/124 "2012-11-02T21:02:21Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Now, somebody has to take the blame for this (a “fall guy”)..Hillary has indicated that she will not do this..the question is, who will? No one in the Bush admin. ever took any blame/responsibility for 9/11. Why should now be any different? ---
**Author:** ![Gerald\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Gerald\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerald_II)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843/125 "2012-11-02T21:04:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > They [asked YouTube to take it down _before_ the Benghazi attacks](http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-youtube-accountability-20120914,0,4384171.story). Thanks for the correction. I could of sworn I read that the administration asked google twice to take down the video but after looking over all the articles I couldn’t find anything that said that. I must have got that confused when an article said that youtube had _already_ viewed the video and not found it violating it’s terms, and thought that meant that the initial review was prompted by the administration. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benghazigate-how-do-liberals-see-it/638843.md?page=6)