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Who Gave The Order?
The Flames Of Benghazi Will Burn Through The Horse Hair

by sundancecracker from The Conservative Treehouse
[snip]
Those of you who are following this story intently know now why the obfuscation and distraction was needed. It was President Obama who maintained operational control during the attack at the Benghazi Embassy Consulate and CIA Annex.
When House Intelligence Committee member Jason Chaffetz went to Libya he was accompanied by Africom Commander General Carter Ham. Four Star General Ham is the commander of the entire African Theater. Anything involving the U.S. military, or U.S. military operations in Libya falls under his command. The only person higher than him for incidences within that field of operations is the Commander In Chief – President Obama.
When Jason Chaffetz specifically asked General Ham if he had a ready force who could have responded to the event General Ham replied:
“Yes, however, we were not asked to”…
(Interview video 10/27/12 @16:25 min mark)
Understand the significance of this statement. If Africom commander General Ham was “not asked to”, it can only mean one thing. There is only one person higher than him in the “African Continent Theater” operational chain of command.
That person is President Obama.
This response by General Ham means the White House was in control of the command response. If the White House WERE NOT, or COULD NOT, take the command response control authority, for whatever reason, then General Ham would be the one in charge. He wasn’t.
All decisions not to send help to both the Consulate and the Annex compound were directly from the White House, and more specifically the Commander In Chief, President Obama.
[snip]
Read the entire EXCELLENT article here.
.





Dagny
October 28th, 2012
General Ham received the order to “stand down.” His response was to say “screw it, I’m going to help anyhow.”
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/p/37144547/Interesting-Rumor-Concerning-General-Carter-Ham-and-Stand-Down-Order.aspx
Within 30 seconds to a minute after making the move to respond, his second in command, General Rodriguez, apprehended General Ham and told him that he was relieved of his command…
On 18 October 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that General Rodriguez will take General Ham’s place as the head of AFRICOM.
http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5139
General Ham has been fired for defying the National Command Authority on Benghazi.
Noe I wonder if if you will speak out.
It’s pretty clear that the military needs feedback from Washington because it cannot on their own say-so cross an international border for a hostile mission without an order from the National Command Authority, and that means the President.
Death_By_Farts
October 28th, 2012
I’ve always thought that the Jackass is the most appropriate mascot of the Democrat party.
-It’s lazy and doesn’t like to work.
-It wines and complains all the time.
-You have to push it or whip it just to get it to do something usefull.
-It’s laughably funny-looking.
-It has to be taken care of like a sheep, and fed all it’s life (unlike the elephant, who can survive on it’s own).
Irish
October 28th, 2012
May Obama and his cohorts burn in hell for this. Vote Romney on November 6th, end the error
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
Link won’t load.
_______
Sorry! Fixed the link – c
Irish
October 28th, 2012
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2012/10/28/the-flames-of-benghazi-will-burn-through-the-horse-hair/
Hillbilly Lawyers
October 28th, 2012
thanks Irish
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
Thanx Irish
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
What I don’t understand yet is that a SEAL was “painting” a target on the top of the CIA compound. So that would imnply that thethe weapons system/designator was synched, right? Which means that the AC130 was on station, but Panneta denies it.
If the AC130 never left Sigonella that means that it was a Predator that was filming the whole thing, right? Are Predators always armed?
We know for sure that if that SEAL was actively “painting” a target, then something was on station to engage.
And the decision to stand down goes directly to the President.
Irish
October 28th, 2012
At this point I don’t think Panneta can be trusted, no more than Obama can
Hillbilly Lawyers
October 28th, 2012
Impeach the traitor. Life in prison. No prayer mat.
No matter what Hussein “Benghazi” 0bama says, these words must never be forgotten: “Yes, however, we were not asked to”…
cfm990
October 28th, 2012
Tom Clancy, couldn’t make this up. We, as a free people, may have to again determine our destiny. The Question is. Do we have the resolve?
Tim
October 28th, 2012
That BO gave the order to “stand down” is beyond speculation – “WHY?” is the only relevant question.
Barnhardt posits the notion that BO is actively assisting the Caliphate and that it was necessary to kill Stevens to further that treason.
The GOP needs to resist chasing shadows and delve into the heart of the matter.
Hillbilly Lawyers
October 28th, 2012
If the politicians on our side had any balls, 0bama would be locked up by now. How bad does it have to get before they act? We could lose the entire country with that idiot in power.
Unneutral
October 28th, 2012
Makes it easy to speculate that the RINOS love Obama as much as the libtards.
Grandpa
October 28th, 2012
@Tim – The “why’s” are in this report, originally from CFP this morning.
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2012/10/28/benghazi-trail-truth-and-treason/
J Frank Parnell
October 28th, 2012
Killing Americans by proxy is what the Left does, it was (and is) to be expected. Think abortion, rationing, 9/11 weakness, victim disarmament, 100 million dead in 20th century communism.
A sophomoric, transparent coverup is ongoing but you know it really doesn’t have to be professional, or even plausible. Think how well a suppression of Benghazi encourages and expands the Left. That’s real power. You know thatis the tyranny we face.
Think of the havoc under an unrestrained four more years.
Corky
October 28th, 2012
Not only was General Ham relieved so has RADM Gaouette commander of air strike force fleet in the Persian Gulf. Coincidence?
Menderman
October 28th, 2012
I wonder if this is related:
“In an unusual move, the Navy has replaced an admiral commanding an aircraft carrier strike group while it is deployed to the Middle East. The replacement was prompted by an Inspector General’s investigation of allegations of inappropriate leadership judgment.”
“A Navy official familiar with the circumstances of the investigation said it involved allegations of “inappropriate leadership judgment” and stressed it was not related to personal conduct.”
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/navy-replaces-admiral-leading-mideast-strike-group-because-of-ongoing-investigation/
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
The zero in chief has been spending down our military and the morale of the committed soldiers like a drunken dope fiend spends on his habit.
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
oops,
This is what the know-nothings who voted for zero deserve….but hey, we don’t.
gorgo
October 28th, 2012
“It was President Obama who maintained operational control during the attack at the Benghazi Embassy Consulate and CIA Annex.”
I still don’t understand why he would. It’s not like he planned on ever sending in fire support to back up the SEALs and rescue the staff, so he had no opportunity to play hero for the press just before the election (a pony you know they’d be riding at this very moment if he had told our military to rain Hell itself upon them).
So what am I missing here? WHY would O himself maintain control?
dba_vagabond_trader
October 28th, 2012
Gross dereliction at best treason at worst. Top to bottom.
MaryfromMarin
October 28th, 2012
Thank you, @Grandpa. The ongoing reports at CT have been extremely informative.
David Kramer
October 28th, 2012
Your links are not working………..
MaryfromMarin
October 28th, 2012
@DavidK–
Check the link in Grandpa’s post, above–just worked for me.
Zonga
October 28th, 2012
Why are jug ears and Valerie Jarrett still in office?
Libra
October 28th, 2012
This is an impeachable offense. Wonder how much gonads congress has?
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
When the Obama Régime discovered that thousands of MANPADs had “disappeared,” it turned around and stuck a LOT of cash in what amounted to a poorly guarded CIA outpost-cum-”safehouse” and it tried to buy those weapons back. This CIA “annex” containing both weapons and money was obviously a high-value target.
http://www.businessinsider.com/us-syria-heavy-weapons-jihadists-2012-10
Here, it is important to understand that Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Dougherty and Tyrone Woods were not killed at a consulate office in Benghazi.
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/50586
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
map of the consulate and the CIA annex
http://cryptome.org/2012-info/cia-benghazi/pict17.jpg
Mr.Pinko
October 28th, 2012
I know the story, you know the story, Fox News viewers know the story – but go to the street – to the “Independent” voters – they DO NOT know the story!
The media is protecting Obama.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
“The media is protecting Obama.”
But we already that. So what? Let’s try to understand what happened.
Was Gen. Ham told to stand down and not send an AC130? Or was the “stand down” order sent when the drone or the AC130 was synched with the SEAL guy on the roof of the CIA compound?
Buffalobob
October 28th, 2012
“and more specifically the Commander In Chief, President Obama”. Actually there is on more person higher up in the obama regine. Valerie Jarrett>
Chuck U Farley
October 28th, 2012
I don’t think Barghazi Obama gave the order to ‘stand down’. I think Penetta did.
Barghazi gave NO order. He gave no order to go in or stand down. He went to bed & slept the sleep of the innocent knowing his hands weren’t on it and he could deny, deny, deny.
…it’s all ‘plausible deniability’ and ‘optics’ to these scumsuckers.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
“I don’t think Barghazi Obama gave the order to ‘stand down’. I think Penetta did.”
Irrelevant, since
http://www.defense.gov/about/dod101.aspx
It’s the same.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
Besides:
Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer said tonight that his sources tell him that Obama was one of the people in the room watching the Benghazi attack go down
http://www.therightscoop.com/lt-col-tony-shaffer-my-sources-tell-me-obama-was-in-the-room-watching-benghazi-attack/
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
@ Irish
Check out Panetta’s background and his ancestral associations.
Chieftain
October 28th, 2012
I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but in the absence of any other answers…
What if there is clear evidence that someone other than the President, Tom Donilon or Valerie Jarrett for example, illegally and unconstitutionally invoked Presidential authority to reject any military intervention, possibly resulting in the immediate relief of General Ham in AfricaCom for example; all before the President actually bothered to get off of his narrow ass and actually get down to the situation room in person.
What if by the time he bothered to get personally involved people were already dead, buildings were on fire and they needed a story that would not embarrass Barry or endanger his reelection, and quick. Hence the speedy decision to blame a YouTube video for some kind of “spontaneous demonstration” which is a bit of a stretched but accurate metaphor for “surprise attack”.
This whole thing stinks worse and worse with every new revelation and in the absence of any other evidence I think my idea is about as accurate as anything else I am reading. Bob Gates warned Obama twice about Donilon and I haven’t trusted that sneaky sonofabitch ever since. Gates warned Obama that Donilon would be “a fucking disaster” as National Security Director, and told Donilon he should STFU on foreign policy. Tom Donilon has always had a reputation as a lying weasel and he is in much too senior a position for his experience and professional temperment. I would not put it past him to have exceeded his authority during the Benghazi attack and his actions were what he perceived he was directed to do by the President. I give it good odds as well that you can substitute and/or include Valerie Jarrett in the scenario I just laid out, and still be just as accurate.
I’m worried about what else is out there. I worry what kind of damage these people have done and how long it is going to take to clean up the bodies before it is all over.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
is the video filmed by the drone available?
Chieftain
October 28th, 2012
Supposedly all of the video would or should be available by now.
Keep in mind that it took 8 days for President Bush to sign the Congressional resolution granting him the authority to go after the Taliban in Afghanistan. The first B-52 rolled on target on October 8th, and American troops were on the ground 12 days later.
Nobody should buy this “investigation” BS. All of the facts are well known, the only thing that matters now is getting Bam reelected “by any means necessary”.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
The ex-SEAL had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a gunship or a Predator drone.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/
Only two places could have called off the attack at that point; the National Command Authority or AFRICOM.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
Thank you Chief.
I try to order all the data, and it is quite confusing.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
Tell me if I’m wrong:
– we know there was a drone or a gunship filming the whole thing
– but we don’t know if it’s was a Predator or a AC130.
– We know that Gen Ham was mobilizing, but we don’t know if the order to stand down happened when AFRICOM asked Washington for a permission to cross an international border for a hostile mission.
– This was not a simple Non-combatant Evacuation Operations. General Ham needed permission to from the National Command Authority, since no General nor Admiral would order the Marines ashore, or a Delta raid, or even an F-18 low-level supersonic flyby. Not even the State Secretary can make that decision. Only the NCA can authorize a cross-border hostile mission, guns clear.
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
Dagny, It was called off at the freaken White House. And that’s where it happened. Reread this,
AC-130U Gunship was On-Scene in Benghazi, Obama Admin Refused to Let It Fire (Updated)
more importantly open the links. Especially this one.
http://www.blackfive.net/
/
These guys are the shit.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
when folks talk about “Specter”, could that include an armed drone, or is it limited to gunships?
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
yes Bad Brad, I’ve read it all. BLACKFIVE bookmarked, thanks to you.
I know it was called from the WH, but I want to speculate WHEN?
When an ambassador is under attack, the default order is an IMMEDIATE rescue. An in-extremis force is going right away to the rescue, triggered by a code word like Flash Traffic.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/10/26/are_some_in_the_chain_of_command_still_haunted_by_carter_s_failed_rescue_in_1979
I want to know if Gen Ham was able to follow protocols, and send an AC130 from Italy.
I want to know if the order to stand down happened when the SEALs were painting targets from the rooftop, or if it was before, so that no gunship flew to the rescuse, only a unarmed drone.
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
Dagny: Spectre is a Ac 130 with current generation weapons systems on board. They had a version back in the day during Viet Nam that was called Puff The Magic Dragon. Spectre is specific to a state of the art flying gun platform. Drones are something totally different.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
OK, that nails it, I should think:
One of the former SEALs was actively painting a target. So something, a gunship or a drone, WAS ON STATION.
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2012/10/bigger-than-watergate-proof-that-the-president-is-lying-about-benghazi.html
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
Thanks Bad Brad.
20,000???????????????????
Any source for that number. MANPADS are fucking dangerous.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
http://barnhardt.biz/
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
Dagny, From what I’m getting out of this, either there was a gun ship circling above or an armed drone that told the Security detail to light the target up, they called for permission to fire and was denied permission at least twice. I heard today that they found one of the security detail (ex seal) slumped over his machine gun. Some pussy some where needs to swing. I think I know who that person is.
Plain Jane
October 28th, 2012
_No Easy Day_ by Mark Owen gives a perspective of the Seals that all the Thor, Flynn and Clancy books haven’t given. Not sure if it’s the difference between fictionalized Seal activity and the real thing or what it is.
However, after reading (actually audio)it, I have a more mature perspective of Seals and the people who control them.
I know this sounds off-topic, but somehow, my little brain makes a close association.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
This is no Puff The Magic Dragon
Moe Tom
October 28th, 2012
excer,an from article by Greg Neubeck, Ret. Col. USAF.
“Military Commanders had pre-positioned rescue assets in anticipation of’execute’ orders from the Commander in Chief. An order that was destined not to come. In a 5-O’Clock pm meeting in the WH with the VP and SecDef in attendance while monitoring the live-feed from Benghazi, a dithering Obama,an individual devoid of any core value, chose to sacrifice the lives of the four Americans in preference to the tarnishing of his campaign narrative that he had vanquished al Qaida. Obama besmirshed/defiled the Presidency with an odious blemish that elipses any event in living history.” Greg Neubeck.
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
Dagny. Here’s the business end. I had some asshole troll telling me how inaccurate and indiscriminate these thing were. What an asshole. Here’s the business end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut8Ag-98HZw
/
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
wow, nice. wish those savages in Bengahzi would have tasted that medicine.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
“In a 5-O’Clock pm meeting in the WH with the VP and SecDef in attendance while monitoring the live-feed from Benghazi, a dithering Obama,an individual devoid of any core value, chose to sacrifice the lives of the four Americans ”
Yes, that coheres with what I’ve read.
The military does all of the operational planning and begins to execute the rescue operation. But the one thing they CAN’T do is cross an international border without permission from the President. So the US Military will be inbound full-steam-ahead to make the rescue, and all they need from the White House is a “proceed” order. In this case, they got a “stand down” instead. The In-Extremis Force was turned down by the President at his five p.m. Eastern time meeting with the principals.
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
AND then, he went to bed. Takes a certain kind of asshole to do that.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
what i don’t get however is that NATO should allow AFRICOM to send rescue ops across borders.
is the issue here between a hostile mission, guns open, and a simple rescue mission, without firing weapons?
http://westernrifleshooters.wordprxess.com/2012/10/25/bracken-obama-was-asleep/
Grandpa
October 28th, 2012
@Dagny, RE: inquiry about 20,000 Manpads origin.
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2011/09/07/cnn-report-up-to-20k-advanced-surface-to-air-missiles-looted-in-libya-%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%99ve-seen-cars-packed-with-them%e2%80%9d%e2%80%a6/
Origin
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/07/exclusive-libyan-missiles-looted/?hpt=hp_t2
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
thanks Grandpa
btw, do you understand the issue about crossing border? I don’t, since a AC130 based in the Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away from Banghazi, woud not have crossed any border but Libya’s.
And we don’t care abut Libya, since al-Qaeda is in power there.
Bad Brad
October 28th, 2012
Anyway you want to look at this, this is much worse then Carter crashing helicopters in the desert. What fries my ass is the media is covering for this asshole. They are doing the best they can to make sure none of this comes out until after the election. This is not responsible journalism. They should swing with him. In a perfect world, Romney wins, hangs a few of them, throws the rest in a special jail. Sometimes I have my issues with FOX, but they are the only voice for justice right now. Especially that chic that had breast cancer and went right back into the mix. She’s tuff.
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
http://patdollard.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/bengmaappa-600×350.jpg
no border to be crossed
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
they want to institute the Caliphate all over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East
To use them savages to destroy Christianity and exterminate the Jewish People.
Socialists hate Christ, and hate Jewish People, and hate freedom and capitalism.
that’s all
Dagny
October 28th, 2012
very interesting and relevant articles by Grandpa
” The United States has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy them back, fearful that they would fall into the hands of terrorists.”
Grandpa
October 29th, 2012
@Dagny, Thank You… but I have lost hope… people do not wish to engage. I wish they did. I have been trying for 18 months to open the discussion. No luck.
Framework in comment:
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2011/09/07/cnn-report-up-to-20k-advanced-surface-to-air-missiles-looted-in-libya-%e2%80%9cwe%e2%80%99ve-seen-cars-packed-with-them%e2%80%9d%e2%80%a6/#comment-40745
Outcome in Afghanistan. 2011 4 choppers shot down. 2012 11 so far (DUH) leading to Drop of “close air support”… we are fighting our own weapons AGAIN. a.g.a.i.n. A-fucking-gain.
Frustrated proof:
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2012/10/25/obama-arming-al-qaeda-reason-for-libya-cover-up/
The enemy is “lit”, Specter will not engage. The laser is lighting up the White House.
No-One Cares.
80% of the Seal Team that killed the principle (Bin Laden) were killed by a missile we essentially gave to Taliban.
Spike THAT Woodward (((crickets)))
Who crys harder? Boehner OR Pat Smith?
Plain Jane
October 29th, 2012
@ Grandpa
I slump in and out of the same frustration. We just have to get p*ssed and remain so.
We needed Mossad testosterone intravenously injected. Maybe this was it.
MaryfromMarin
October 29th, 2012
@Grandpa–
DON’T lose hope. The battle is in our hearts, and many of them have been won already. And I’m not speaking about a temporal battle. I mean the battle on the higher plane, the one which really counts.