9/11 Anniversary

There are two terrorist attack anniversaries today, and the second is the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi where four Americans were killed one year ago. Several mysteries remain about that attack. One question I have had since I first heard of the attack is “Where are the pictures of the Situation Room while Consulate was being attacked by terrorists?” The picture of the Situation Room with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a room full of other officials was spread throughout the world the night bin Laden was killed. What would a photo of the room look like the night of the several-hour terrorist attack on the Consulate? Who would have been present to hear the intelligence information and make decisions about what military assets were available to help the people under attack? Was the Situation Room even activated? If not, where was the Commander-In-Chief and what actions did he take to help the people under attack? Did he take any actions? Why weren’t we better prepared for the possibility of an attack?

Another mystery is why there has been no one taken into custody for the attack. There were promises that those responsible would be held accountable, and one year has now passed. There are videos of some attackers, and news organizations have interviewed some people who claim they were at least there that night. Do media researchers have better intelligence than the CIA? What about the people who were able to fight their way out of the consulate and make it to safety? Are their stories so disinteresting that they don’t warrant attention? Perhaps Hollywood will find a way to make a movie of the escape, and that will give us more of an idea of what happened that night. My impression is that Hollywood is always interested in stories that involve cars driving fast under a hail of gunfire and rocket propelled grenade attacks.

I haven’t heard of any memorials for the Benghazi attack, but there are plans for a “Million Muslim March.” The American Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC) has organized the march to bring attention to “erosion of domestic civil liberties, drone policy, illegal tapping and [surveillance]” among their reasons for the action. It is estimated there might be 10,000 marchers. Another group is trying to organize a convoy of motorcyclists to take “two million bikers to DC” to counter the Muslim protest. I’ll be curious whether the events are large enough to attract media attention. And I’ll be watching for that picture of the Situation Room the night of the Benghazi attack.