The Consulate Thread

While we're at it, why have murder trials?

Or accident investigations.

Or, well, journalism. Or lawyers. Or doctors. Or police.

Is this seriously the stance of some people here - journalists, no less: That the circumstances surrounding bloodshed should not be investigated? I recall that was a popular opinion in the wake of the bin Laden raid, but I chalked it up to the heat of that particular moment. Perhaps I was mistaken.

We don't burn the Quran at SportsJournalists.com, thank goodness. But it wouldn't completely surprise me to see a scheduled burn of Jon Krakauer's Pat Tillman book. After all, why blame anyone other than the thug insurgents that shot him? Right?

 

Who will be apologizing for this?
Suddenly it's 1979 all over again. Cue up Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor

 

I'm all for genuine, sober investigation. I'm completely against the breathless search for and positioning of scapegoats to fit posters' preconceived viewpoints. It's distasteful in the aftermath of a tragedy like this.

 

As someone who's in line to work at embassy next starting year and reporting directly to an ambassador, this scares the shit out of me.

And I say that as someone who lived in both Morocco and Indonesia.

 

Fair enough. I wasn't sure - and still have no idea - how the politics were lining up behind the approach to coverage/discussion here.

 

The early part of the Ambassador's career sounds a lot like yours. Peace Corp volunteer, taught English in Morocco too, I believe.

 

It is very frightening. I'm just hoping my mom doesn't put this together. I still don't know the positions of the other two who were killed ... I will really be freaked if it turns out that's what I'm in line for.

The second guy identified was the information systems officer or something like that. Father of two.

The position I'm applying for in Tunisia was filled this last go-round, so it won't be open. But I do wonder what I'll bid for when it comes time for me. Both Cairo and Tunis would have been really attractive to me at one point, but now it's a bit freaky.

I've visited a couple of embassies overseas and they seem safe, but angry mobs aren't the norm.

 

It's funny and it's sad.

A_QB is right in that 100 percent of the blame goes to the perpetrators of this crime. He may be reading all kinds of nonsense into others' questions about how it happened, but at it's core, he's absolutely right.

Yet you have those who are not so subtlety trying to take political advantage of the situation and blame the current leadership for it, or, make a historic comparison that holds absolutely no water whatsoever. See linked post.

I'm no flag-waver, but to try and mine political gain out of this is pretty damn unpatriotic. Using a situation where a bunch of thugs attacked a U.S. embassy/consulate to give yourself a hard-on by comparing Obama to Carter before the bodies are even cold is odious.

At least A_QB focuses his ire in the right direction.

 

Why is it wrong for a politician to try to gain political advantage, based on the response of our President to a crisis?

If he feels the response was poor, shouldn't he point it out?

Really? Questioning the patriotism of someone you disagree with? I thought that was really frowned upon by folks on the left. They're always crying about it, even when no one has questioned it.

 

Can someone update me? I thought Romney completely botched this last night. Didn't he? Wasn't the release about the video put out well before the attack? What am I missing?

 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/09/when_you_learn_theyre_not_ready.php?m=1

 

Who has compared Obama to Carter?

I also do not think that this was just a "group of thugs" attacking the consulate.
I think that there is more to it.

And yes it does remind me of 1979 in many ways. Since you brought up Carter polls showed him winning at the same point we are at now.