President Obama this morning.
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's statement last night:
"Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to
inflammatory material posted on the Internet. The United States deplores
any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.
Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of
our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for
violent acts of this kind.
In light of
the events of today, the United States government is working with
partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our
missions, and American citizens worldwide."
Mitt Romney's statement last night, September 11, 2012:
“I’m outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya
and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi.
It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not
to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with
those who waged the attacks.”
What provoked Mitt Romney's verbal attack on President Obama:
Earlier today, officials at the U.S. Embassy in Egypt issued a statement
that “condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt
the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend
believers of all religions.” The embassy said the statement was drafted
and released before the protests.
But the succession of events drew widespread criticism in the United
States after violence broke out for appearing weak in the face of
threats.
Tweet by the chairman of the Republican National Commttee.
What about Americans standing together in the face of tragic death of four embassy employees, including Ambassador Chris Stevens?
Statements by Mitch McConnell (R) and John Boehner (R) demonstrate that now is not the time for partisan attacks.
“Yesterday we commemorated the anniversary of the attacks of September
the 11th, and today we are reminded that brave Americans serve us every
day at the risk of their own lives,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-KY) said in a statement. “We honor the Americans we lost in
Libya and we will stand united in our response.”
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced plans for a moment of silence in the House and ordered flags at half staff.
“We mourn for the families of our countrymen in Benghazi, and condemn
this horrific attack,” he said in a statement. “Eleven years after
September 11, this is a jolting reminder that freedom remains under
siege by forces around the globe who relish violence over free
expression, and terror over democracy — and that America and free people
everywhere must remain vigilant in defense of our liberties.”
Had Romney taken the better part, he would have honored the Americans who died and their families by expressing his sympathy and pausing for a spell, rather than quickly attempting to use the tragedy to further his political advantage.
The attacks on the embassies were supposedly in response to an inflammatory anti-Muslim movie that was attributed to "Sam Bacile", who may not be a real person.
The 15 minute video trailer of the movie that was first believed to have set off the attacks is an amateurish, incoherent mish-mash. Administration officials are now investigating whether
the attacks may have been pre-planned. In the meantime, I will not comment further on the attacks until more information is available.