U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in Benghazi attack

Reuters

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff were killed in a rocket attack on their car, a Libyan official said, as they were rushed from a consular building stormed by militants denouncing a U.S.-made film insulting the Prophet Mohammad.

Gunmen had attacked and burned the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, a center of last year's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, late on Tuesday evening, killing one U.S. consular official. The building was evacuated.

The Libyan official said the ambassador, Christopher Stevens, was being driven from the consulate building to a safer location when gunmen opened fire.

"The American ambassador and three staff members were killed when gunmen fired rockets at them," the official in Benghazi told Reuters.

The US consulate is United States sovereign territory. That is an attack on the United States. An act of war.

What are we - and by we, I mean, of course, the Federal Government, the "only thing that we all belong to," the "things we do together," under the Commander in Chief - going to do about it?

You know, other than apologizing for offending Muslims with our freedom of speech.  Oh, and attacking the Romney campaign for having the nerve to comment on it...

Blair keeping the faith

I'm not a particular fan of Tony Blair, another modern, "3rd-way" pseudo-socialist politician, but on this, I agree with him completely.

Former prime minister Tony Blair said Friday he had no regrets about removing Saddam Hussein after delivering a robust defence of the 2003 invasion of Iraq at a public inquiry into the war.

Rounding off his day-long evidence session, Blair said he accepted "responsibility but not a regret for removing Saddam," insisting the Iraqi leader was a "monster" who had "threatened not just the region but the world."

The thing is, for all of the "Bush lied, people died" nonsense that's followed, there was no serious doubt anywhere in early 2003 that Saddam Hussein had WMD programs. Bush knew, the British knew it, the French and Russians knew it - everyone knew it. We still don't know to what extent the weapons were moved or hidden or non-existent, but there wasn't anyone making a compelling case that they didn't exist before the war.

And, on a related topic, where are all of the "Bush is going to war for his oil buddies" people now? How'd that work out for you?

15th anniversary of first WTC attack

15 years ago today, Islamic terrorists tried to topple New York's twin towers. Andy McCarthy reminds those who think that 911 was caused by George Bush's smirk, or that the US government was involved...

n the morning of February 26, 1993, Islamic militants steered a nondescript Ryder van through the winding darkness of the parking garage under the World Trade Center. They had spent years planning this moment in secret meetings at mosques and jailhouses, in rural outposts that served as paramilitary camps, and in safehouses where explosive compounds were mixed in makeshift labs.

Loaded into the van’s rear compartment was a 1,400-pound chemical bomb.

...

It had been the intention of the World Trade Center bombers to annihilate tens of thousands of Americans, in addition to rendering the world’s most significant financial district uninhabitable. ...So yes, the aftermath resembled the ninth ring of hell, but the devastation was orders of magnitude less than it could have been.

In hindsight, we now know the silver lining caused us to miss the ferocity and determination of our enemies.

There's a war on. We didn't start it. It didn't start in 2001. And leaving Iraq isn't going to make it better. Nor is turning off our intelligence capabilities.

The frustrating question is this - why is it that one of the two major political parties in this country doesn't actually recognize that there's a war on?

Thought for the day

Inspired by the slow, snowy commute, stuck for miles behind the same bumper...


If you're riding around with a "War is not the Answer" bumper sticker, maybe you don't understand the question...

Thought for the day

Watching those film clips and pictures of the Taliban kidnapping Afghans who were de-mining the countryside, and Iranian thuggish police in black hoods hanging a sort of slop bucket around the necks of free-speech dissidents, and the various semi-official and popular Iranian, Pakistani, and Middle Eastern new threats to Sir Rushdie — while a silent West worries instead that the meals for Guantanamo inmates cost only 2-3 times more than the soldiers who guard them — and wondering on a Saturday morning how a post-civilized West can marshal the will to win a war of ideas against pre-civilized Islamists.

- Victor Davis Hanson