Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes "responsibility" for Benghazi attack
Updated Oct. 16 at 7:44 a.m. ET
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to take responsibility for the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 in a series of interviews on Monday.
"I take responsibility" for what happened on September 11, Clinton told CNN Monday after arriving in Lima, Peru, for a visit. The series of interviews with U.S. television networks were Clinton's most direct comments on the deadly attack, which killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
Clinton insisted President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are not involved in security decisions.
"I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha," she told CNN.
Speaking with CBS News correspondent Margaret Brennan, Clinton expressed personal regret for Stevens' death.
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Clinton: "I care deeply" about what happened in Benghazi
"Nobody wants to get answers more than I do," Clinton said. "These were people who I care deeply about. I knew Chris Stevens. I asked him personally to be in Benghazi during the revolution. I personally nominated him to be ambassador because I couldn't think of a better person to represent the United States: Somebody who understood what was at stake for Libya what was at stake for U.S. I saw how these revolutions could be so positive or hijacked. He understood that. He was instrumental in working with Libyans. I care deeply about what happened that night."
Since the Sept. 11 attack, the State Department has come under intense scrutiny from Republicans over how it handled security at the consulate in Benghazi in the months before the attacks. In a hearing held by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week, Eric Nordstrom, the former regional chief security officer for the State Department, told the committee his pleas for more security were ignored.
GOP continues attacks on handling of Benghazi crisis
"I don't want us to reach any conclusions about what we did or didn't do without the full context," Clinton told Brennan. "I mean I understand why people want to ask questions but I just caution that we need to look at everything and everything needs to be explained at the same time."
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"We have 275 posts around the world. We have more than 60,000 people. We live in a dangerous, risky ... environment today in many places around the world and we are constantly calculating, particularly led by our security professionals, about what needs to be done, where assets need to be."
Republicans have accused some in the Obama administration of misleading Americans on the nature of the attack, initially blaming the violence on an anti-Muslim movie that went viral online and inflamed protests in the Middle East. That explanation has since been discarded, and the administration acknowledges it was a well-organized terrorist attack.
United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice's comments on "Face the Nation," five days after the attack, that there was no indication from U.S. intelligence that the attack was planned in advance have been particularly panned by critics.
But Clinton said Rice had the "same information that everyone got and I think she very clearly said here's what we know now but this is going to change."
" I have to say I know there's been a lot of attention paid to who said what when but I think what happened is more important. We were attacked and four brave Americans were killed. ... Everybody in the administration has tried to say what we knew at the time with the caveat that we would learn more and that's what's happened. ... I think it's part of what the fog of war causes."
In a statement, U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said Clinton's acceptance of responsibility was "a laudable gesture" but said President Obama is "bears full responsibility" for both the security failures leading up to the attack and for how it was initially portrayed by administration officials.
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Several liberal bosses are controlling the whole media opinions, that why every media say the same thing except just few. Do you know mr O systematically hires net bloggers & using Facebook & twitters to control public opinion? Who will open their eyes and wake up before too late?
As an Asian American, who lived here for 25 years, never saw this much mainstream media deception going on ganged with obama. Worse, most of the Americans were brainwashed and blinded being victims of division and hatred by him and minorities. No matter what are your beliefs ( gay, abortionist, anti-conservative whatever), can't you see who is bad, flaky person or who is respectable person??Don't you see that a leader of this great nation should have to have some decent quality as a president??You voted someone who is notoriously dishonest with no experience based on only his sweet talking talent skill as your president. So you have what you deserve: worse economy, loosing more individual freedom, weaker standing internationally than last 4 years ago. This guy's tactics are always avoid straight, honest answers, but speaking flattery confusing word to ears, but if you listen to him carefully, he has no clear points or plans at all .On the top of it, he says I saved you from the worst depression. How? and where is the empirical ( scientific datas, evidence)? Always attack other side calling names and tricks, didn't meet any cabinet members for two and half years of his presidency, but only works with secretly elected, unconstitutional czars? Playing golf more than 100 times for last 4years, spending more than $360,000 per average daily vacation cost? If some car sales person seduced you with sweet talk, will you believe everything he says and buy whatever he asks? or see the reality and logically reason consequences before jump into his proposal? If you still don't see whom you voted effected this country so bad , but only busy fighting for Republican and Democrats, you deserved to suffer another 4years. Because you are "STUPID"?You have to develop your own judgement, not swayed by mainstream media says, or government says. Mainstream media is gone more than 5 years ago, and act like the communist medias: They only report what government order. By the way before you vote for this guy, from now on, check all the magazines, and TV stations, and listen to whenever every media say about something in one voice. then one or two others say something different than the rest, listen both and research and try to figure out what is their hidden intentions and motivation. Weight carefully each other. That's what smart people do. If anyone carefully do that, sooner or later they will start to see who is lying and who is truthful or neutral. As an example, CNN, FOX, MSNBC always watch all three and compare how they report about any same incident. Then you will start to see who are more neutral and who are more indoctrinated.?I was shocked how Americans were turned out to be stupid 4 years ago!.I love this nation and from bottom of my heart I wish the best for next four years. By the way, communist always say they share equally? look at the history carefully. Usually poor, radical people deceive people to turn into communist killing educated, riches _( Soviet killed 80million. Chinese killed 90 million), then only the few party members have wealth and power , The rest have no freedom of speech, wealth,religion, but living in dirt poor, worse than before. They never share equally America!. It's just shift of power form have to have-not, but to the few party members only. America Wake! Learn the history, don't be deceived. Socialist's philosophy are same as communist. Coran teaches" If infidels ( Christians and Jews) refuse to be a islam, kill them and deceive them with lies as tactics. If you don't believe me, read Coran-English. Communist and Islams' common tacts: Lies to the enemy!. America Wake up!
Typical politician talk, it means that now I con go on as though nothing ever happened.