U.S. Ambassador to Libya and 3 others killed in embassy attack

[Fpqxz]

From NBC News:

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed after protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Mohammad stormed the U.S. consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.  President Barack Obama said in Washington that the U.S. condemned Tuesday's attack in the "strongest possible terms" and would work with the Libyan authorities to bring the killers to justice.

"Make no mistake. Justice will be done," he said.

Christopher Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador to be killed during an assignment since Adolph Dubs was slain in an exchange of gunfire during a kidnapping attempt in Afghanistan in 1979.

The disturbance is blamed on a film by American pastor and IRL troll Terry Jones, the man behind "International Burn a Quran Day".  However, American historian Juan Cole sees a deeper set of influences:

"The victory in the Libyan elections of nationalist rather than fundamentalist forces, and the rise to power in Egypt of the relatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood, has marginalized the militant strain of Muslim activism," Juan Cole, a professor of history and a Middle East expert at the University of Michigan, wrote on his blog.

"One way the fundamentalist vigilantes can hope to combat their marginalization and political irrelevance in the wake of the Arab Spring is to manufacture a controversy that forces people to side with them. I suspect that is what they were doing in Egypt and Libya, in front of the US embassy in Cairo and at the rump consulate in Benghazi," Cole added.

[MadCatTLX]

In b4 "we should invade and kill all them thar towle-heads!"

[Saturn500]

According to CNN, soldiers have been sent in. Then again, I'm using CNN as a source.

[Fpqxz]

According to CNN, soldiers have been sent in. Then again, I'm using CNN as a source.

NBC reported earlier that Marines were being deployed, and I also heard that surveillance drones were flying over Benghazi.

Not really sure what to expect now.

[KZN02]

In b4 "we should invade and kill all them thar towle-heads!"

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQv8eRFnnbw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQv8eRFnnbw</a>

[Lt. Fred]

That's just the way, isn't it? You fight a whole war in a country with narry a boot grounded, and a year later you find yourself deploying the Marines to ward off fundamentalist idiots.

[kefkaownsall]

FSM almighty why on earth do we give Terry Jones the time of day.

[Witchyjoshy]

In b4 "we should invade and kill all them thar towle-heads!"

Too late, they beat you to it by about a day.

As in, they want to go to war with LIBYA.

Also, Romney is worse than a vulture.  Vultures eat the dead.  Romney stands on them in lieu of a soapbox so he can make himself look better than Obama.  Thankfully, the majority of Republicans are not falling for his shit.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/09/mitt-romneys-libya-comments-backfire-badly/56784/

Mitt Romney's attack on President Obama for the "disgraceful" decision to "sympathize" with the murderers -- and his decision to stick with the political attack in a press conference Wednesday -- "is likely to be seen as one of the most craven and ill-advised tactical moves in this entire campaign," Time's Mark Halperin says. The "campaign faces a near consensus in Republican foreign policy circles that, whatever the sentiment, Romney faltered badly," BuzzFeed's Ben Smith writes. "I've been inundated with emails and calls from elected GOP leaders who think Romney's response was a mistake. Not today," MSNBC's Joe Scarborough tweeted. Peggy Noonan said on Fox, "I don't feel that Mr. Romney has been doing himself any favors, say in the past few hours, perhaps since last night... Sometimes when really bad things happen, when hot things happen, cool words or no words is the way to go." Former George W. Bush pollster Matthew Dowd tweeted, "Romney react feels a lot like ready, fire, aim."

Also, look at his face after delivering the speech:



He loves this.  He loves that people got killed in Libya so that he could grandstand.

(And yes, there are other news sources for this, I chose this one because it was convenient.)

[Lt. Fred]

The worst part about it is that it's a lie. Again.

[Fpqxz]

DailyKos has posted a link to some images which were shown on ABC News USA of Libyan civilians demonstrating against the attacks and in support of the USA.  Stevens was an important figure to them in the overthrow of Qaddafi.

I suspect that this attack had been planned by extremist groups all along and that they had just used Jones' movie as an excuse.

[VirtualStranger]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81106.html

Mitt Romney uses the deaths of 4 people as ammunition to attack Obama.

Romney just destroyed any remaining hopes of winning the election. He keeps doubling down on his statements. This is the lowest he's ever gone and the media is savaging him for this. Even the rest of the Republican party is turning against him.

On a more personal note, I've been on SomethingAwful for a couple months and one of the people killed in the attack was a moderator there. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3506424

Suffice to say, they are not taking Romney's reaction well.

I am pretty sure I just fucking hate Mitt Romney now. As an individual, not as a politician. His speech was the most disgusting and loathsome thing I've seen from a Presidential candidate and that's saying something. It isn't even the case where I can devil's advocate it being a difference in opinion or bad policy. He is just a loathsome pile of pond scum.

This picture, right here, should define Romney's campaign. Forever.

http://i.imgur.com/o3ooQ.jpg

Look at that horrible smug bastard. I'm sorry, I'd like to look as this situation with more depth and nuance, but I can't get beyond just wanting to slap the smirk off his face as he makes political capital from the dead.

Many goons have died, but few goons are destined to have their deaths fiercely politicized by the American media during an election year.

Through the bullshit media circus, we will know "That was Vilerat, and he was actually way awesome."

[largeham]

This is the lowest he's ever gone and the media is savaging him for this. Even the rest of the Republican party is turning against him.

I doubt that. And to think Obama isn't smug is stupid, he is just better at hiding it.

[Witchyjoshy]

Didn't I ninja you, VS?

[VirtualStranger]

This is the lowest he's ever gone and the media is savaging him for this. Even the rest of the Republican party is turning against him.

I doubt that. And to think Obama isn't smug is stupid, he is just better at hiding it.

Romney has been sorely testing the media's patience his entire campaign. They are already angry with him and were waiting for a license to unload on him for dodging their questions and generally being a unlikeable dick to the press. This is golden for them.

As for the Republicans, not all of them are condemning him, but quite a lot are. The party already wasn't very fond of him and only made him their presidential nominee after the primaries produced nobody else that was electable.

[MadCatTLX]

According to CNN, soldiers have been sent in. Then again, I'm using CNN as a source.

NBC reported earlier that Marines were being deployed, and I also heard that surveillance drones were flying over Benghazi.

Not really sure what to expect now.

So we're invading Libya? I was expecting Iran next. Damn it... *gets out wallet to see if he has money to pay of bets*