The Focus Is Wrong

As I feared, the focus on the disaster at Benghazi has waned.  Also as I feared, it's become political.  Now the focus is on who said what.  What talking points were changed.  Why was Susan Rice sent out to give the message.  Which intel officer decided not to blame terrorists.  The outrage in the Congress is clearly aimed at blaming someone (in the other political party) for screwing up the talking points.  And the media is going along.  If it weren't for this part of the story, they would have moved on several weeks ago.  But when they smell blood in the water, they will perk up.  And blood in the water is the fall of an individual.

But the focus is wrong.  The unanswered question that I posed in my very first post on this debacle, was why weren't the guys on the ground provided the support they asked for.  I continue to be frustrated that there were American's on the ground in a place like Libya asking for help and they didn't get it.  And they didn't get it because some bureaucrat said no.  That's unacceptable.  As in most things, it probably comes down to budget.  Simply put, the State Department, doesn't have enough.  At some point, we need to recognize the kind of world we live, the kind of threats we face, the need for response in a different way.  Maybe we need to buy a few less Joint Strike Fighters and more armed unmanned aerial vehicles.  Maybe we need to buy fewer big deck aircraft carriers and more Amphibious ships and high speed support ships that can act as floating Special Forcs bases.  Maybe we need to buy a few less tanks and more of the kind of weapons that can support up close and personal fighting.  And maybe instead of the long tail that the military and State department employs, maybe we ought to hire a few more Special Operators or para-military types that can protect our diplomats in far off places.