Chris Matthews and "The Video"

For John, BLUF:  Regarding the Benghazi Attack (and the demonstration at our Egyptian Embassy), forget the video.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

Some "Right Wing" blog site has this headline:  "Chris Matthews to Romney Supporter:  Benghazi WAS All About YouTube Video, 'Read the Newspaper!'"  The problem is, Chris Matthews has it wrong, as even the President and [most of] his supporters are saying it was a planned terrorist attack.  The compounding problem is that the video meme leads to bad judgements and bad decisions.

I worry that we are missing the problem of "the video".   I put aside the Constitutional issues to focus on the focus on the video early on.   Like in an accident investigation, a too early obvious cause can prevent us from looking deeper.   With the video in hand we didn't need to consider the Eleventh Anniversary aspect, or the demands for release of the Blind Sheik or the Egyptian internal political issues, which can be more safely played out at the US Embassy than the Presidential Palace, or the attack in Benghazi as being a planned terror event.

And, the video meme was so powerful it still shows up from time to time, e.g., the above Chris Matthews item from yesterday—40 some days after the event.

If that video meme sits in the back of peoples' minds it could well distort future US Foreign Policy, to our detriment.

Thus, the importance of keeping an open mind during the first 24 hours of a crisis and the importance of having professional dissenters.  As an anecdote, during the run-up to the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the US Intelligence Community was convince it was a bluff, except for the National Intelligence Officer for Warning (the NIO for Warning was Charlie Allen).  He said it was coming and pretty much predicted the day.

And then there is the problem pointed out by former Assistant Secretary of Defense and Writer Bing West.   Unwillingness to grasp the nettle.

I am not concerned about apportioning blame.  In a nation in the throes of revolution there is danger.  Our Ambassador, Chris Stevens, took a calculated risk and almost pulled it off.  He understood that peace and stability wasn't going to come with him isolated in his Embassy in Tripoli.  He was gutsy and that is the kind of men and women we need as out Ambassadors.

Regards  —  Cliff