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Subscribe to RSSU.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, the woman who could be President Obama's pick to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, heads to Capitol Hill today for closed-door meetings with Republican senators in an attempt to explain her comments about the Benghazi terrorist attacks.
UPDATED 9:06 AM ET, Nov. 27: Amb. Susan Rice will be on Capitol Hill the next two days to meet privately with select senators, including Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), regarding the attacks in Benghazi last September, Capitol Hill and State Department sources tell NBC News.
Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, requested two meetings with senators this week. On Tuesday, she'll meet with McCain, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).
On Wednesday, Rice will meet with with Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
Another hint of Rice's clout and the White House's intention to armor her, Acting CIA Director Mike Morrell will accompany her on all her Senate meetings. It was the CIA that wrote the unclassified talking points - that went through Director of National Intelligence Gen. James Clapper - that she says she relied "solely and squarely on" when doing those Sunday talk shows on Benghazi.
These are significant because McCain, Graham and Ayotte are prominent GOP national-security voices and have been among Rice's harshest critics for her handling of the situation in Benghazi.
Asked about McCain's criticism last week, Rice said, "I do believe some of the statements he has made about me are unfounded, and I look forward at the appropriate time to have a chance to respond."
Most notably, Republicans have seized on her appearance on Meet the Press days after the attack, in which she said the administration believed an inflammatory video had been at least partially responsible for the violence in Benghazi, which killed four Americans, including an ambassador. It was later revealed to be a terrorist plot.
On Sunday, McCain was noticeably less critical of her, saying: "I'd give everyone the benefit of explaining their position and the actions that they took. I'd be glad to have the opportunity to discuss these issues with her."
Rice is thought to be among the final two -- Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee being the other -- to be considered by President Obama to replace outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Rice has not been nominated yet, but all signs are pointing toward her being the president's first choice. If she were nominated, the Senate would have to confirm her.
Kerry, ironically, would chair her confirmation hearings. If Rice is nominated to succeed Clinton, it is possible Kerry would be nominated to be Secretary of Defense.
McCain said Rice called him to request the meeting with him as well as Ayotte and Graham. Ayotte said the meeting is crucial to her ability to decide whether Rice is fit to be Secretary of State.
"If President Obama nominates her for Secretary of State, I would hold the nomination until sufficient answers regarding the Benghazi attack were given, then judge based on those answers," Ayotte said. She added that it "would be helpful to see some documents."
Those documents will likely come with Morell.
McCain said he has a number of questions for Rice, and hopes this meeting will clear up concerns he's had with Rice's characterization of the attack.
"My concerns are obviously that she told the American people things that were patently false, that were not true," McCain said, "and that, as I said at the time, people don't go to demonstrations with mortars and rocket propelled grenades. But most of this goes back to the the president and his responsibility, and his failure to tell the American people the truth in the second debate that he had with Mitt Romney when he said he had called it a terrorist attack in the Rose Garden when, in fact, he hadn't. The president is the one who's responsible."
The president did, in fact, use the phrase "acts of terror" in his White House address from the Rose Garden that McCain references. "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for," Obama said.
But the president did not make clear that he believed the attacks were a terrorist plot - not the result of a the anti-Islamic video. Obama, in fact, alluded to the video when he said that the U.S. is "a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None."
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I'd like to see if McCain and Graham have the integrity and balls to apologize to her.
woodbutcher. McCain and Graham apologize? These two clowns will not apologize to Rice. These two CLOWNS should apologize to the entire United States for all of there obstruction and Hell No votes in the last four years. The Repliturds are awful people, only for themselves and the super rich. Rice is Black, do you actually think that the Republiturds are going to apologize to Rice? Not a chance.
When John McCain acknowledges he's made plenty of mistakes in his life (i.e., at least 3 fighter jets crashed, canceling his Pres. campaign for the debt crisis, picking Palin as VP, etc.) then, and only then can he point fingers at someone else.
Susan Rice made a statement based upon what info she was given.
End of story.
Suzq-1497446
Suzie-Q..... give the man a break.......he is getting senile weaknesses.
Which any fool knew was completely wrong!
And Rice is considered competent and able to be secy of state.
HARDLY! She's barely qualified to be secretary of the white house powder room if she cant read what she's has been "given" and then have the guts to stand up to obvious misinformation
had enuf of our elected ones
McCain has no credibility in saying Rice is incompetent and not qualified. After all, he DID introduce Sister Sarah Palin as the NP nominee.
enuf: What was obviously wrong about it? Was it because it was different than what Fox was reporting? Oh yeeeeeaaaah - that's the ticket. Let's use scant info gathered by an infotainment organization instead of what the intel community is telling you to report. You are simply a moron.
John McCain has made a habit of going down in flames. Looks like he is about to do it again.
When will they interrogate that bastard that spread the "muslum video" lies...his name is BARRRACK HUSSSEIN OOOOOOBAMA! Did you vote for the criminal? To paraphrase Michele "I've never been less proud of my country".
Once again and with gusto - THEY WERE REPORTING WHAT THE INTEL COMMUNITY GAVE THEM!!!!
And we'll see who the criminal is when they get done investigating Romney for lieing under oath about the testimony he gave for his friend during his divorce proceedings. And how about not reporting the gazillions he made on Delphi.
Senator John--go for the truth not the publicity.
Hopefully they invite Rep Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin to the private hearing!
two of Senator McCain's smartest women in the United States of America...............
Yeah, both hand-picked by god to run. Boy, were THEY losers!
That god... what a jerkoff. He should stay out of politics, he's completely incompetent and a terrible judge of ability. Just like Bachmann and Palin.
Don't forget Ann ( I Love You Women!)
Nobody in the Obozo regime is accountable for anything. Rice will run rings around McCain, he's past time to be put out to pasture - far out in the pasture.
McCain, Graham and Ayotte each have exhibited very unprofessional representation for the people and leadership. They each passed publicly judgement without having or knowing all the facts. Their actions exemplify just how ill advised and unaware they are. I as a voter feel they each owe Ms. Rice a public mea culpa for their very public rebuking without merit. If they fail to do so their actions are deserving of a formal censure. Each is a veteran ranking member of congress and for that reason formal action is all the more deemed.
Rice's behavior was very strange. Maybe Obama told her that she might have to walk the plank for him. However, what Rice then proceeded to do was extraordinary. She got the plank, hoisted it over the rail of the ship, fixed it in place, walked to the end of it and jumped off. Permit me to explain.
As Rice told us, she used only the unclassified talking points prepared by Intelligence. She could have consulted the classified information or its authors including Petraeus, Clinton, Panetta, Donilon, and others. She tells us that she did not. That is hoisting the plank in place. Then on the talk shows she told her story about the demonstration and the video. That is walking to the end of the plank. Then she said that she was using the best intelligence available even though what she said contradicted the classified intelligence that she did not consult. That is jumping off the plank into the wide and broad ocean.
John Kerry would never have done what Rice did. He is a seasoned politician. He would have consulted the classified information to avoid running afoul of it. He would have insisted that someone, Petraeus or one of the others, agree with him on his story and he would never have said that he was working from the best intelligence available.
What is so strange about Rice's case is that she “set up” herself. Who is to say that she will not do it again. Who is to say what the consequences will be next time?
James Lawson-7201283
James.........stop watching Fox news!........switch the channel......
Maybe you should be more informed and watch Fox News. You know broaden your horizons. Get the other side of the coin as it were.
Ah, yes, the side with the steaming pile of sh!t on it.
As John Stewart would say - "Bullsh*t Mountain".
Why would you listen to, or trust, an infotainment organization that can't broadcast in Canada because they won't promise to report the truth? It's listeners are less informed than those who listen to no news at all.
slodon
Slodon thanks but no thanks.......
I thought Rice was lying from the first time I saw her. I told my wife the day she came on with Schafer she was a Damn liar. No dought in my mind she is still a damn liar.
It's spelled 'doubt'. I know it rhymes with drought, but it has a 'b' in it - trust me.
The conservatives use specious arguments and 20-20 hindsight in castigating Rice. They say, "Why didn't she check the classified reports?" what freeking good would that have done if she would have broken security laws by stating other than the unclassified report? The intelligence community has admitted that they originated those unclassified talking points and it was the intelligence they wanted to release at that particular time. When is the GOP going to investigate Issa and Chaffetz for releasing the names of Libyan nationals that were assisting the CIA? That seems a more serious breech of security and protocol than anything Rice did or did not do.
At the time of the attack on the consulate the American public was inundated with news of the movie on U tube. There was strong speculation that the movie was provocative and that we could expect a violent response from religious groups within the Middle East. The initial reaction when it occurs was that the movie caused the attack. I was one of the people who agreed with the general opinion and thought that it was deliberately distributed to cause that reaction. I was not surprised that the official response voiced my reasoning .It is much easier to second guess later. I also believe that news sources also stated that the movie probably caused most of the violence.
I still love McCain. Great guy, war hero too. But after 75, people just need to retire. I think he realizes he stepped in DO-DO, he can still back out gracefully.
Just like the run up to Iraq, Valerie Plame, Tora Bora, Terry Shivo, screaming the polls are wrong, claiming Palin was ready to be president, rape is a gift from God, Deficits don't matter.. (I could do this all day) the repubs just love to latch on to non issues and create a problem. Like the boy who cried wolf, the public is just getting tired of this game.
We had over 50,000 casualties in Iraq all for a big mistake or to make W a war president- not a peep about the incompetence. These guys should have stayed at a fortified compound at all times but I guess I should have been a corporate raider. Sometimes sit just happens. Let me give you a real issue- let's get the hell out of the middle east right now. These invented issues lost you an election, so keep it up.
Poor old man McCain, no one have told him the 2008 election is over. He belongs on my front porch with the rest of us old farts. We would welcome him with open arms. He could say anything to us old farts, so what we won't remember his words the next day. We don't even remember our own words. Each day is a new one for us old farts. Mc come home--Mc come home--Mc come home.
No one knows what goes on behind closed door - threats, intimidation, race cards, etc., - do it in public so everyone can hear and see how the Democrats really work! {:-(}
Amb. Susan Rice, the latest victim of the American civil war.
Whether she deserve is or not she is, for all practical purposes, out. She is yet another victim of this civil war which has been raging since the two modern day American fascists, Bush and Cheney, decided to start playing cowboy with US assets.
She must step down not only for the sake of the President, Mr. Obama needs the Republicans to get anything down in his second term, but also for the sake of the next Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. The Democrats, and in particular, Hillary Clinton need to remove all blemishes that the Republicans can use throughout the second term. If the Republicans decide to go after the President again in the second as they did in the first term then they should pay politically. The Democrats should focus on taking the high road on every decision. The American people saw the difference and voted accordingly and they will do it again in 2016.
If the idiots in the Republican right wing continue with their modern day fascist policies and tactics they will eventually fall and take the Republican party down with them.
You play with the race card, you die with the race card.
I hope she tells the truth. We'll see. I'm sure that Obama himself was the source of "intelligence" that Rice says she relied on. With each new revelation, more of Obama's lies and coverup are exposed. The time is coming when even the most delusional Obama apologist will be forced to admit the truth.
The undeniable fact is that it was a terrorist attack.
For months knowledgeable State Department experts, including Amb. Stevens, had been warning that the Benghazi Mission was pitifully unprotected. They literally begged for more security. During that whole time, Obama refused to acknowledge the danger and denied all requests.
Finally, on September 11th, the attack that Obama had refused to believe in, happened. Obama knew immediately that it was a terrorist attack, and that he was responsible for leaving the Mission helpless. I'm sure the President experienced a horrible sinking sensation when he realized the he had made a catastrophic error so serious that it bordered on treason. Instead of mitigating his blunder by immediately sending military support to Benghazi, he covered it up by refusing all the pleadings for help. He fabricated a story out of thin air that it was a spontaneous protest against an anti-Muslim film, because the truth would have exposed his incompetence just prior to the election.
The truth is emerging like a rising tide that will eventually drown this corrupt President.
I saw two of the Sunday interviews with Susan Rice. I did not view her talking points as being causal, but strategic. I've no doubt that the administration had more information than Susan Rice was directed to divulge.
So what?
The full disclosure of intelligence related to the attack should not have been considered for a moment, given the volatility in the region during the days surrounding the attack.
The American Public and Congress are not qualified to publicly analyze "full disclosure" responsibly, especially during an election year. Luckily, this administration delivered a measured response in the interest of preventing more American losses of life in nearby areas.
I'd tell McHasbeen McCain that until or unless he issued a public apology that he could kiss my nether end, oh wait that is something that Republicans are actually good at. Just ask Grover Norquist. LMFAO!
“I think that Benghazi generally was hyped, by this network (Fox News) especially. And now that the campaign is over, I think [Sen. John McCain] is backing off a little bit. They’re not going to stop Susan Rice from being Secretary of State,” added Ricks in response to Jon Scott's query.
Then John Scott tried futilely to push back on the accusation that Fox News "hyped" the attack. “When you have four people dead, including the first U.S. ambassador in more than 30 years, how do you call that hype?”
Tom Ricks snapped back at Jon Scott, “How many security contractors died in Iraq? Do you know?” Ricks replied.
“I don’t,” Scott said.
“No, nobody does, because nobody cared. We know that several hundred died, but there was never an official count done of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I say this focus on what was essentially a small fire-fight, I think, number one, I’ve covered a lot of fire-fights, it is impossible to figure out what happens in them sometimes,” said Tom Ricks who then slammed Fox News again for their Benghazi coverage. “And second, I think that the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox News was operating as a wing of the Republican Party."
http://www.examiner.com/article/tom-ricks-calls-fox-news-for-hyped-and-extremely-political-benghazi-coverage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUz3pIPmTY&feature=player_embedded
One of Fox Snoozes shortest interviews evaaaaaaa......... ROFLMGDFAO!
@namnuts... i mean Namvet 66/67 @JD on LSD
You guys are hilarious. Still trying to make yourself believe all those rumors and delusions Fox erroneously reported on. You guys keep with the fake acting like you really cared about 4 Americans who died in Benghazi. If so did you donate to the families?.. send wreathes?...bought a 1 page ad to honor them?...No you didn't!! . That's why we know you to guys are fake, delusional and just plain stupid to keep posting this farce everyday...give it a rest.
Regardless Of What Rice Does One Has To Understand That These Folks Like McCain & Gram Defy & Deny Logic --Simple Logic -- We Can't Apply It To Them Because They Are In A World Of Their Own -- Special -- What They Believe Is What They Want To Believe And Will Continue To Believe -- Regardless Of The Facts! So What Rice Really Said And Qualified As She Said It -- Is Fiction To Them And To Build On The Fiction She According To Them Is Of Questionable Intelligence. Well McCain & Gram I Strongly Believe That You Have Radically Underestimated The Strength And Abilities Of Your Targeted Victim To Get At Obama -- Rice -- You Folks Will End Up Being The Victims Here! I Would Love To Be Present At These Meetings -- You Will Be Dressed Down -- You Will Have Your Tailpipes Set A Flame -- And You Will Crash And Burn -- Due To Your Own Stupidity!
Rice Is One Sharp Cookie -- No Fool Here -- Your The Fools And You'll Get Your Death Wish Meeting With Her!
We CAN apply SIMPLE to them.
It's time for a THIRD PARTY. The Republicans are giving in too much to all this liberal crap. We need a new party that isn't afraid to stand up to the Democrats. When the President said "if they bring a knife, we'll bring a gun", we need a party that will look him in the eye and say, "and if you bring a gun, we'll bring a friggin tank to blow your liberal socialist policies to h-ll.
@amerigal
No wonder you guys lost the election...badly.. reread your own post. With voters and supporters like you the republicans are good as dead.