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DonViejo

(60,536 posts) Sat Nov 17, 2012, 01:56 PM Nov 2012

White House says didn't heavily edit Benghazi talking points

Source: Reuters

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE | Sat Nov 17, 2012 12:36pm EST
(Reuters) - The White House did not heavily alter talking points about the attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, an official said on Saturday.

"If there were adjustments made to them within the intelligence community, that's common, and that's something they would have done themselves," Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, told reporters. "The only edit ... made by the White House was the factual edit as to how to refer to the facility."

After a closed-door hearing with former CIA Director David Petraeus on Friday, Republican Representative Peter King said that unclassified talking points prepared by the CIA for use by lawmakers about the September 11 attack originally pointed specifically to al Qaeda involvement. King said they were edited before being cleared for use.

Rhodes said the White House, and also the State Department, changed references to a "conflict" at diplomatic facilities, "because the conflict in Benghazi was not formally a conflict. Other than that we worked off the points that were provided by the intelligence community, so I can't speak to any other edits that may have been made."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/17/us-usa-benghazi-whitehouse-idUSBRE8AG0D120121117

6 replies

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White House says didn't heavily edit Benghazi talking points (Original Post) DonViejo Nov 2012 OP

When the GOP brings out its crayons, why must the White House also do so? PSPS Nov 2012 #1

Crayons... behindenemylins Nov 2012 #2

Unfortunately true. It's their game to keep the narrative off positive change. freshwest Nov 2012 #3

great post! eyewall Nov 2012 #5

Thanks for your post, well expressed. freshwest Nov 2012 #6

Yep, it's the GOP SOP. fugop Nov 2012 #4

PSPS

(13,614 posts)

1. When the GOP brings out its crayons, why must the White House also do so?

Reply to DonViejo (Original post)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 01:58 PM

Nov 2012

behindenemylins

(41 posts)

2. Crayons...

Reply to PSPS (Reply #1)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 02:20 PM

Nov 2012

It's just a safety to keep the opposition from exploiting another talking point. As a Democrat strategist stated in Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story - if you do not respond to bogus talking points regarding national security, you will get destroyed.

After all, inundating the White House with bogus talking points is probably the biggest component of their strategy in hopes of ousting the president. His team must stay on top of it, irrelevant of how they pretend to ignore it.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)

3. Unfortunately true. It's their game to keep the narrative off positive change.

Reply to behindenemylins (Reply #2)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 02:31 PM

Nov 2012

The party that wanted to make another war for profit and control, talking about national security after they released the names of allies in Libya to create more havoc for their media to feed upon. They don't care about those lives or those that they are squawking about now. A very nasty game they're playing, all designed to derail this year's momentum for a better nation. Dragging everything to the gutter with their own connivance and getting the national media off a truly historic repudiation of their losing ideas.

eyewall

(674 posts)

5. great post!

Reply to freshwest (Reply #3)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 04:14 PM

Nov 2012

Not only do they talk about national security after exposing undercover operatives, they ignore their own refusal to fund security for the State Dept. Republicans cut $400 million from the State Dept's request for security funding and then attack the President for not having enough security in place. Ryan's budget would cut another $300 million but as long as they control the focus of the public discourse their role is not visible and the administration's role is totally misrepresented.

The need for an avenue of attack against the administration and their willingness to invent scandal to produce such an attack make the republicans in Congress effectively a part of some other govt. It's as though Congress has become the UN of the US and the right wing is a hostile country. They are not participating in our government they are only trying to weaken it.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)

6. Thanks for your post, well expressed.

Reply to eyewall (Reply #5)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 04:46 PM

Nov 2012

fugop

(1,828 posts)

4. Yep, it's the GOP SOP.

Reply to behindenemylins (Reply #2)

Sat Nov 17, 2012, 02:55 PM

Nov 2012

Standard operating procedure for the entire party. From swiftboating Kerry to Romney's debate style, this is how they work. Fling bullshit and hope the WH and Dems try to ignore it.

But we fight back now. That's why they're flailing.

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