Interleaving Benghazi and Syria timelines

2012-2013: I thought it might be interesting to interleave key points in these two story lines.

• SYRIA July 23, 2012: Syria admits to possessing a stockpile of chemical weapons.
• SYRIA July 23, 2012: Obama says that the Assad regime will be “held accountable” if it uses chemical weapons.
• SYRIA Aug. 11, 2012: SecState Clinton says the use of chemical weapons is “a red line for the world.”
• SYRIA Aug. 20, 2012: Obama says the use or movement of chemical weapons by the Assad regime would be “a red line.”

• LIBYA Sept. 11, 2011: Obama refuses military rescue to Benghazi, Libya, embassy; 4 Americans among those murdered.
• LIBYA Sept. 12 ff, 2011: Obama et al. insist Benghazi was not a “terrorist attack” but a “spontaneous demonstration” against an offensive-to-Muslims YouTube video that “got out of hand.”
• LIBYA Sept. 20, 2012: Obama repeats video line on the same day his own PR guy says it was obviously a terrorist attack.

• SYRIA Dec. 3, 2012: Obama says if Assad uses CWs, “There will be consequences, and you will be held accountable.” SecState Clinton says the U.S. is “planning to take action” if Assad’s regime uses CWs.

• LIBYA Dec. 18, 2012: Benghazi report by independent panel blames “systemic” failures in leadership that led to “grossly” inadequate security at Benghazi.
• LIBYA Dec. 20, 2012: The State Department “disciplines” four officials in the department by giving them all extended paid vacations.
• LIBYA Jan. 23, 2013: Congress questions SecState Clinton about Benghazi. Clinton shrieks, “What difference does it make?”

• SYRIA March 19, 2013: Reports out of Syria say CWs killed more than two dozen in a town near Aleppo. Assad says the rebels did it; the rebels say Assad did it.
• SYRIA March 20, 2013: Obama says they’ll look into it, but he’s sure it was Assad’s fault.
• SYRIA April 25, 2013: The White House says that the intelligence community assesses “with varying degrees of confidence” that Assad did it. Obama tells Congress he wants money to arm Syrian rebels.

• LIBYA May 2013: Testimony and evidence emerge showing the Benghazi consulate reported at the beginning that they were under assault by terrorists and that they had repeatedly asked for and not only been denied extra security, but had security removed in the weeks prior to the attack. The memos were signed by SecState Clinton.
• LIBYA July 31, 2013: The White House says the controversy over Benghazi is a “phony” scandal.
• LIBYA Aug. 2013: Evidence emerges that the CIA had a facility in Benghazi from which it was illegally arming militants, that hundreds of SAMs were stolen by terrorists during the attack and that the CIA had been threatening its own people ever since to keep it all quiet.
• LIBYA Aug. 20, 2013: SecState Kerry clears and reinstates four State Dept officials who had been on “administrative leave” (read: paid vacation) for nine months.

• SYRIA Aug. 21, 2013: Reports come out of Syria that a chemical attack took place, killing as many 1,400 people. Assad says the rebels did it; the rebels say Assad did it.
• SYRIA Aug. 31, 2013: Obama backs off from his announced intention to unilaterally order a military strike against Assad, says he’ll ask Congress for permission, even though he is really sure he doesn’t need it.

• LIBYA Sept. 10, 2013: SecState Kerry tells Congress he will not make Benghazi survivors available for questioning.
• LIBYA: Sept. 11, 2013: WH observes one minute of silence for 9/11/01 victims. WH does not mention previous 525,949 minutes of lies and evasion re 9/11/12 victims.

• SYRIA Sept 12, 2013
  • Assad accepts a Russian proposal to give up all its chemical weapons.
  • Assad and Putin reiterate the CW attacks were done by rebels to give Obama an excuse to give them military support.
  • Obama asks Congress to delay votes on authorizing military strikes against Assad.
  • Syrian rebels claim Assad used CWs again. They post a video of three guys coughing as “proof.”

Sources:

• http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/11/timeline-of-terror-benghazi-one-year-later/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction
• http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/10/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE9880HY20130910
• http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/297745-a-timeline-on-syria-from-the-uprising-to-obamas-red-line
• http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/20/carney-elf-evident-benghazi-attack-was-terrorism/
• http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/20/kerry-clears-state-officials-faulted-in-benghazi-report/
• http://weaselzippers.us/2013/09/12/syrian-rebels-claim-assad-launched-another-chemical-weapons-attack-in-damascus/
• http://www.timesofisrael.com/assads-forces-reported-to-use-poison-gas-in-new-damascus-attack/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/31/obama-syria-timeline_n_3849575.html