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Spence -
When the attack began (before the attack began), we know there was a quick reaction special forces team based in Italy, a 1-hour helicopter flight away from Benghazi. When the attack began, any half-brained morin would get that team in the air, and tell them to wait 5 minutes outside the embassy for further instructions. That way, if they are to be sent in, they are 5 minutes out instead of 60 minutes out. The fact that no wheels were set inmotion, to get anyone within 5 minutes of the embassy, is stupifying. Beyond stupifying. There is no earthly reason to get get those pieces in place, regardless of whether or not they are needed.
You (and Leon Panetta) suggest that not enough was known to send in the cavalry. Wrong. We had 7 hours, and several drone passes showing photos. That's more than enough for a team of tier-1 delta force commandos, and that's whp was 1 hour away. This is not a difficult situation, in terms of what these guys train for. They can handle much worse than this.
Proof? The ex-seal Tyrone Woods, was at the CIA annex, 1 mile from the consulate. When shots were fired at the consulate, Woods asked for permission to go help our diplomats. He was told to stand down. He and a couple others (whose names should go down in the history of our greatest heroes), ignored that order and made their way to the consulate. THEY are the ones who had no idea what they were getting into. Yet they made their way to the consulate (in the midst of the attack), got in , got everybody (except for Stevens, who was missing) out, and back to the CIA annex.
Tyrone Wods literally had zero intelligence, and immediately figured out what to do. The Delta Team had several hours of intelligence-gathering at their disposal. In terms of military problems, this is not advanced calculus. This is Algebra 1. I'm not being cavalier here. I'm saying this is easier than what these guys usually train for.
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