Justice For Those In America's Service

The recent death of Christopher Stevens, the American Ambassador to Libya, and three other Americans at our consulate in Libya was a tragic loss of life and a sobering reminder of the challenges for American foreign policy. A week ago Sunday, our U.N. Ambassador, Susan Rice, announced that the violence that led to these deaths was fueled by anger to "Innocence of Muslims," a video parody of the prophet Muhammad.

However, at the same time of Ambassador Rice's statements, Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif claimed the attacks were premeditated, likely in response to the killing of a senior al-Qaeda leader in Libya earlier this year.

I no longer hold a security clearance, nor am I present at sensitive discussions in the Oval Office or the Situation Room with the President of the United States about top-secret national security matters. So, like virtually everyone else offering an opinion on this matter with even less national security experience, I do not know what I do not know.

However, I do know that a narrative that suggests the killings at the consulate were premeditated would raise serious questions for the U.S. government. For one, a successful premeditated attack would raise the question of why this Administration did not detect and prevent the threat. It might suggest an intelligence failure in collection and/or analysis. Were there warnings, and if so, were they ignored?

A premeditated attack might also indicate our national security policy to hunt down al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremists has not had a deterrent effect. Additionally, it might be an indication that our foreign policy strategy to persuade other countries to deny sanctuary to...

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