TRAGIC – AT 8:45 A.M. ET:  Many readers are waking up to the news that the United States ambassador to Libya, and several other American diplomats, have been killed in a rocket attack in Benghazi.  From Fox:

The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other American staff members were killed Tuesday in an attack on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, the White House confirmed. President Obama, in a written statement issued Wednesday morning, called the attack "outrageous" and "senseless."

Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff. The protesters, angry over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad, were firing gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades.

"I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens," President Obama said in a statement Wednesday morning. "Right now, the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts and prayers. They exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in stark contrast to those who callously took their lives."

Obama said he's directed the administration to provide "all necessary resources" to support security for U.S. personnel in Libya and to increase security at diplomatic offices around the world.

"While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants," he said.

COMMENT:  This attack, and the one in Cairo against the U.S. Embassy yesterday, both occurred on September 11th.  It is impossible to believe that this is a coincidence.  These attacks clearly were not spontaneous expressions of outrage against a a film that surfaced months ago.  They were planned.

They occurred at a time when the Obama administration is flashing its usual weak foreign policy.  Last week, in a pathetic bit of grovel, our vastly overrated secretary of state, and the presumed Democratic Party nominee for president in 2016, announced bluntly that there would be no red lines involving Iran's nuclear program, practically a signal to Iran that there would be no consequences besides ineffectual sanctions as it marches toward a nuclear bomb.  This outraged and humiliated our Israeli ally.

And yesterday, the White House made clear that the president would not meet with the Israeli prime minister when Netanyahu visited the United States this month.  Scheduling difficulties, explained the White house, in a lie.  But the White House announced that Obama would appear on the David Letterman show.  I guess Obama canceled his dental appointment for that one.

And after Islamist fanatics stormed the American embassy in Cairo, our State Department issued a statement condemning, not the attackers, but the makers of an offensive film that allegedly inspired the attack.  When the White House tried to distance itself from that absurdity, Hillary Clinton repeated it.  (Is Hillary just appealing to the left wing of her party?)

Mitt Romney properly condemned our grovel act, and was immediately attacked by the president's handlers for injecting politics into the situation.  But the president apparently had no problem with Bill Clinton, on whose watch the 9-11 attacks were planned, campaigning in Florida yesterday, on the anniversary of those attacks.

We are in a diplomatic crisis.  We have groveled before our enemies, insulted our friends (again), and the White House and State Department can't even get together on its statements. 

September 12,  2012