Government Executive - Authors - Jonathan Miller

Three at State Department resign following Benghazi report

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 12:51:41 -0500

The State Department security chief and two other officials have resigned following publication of a report that faulted State for systematic management failures and a lack of security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi Libya, the Associated Press reported.

Relying on an anonymous administration official, the Associated Press reported that Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of State for diplomatic security, and Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary in charge of embassy security, were pressured to step down following today’s report.

A third official who worked for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, also resigned but was not identified.

The report, from an independent panel, blamed the State Department for failures in management and “grossly inadequate” security at the mission, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others died in the Sept. 11 attack.

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Officials detail CIA response to Benghazi attack

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:31:29 -0400

According to several news reports, including The New York Times, anonymous intelligence officials said that a rescue party of CIA officers was deployed from a secret base within Benghazi and that the agency later sent reinforcements from Tripoli to battle the attack on the mission, which ultimately killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens.

Approximately half-a-dozen officers raced from a base from a mile away and arrived at the mission in about 25 minutes, according to The Times, and were later joined by security agents from the State Department. The officers led a search for Stevens, but his body had apparently already been taken to a local hospital. The group evacuated personnel to the CIA base, or what has been commonly referred to as the "annex."

Four hours passed, and an unarmed drone passed overhead taking what The Times describes as “reassuring” photos indicating that the worst was apparently over. But around dawn, shortly following the arrival of a group of CIA reinforcements from Tripoli, a new mortar attack was launched, which killed two CIA officers.

Also on Thursday, Foreign Policy magazine reported that troubling documents found in the mission following the attack seemed to suggest that a member of the local police had been conducting surveillance of the compound in the hours leading up to the attack.

An unsigned draft letter, addressed to the head of the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reads, in part: “one of our diligent guards made a troubling report. Near our main gate, a member of the police force was seen in the upper level of a building across from our compound. It is reported that this person was photographing the inside of the U.S. special mission and furthermore that this person was part of the police unit sent to protect the mission.”

Last week, Fox News reported that requests from CIA to higher-ups for military backup in Benghazi had been denied and that CIA operatives were twice told to “stand down” rather than help defend the mission. That charge was publicly denied by U.S. officials.]]>

Post-recount federal commission in disarray

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:40:47 -0400

A federal commission created to restore confidence in elections in the aftermath of the disputed 2000 presidential race has no commissioners, an executive director job that’s been vacant since last year and has lacked a quorum to conduct business for almost two years, Roll Call reports.

The Election Assistance Commission was created 10 years ago as part of a wider effort to “support state-level election procedures in the aftermath of the contested 2000 presidential election,” Roll Callreported.

“It’s a national embarrassment that this agency, whose only mission is to provide information, doesn’t have a single commissioner,” Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine, told Roll Call.

The EAC was given more than $3 billion to distribute to the states in an attempt to improve election administration. Its other responsibilities include developing voluntary voting-system guidelines and acting as a repository for “effective election processes,” Roll Call reported.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of subverting the commission, saying, “during a close election year, it is regrettable that Republicans have worked to cripple the EAC.”

Republicans passed a bill last year that would have eliminated the commission, but Reid declared it dead in the Senate.

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Emails to White House show militants claimed credit for Libya attack

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:26:22 -0400

according to Reuters.

The emails, which show that a group called Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility, were sent from the State Department's Operations Center to multiple offices, including the White House, the Pentagon, and the FBI on the afternoon of Sept. 11, according to Reuters.

One email, sent at 6:07 p.m. Washington time, had this subject line: "Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack." The body of the email reads: “"Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli."

Reuters reported that one of the recipients of the email was the White House Situation Room, the president’s secure room.

Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that for more than a week after the attack, the president was advised in his daily intelligence briefing that the attacks were spontaneous and had been inspired by an anti-Muslim video.

“I think somebody latched onto what they wanted to hear in intelligence that was provided," Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNN's Starting Point on Wednesday, adding that, "somebody saw something that they thought was the way that they wanted to talk about it, versus what the facts on the ground were."]]>

Vice presidential candidates square off after debate

Matt Vasilogambros and Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:45:52 -0400

“Governor Romney seemed to be rushing to agree with everything the president had done already," Biden said on NBC’s Today on Tuesday.

Ryan, for his part, seemed to strike a stronger tone and land sharper attacks than his running mate did in the third and final debate the night before. Ryan called Obama’s actions on foreign policy “naive” on several occasions.

He also took a jab at Obama for his ”horses and bayonets” comment. “To compare modern American battleships and Navy with bayonets – I just don't understand that comparison,” Ryan said on CBS’s This Morning.

Following the debate, Romney strategist Stuart Stevens called the comments “demeaning,” a charge Biden disputed. “Demeaning to the military for the president to say the truth that one aircraft carrier is probably more powerful than the entire United States Navy was back then? This is a different Navy ... the capacity, the firepower. Our Navy is superior to every other navy in the world combined.”

Biden also accused Romney of lacking “sophistication,” saying, “I felt a little badly, because it's clear he is not ready to be the Commander in Chief of the United States military.”

It was a charge echoed by other Democrats, including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who was involved in debate preparations for Obama. "Overwhelmingly last night, the President of the United States was the commander in chief, and Mitt Romney, I hate to say it, was the campaigner in confusion,” he said on CNN’s Early Start on Tuesday.

Although Romney agreed Monday night that the sanctions were effective on Iran, he criticized the president for not acting sooner. Obama explained the process to get sanctions in place is “painstaking” and long. On Tuesday, Ryan also tried to snatch credit away from the president on Iranian sanctions, which have harmed the Iranian economy and currency.

“The sanctions in place now are only in place because of bipartisan opposition to the president's unwillingness to put these sanctions in place in the first place,” Ryan said on NBC.

Ryan also said Romney was willing to talk with Iran, but that a Romney administration would impose more sanctions, too. “If Iran wants to talk, that's perfectly fine, but not as an excuse to lessen the pressure,” he said.

On CBS’ This Morning, Biden defended the administration on the handling of the terrorist attack in Libya that killed four Americans. On Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that for more than a week after the attacks, the president was told in his daily intelligence briefing that the attacks grew out of a protest based on anger at an anti-Muslim video. Biden was asked how that information made it into The Journal.

“I don't know how that happened,” he said, “except that I know that the head of the Director of Central Intelligence said everything that the president said, that I said, that [U.N. Ambassador] Susan Rice said, that was stated was exactly what the talking points the intelligence community was giving us and briefing us on.”

The Romney campaign released a new ad on Tuesday morning, using clips from Monday night's debate on Obama's so-called "Apology Tour."]]>

Post-debate polls show Obama won

Rebecca Kaplan and Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:34:19 -0400

A CNN/ORC poll showed 48 percent believed Obama won, while 40 percent believed Romney did. The poll showed Obama as the stronger leader, but had that the two tied on likability. It was conducted by telephone among 448 registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

The poll showed that Obama outperformed expectations for 59 percent of voters, while only 15 percent said he was weaker than expected and 23 percent said he performed on par with their expectations. The margin for Romney was much smaller, outperforming the expectations of 44 percent of respondents and performing weaker than expected in the eyes of 26 percent. Another 26 percent said he performed as expected.

In a CBS News instant online poll of 521 uncommitted voters – those who are either undecided or open to changing their vote – Obama bested Romney 53 percent to 23 percent, with 24 percent saying the debate was a tie. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

After the first debate, which revolved more around economic and tax policy, 46 percent of uncommitted voters in the CBS poll said Romney won the debate, versus 22 percent who said the same of President Obama. Thirty-two percent said it was a tie.

The uncommitted voters in the CBS poll gave Obama the lead on several specific metrics. They said Obama would do a better job in issues of terrorism and national security by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent, and 71 percent said they trusted Obama to handle an international crisis versus 49 percent who said the same of Romney.

The issue of U.S. policy toward China ended in a draw with voters splitting evenly – 50 percent and 50 percent – on who would do a better job.

As Slate’s David Weigel notes, the CNN poll also had some results that could cheer Romney supporters. On the question, “Do you think Mitt Romney can or cannot handle the responsibilities of Commander-in Chief?” a majority of voters said yes, 60 percent to 38 percent.

The debate appeared to do little to move the conversation. Twenty-four percent of the registered voters in the CNN poll said it made them more likely to vote for Obama, 25 percent said it made them more likely to vote for Romney, but 50 percent answered “neither.”]]>

U.S. embassy in Jordan targeted in foiled al-Qaida plot

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:48:27 -0400

The Washington Post reported.

Jordan’s government said on Sunday that 11 people with connections to al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq had been arrested. Officials in Jordan said that the plotters had “amassed a stockpile of explosives and weapons from Syrian battlefields and devised a plan to use military-style tactics in a wave of attacks across Amman,” according to The Post.

U.S. officials declined to comment on the alleged plot.]]>

Administration threatens hardball on fiscal cliff

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:41:26 -0400

Administration officials are putting out the word: President Obama is ready to play hardball on the fast-approaching fiscal cliff.

In a story in The Washington Post posted to its website on Wednesday night, unnamed officials say that Obama is prepared to veto any legislation that heads off tax hikes and spending cuts unless Republicans agree to raise taxes on the wealthy.

Obama has never said whether he would allow the country to go over the cliff.

If Obama wins re-election, many Republicans will attempt to get the president to ditch his effort to raise rates and instead go for a more sweeping agreement on the country’s debt that would, as The Post describes it, include “significant new tax revenue.”

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Obama camp continues to duck, defend on Libya questions

Matt Vasilogambros and Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:32:00 -0400

During the debate on Tuesday night, Obama took responsibility for the U.S. diplomatic corps and attempted to counter Romney’s assertion that the administration shied from labeling the assault a terrorist attack. The two men sparred over the topic.

On Wednesday, Rep. Paul Ryan dismissed Obama's argument that he quickly labeled the attack an act of terrorism as an incomplete assertion. “It was a passing comment about acts of terror in general,” Ryan said on ABC’s Good Morning America. “It was not a claim that this was the result of a terrorist attack.”

Vice President Joe Biden, echoing Obama, said the Romney campaign tried to “politicize a tragedy” by criticizing the administration before the attacks had even concluded.

“Their strategy appears to be to make it appear that the president didn't care, didn't know, or was lying,” Biden said on ABC’s Good Morning America. “The fact of the matter is, the president was clear. We are going to get to the bottom of this. The whole world will know it.”

Last week, the administration said that neither the president nor the vice president were aware of requests for more security in Libya.

Citing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments this week taking responsibility for the Benghazi attack, Biden said she affirmed what the White House has been saying for weeks: the president did not know of security requests from the consulate until after the attack.

“Neither the president nor I were told of the additional security request,” Biden said on CBS’s This Morning. “As Hillary has pointed out straightforwardly, that request never got to the president or me.”

Ryan would not answer questions on Wednesday morning over the Romney campaign’s initial reaction to the attacks. Instead, he continued his attack on the administration.

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Obama senior campaign adviser Robert Gibbs was asked whether President Obama had been briefed about previous attacks on the consulate in Benghazi. Gibbs responded that he was not “privy” to that information. “I’m happily ready to admit I don’t sit in those meetings,” he said. “I don’t have clearance to sit in those meetings.”

At one point, Gibbs was pressed on a question over when, specifically, the Obama administration labeled the attack an act of terror. Gibbs pulled a set of cue cards from his breast pocket and began reading quotes from Obama, one of which was from Sept. 13th in which the president said, “no act of terror will go unpunished.”

However, other administration officials claimed even days after the attack that it was "spontansous" and prompted by an anti-Islam video that was produced in the United States.]]>

Afghan intelligence agent kills two Americans in inside attack

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:51:25 -0400

according to The New York Times.

The attack occurred when a delegation of members of the American coalition and those from Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security arrived to deliver furniture to Maruf district, part of Kandahar Province, according to The Times.

The attack killed a former American officer and an American soldier. It also killed the deputy intelligence director for Kandahar Province, Ghulam Rasool; his two bodyguards; and another member of Afghan intelligence.

The attack is the latest in a string of so-called “green-on-blue” killings, in which Afghan forces turn on coalition members.

Additionally, Afghan officials said on Monday that a separate coalition strike against the Taliban killed two boys and a girl from the same family.]]>

State Department officials: No protest outside Libya mission ahead of attack

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:02:00 -0400

Associated Press and ABC News. The news comes as Republicans in Congress are set to hold hearings on Wednesday investigating the attack.

According to State Department officials who spoke anonymously on Tuesday, the day in Benghazi had been a peaceful one, but devolved into an attack involving machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and mortars, The AP reported. When asked about the administration’s since-retracted claim that the attacks had been spontaneous and the result of the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims,” an official said, “that is the question you'd have to ask others, that was not our conclusion," according to The Hill.

According to The Hill, a State Department official said Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was killed in the attack, remained inside the compound in the day leading up to the attack out of prudence. The official said some people were “out in the street in front of the compound, everything is calm at 8:30 p.m., there is nothing unusual - there has been nothing unusual during the day at all outside."

At 9:40 p.m., according to an official, agents inside the compound heard “loud noises coming from the front gate” and “gunfire and explosion," according to The Hill.

The attack resulted in the death of Stevens and three other Americans, and led to widespread questions about security at the U.S. mission in Libya and the administration's handling of the matter after the attack.

On Wednesday, senior campaign adviser Robert Gibbs stood by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, who said on the Sunday shows shortly after the incident that the attack was brought on by the anti-Islamic video. Gibbs said Rice would never mislead the American public.

“I have no doubt that what Susan Rice said was exactly the intelligence assessments she was provided by the intelligence community in order to prepare for those appearances,” Gibbs said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “Nobody wants to get to the bottom of this more than the Obama administration and the White House. We need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to protect our consulates and our missions across the world.”

When challenged on recent reports that suggest the administration knew otherwise, Gibbs reaffirmed his answer.

“Susan Rice would not have gone out there and in any way tried to deliberately mislead anybody,” Gibbs said. “That certainly would never be the case. Susan Rice was briefed by the intelligence community, and what she was talking about on Meet the Press and on that Sunday was exactly what the intelligence community was telling her.”

Matt Vasilogambros contributed reporting. ]]>

Officer claims 'pressure' to reduce security at Libya mission

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:30:42 -0400

CBS News reports.

Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, who led a 16-member counterterrorism team in Libya, is set to testify before a congressional committee on Wednesday. He told CBS that the slain U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, had grown concerned with security at the mission, but at the same time pressure came from “higher headquarters at State Department” to draw down security.

"It began shortly after I arrived," he said. "There was pressure to reduce the number of security people there."

Wood said that the situation had deteriorated in the country in the months leading up to the attack, but that pleas via cables and emails from those at the mission to bolster security were met with denials. Eventually, the mission lost three State Department security teams, an airplane and Wood’s squad, CBS reported.

A State Department official told CBS that despite the withdrawal of a security support team, that there was "no impact whatsoever on the total number of fully trained American security personnel in Libya overall or in Benghazi specifically." The State Department also said that Wood was stationed in Tripoli, not Benghazi, the site of the attack.

American Crossroads, an independent conservative group, released an online video on Tuesday, seizing on recent reports that the Obama administration was aware of security threats facing the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and didn't act. Additionally, the video goes after the administration's refusal to call the attack an act of terrorism, a line of criticism the Romney campaign has frequently used to attack Obama.

Matt Vasilogambros contributed reporting.]]>

At Libya consulate, security plans, ambassador’s itinerary scattered on floor

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:01:23 -0400

reporter for The Washington Post was able to visit the U.S. mission to Libya in Benghazi, and found sensitive documents still there, including security procedures for the compound and a full itinerary for slain Ambassador Chris Stevens.

According to The Post, among the items scattered across the looted compound included “Documents detailing weapons collection efforts, emergency evacuation protocols, the full internal itinerary of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’s trip and the personnel records of Libyans who were contracted to secure the mission.”

One of the documents found, dated Sept. 9, discussed the possibility of an attack on the compound, two days before the assault.

The documents also revealed personal information about locally contracted militia who were hired by the U.S. to provide security for the consulate.

More than three weeks after the attack, the United States has been unable to secure the site and officials remain fearful of sending Americans there. FBI investigators remain in Tripoli, hundreds of miles away from the consulate, The Post reported

Referring to Stevens, The Post reported that the documents also include “a near-full accounting of his movements during what was supposed to be a visit that lasted from Sept. 10 until Sept. 15.” The highlight of the visit to Benghazi, according to The Post, was to be the opening of the American Space, a “a center intended to serve as a hub for U.S. culture and education.”]]>

Senate working on sequester deal

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:17:03 -0400

Lawmakers and aides say a bipartisan group of senators is working on a “three-step process” for the lame duck session to avoid the automatic sequester cuts set for January, The New York Times reports.

While the two sides remain far apart, the senators are considering a deficit reduction target of about $4 trillion over 10 years, to be achieved by raising revenue from an overhaul of the tax code, savings in Medicare and Social Security, and cuts to other federal programs, The Times reported.

An alternate plan would mirror the recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles debt commission. Lastly, the sequestration cuts could be put off with a “deficit reduction down payment,” as The Times puts it, meant to show “how serious Congress is.”

Lawmakers have a direct incentive to avoid the automatic sequestration cuts, as Roll Call reports: Congress itself has some skin in the game. Some $101 million would be trimmed from House salaries and expenses next year, and $32 million would be cut from Senators’ personnel and office expenses.

With the blessing of both parties' leadership, Senators Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., have "begun talks on legislative language to lock a deficit reduction framework into law," The Timeswrote.

“A lot of what happens and when it happens depends on the outcome of the election,” Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky told The Times.

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Romney to call for foreign aid ‘reform’ at Clinton confab

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:05:43 -0400

Mitt Romney will call for reforms to foreign aid, linking trade policy with development policy, according to a preview of a speech he will deliver today at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.

Saying that “too often foreign aid programs try to supplant private enterprise,” the campaign is instead unveiling what it terms a Prosperity Pact, which it says will “constitute a bold break from the past.”

“Working with the private sector, the program would identify the barriers to investment, trade, and entrepreneurialism in developing nations," according to a campaign release. "In exchange for removing those barriers and opening their markets to U.S. investment and trade, developing nations would receive U.S. assistance packages focused on developing the institutions of liberty, the rule of law and property rights.”

As president, Romney would also de-emphasize microfinance, according to the campaign.

“A core element of the program will be to support new financing structures for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” the campaign stated. “A lot of work has been done in the area of microfinance. But microfinance is a poverty alleviation strategy and a much greater focus should be placed on SMEs that are too big for microfinance, but are too small to acquire much-needed capital from banks. Empowering SMEs will allow developing nations to reach the global market and create an enduring cycle of growth.”

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Bill Clinton games out the lame-duck session of Congress

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:25:00 -0400

“I expect the president to win and I think if he does, after this happens, then you will see the logjam beginning to break" in Congress, Clinton said on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. "I think it will strengthen the hand of, for example, Speaker Boehner, who would make an agreement if the most right wing of his caucus would let him.”

Clinton also had thoughts on Romney's "47 percent" comments, on U.S. foreign policy and on his wife's chances of running for president in 2016, in a pair of wide-ranging interviews on CNN and CBS on Sunday.

In both, Clinton addressed Congress and the pending lame-duck session. "I think you will see the gravitational forces on American politics pushing us toward an agreement on the budget and a number of other things," he said on CNN. On CBS’s Face the Nation, Clinton voiced similar thoughts, saying, “Something has to change so that both parties see they have more to gain from doing than not doing.”

He said that “the calculus of the Congress will change” due to Obama’s not having to run again. “They’ll be facing this fiscal cliff," he said. “It is doing exactly what it was intended to do: it will force them to concentrate and I believe there will be a lame-duck session of Congress in which they will either reach the beginnings of a budget deal or more likely agree to some sort of period of time to avoid the fiscal cliff and make the budget deal then. I think as soon as this election’s over the incentives for gridlock will go way down and the incentives for action will go way up.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., did not seem to share Clinton's optimism. “Lame duck sessions don’t do very well,” McCain said on Bloomberg's Capitol Gains. “They’re usually disasters.”

Clinton offered some insight on Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" comments. "I know a lot of higher-income people," he said on CBS, "a lot of whom help me do my work and they’re supporting Governor Romney. And a lot of people say things like that." He noted that Romney failed to point out that many of these same people who don’t pay federal income tax pay Social Security, state income taxes and sales tax.

On Iran, Clinton, noting that his wife is the U.S. Secretary of State, said that he needed to be "very careful" about what he said. "I think the president's desire to keep his public options open is the correct course at this time," he said on CNN. "I think when you say something in public, whatever it is, one or two things happen. When the people call you on what you said, you've either got do something about it and deal with perhaps unintended negative consequences, or you don't, and people think you're weaker. Better to have them wonder what you're going to do and communicate privately in more explicit terms."

Clinton also touched on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that he didn't think there would be “a better government” to deal with than the current Palestinian government as it relates to Israel. “I don't know when we're ever going to have a better Palestinian government to deal with than the one we have in the West Bank," he said on CNN. "The Hamas problem is Hamas's problem. But I think the United States should be involved.”

He also seemed to agree to a certain extent with Mitt Romney’s leaked comments this week that the United States role in the process was limited. “It is accurate that the United States cannot make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” he said. “They have to do that. What we need to do is maximize the attractiveness of doing it and minimize the risks of doing it. We can do that.”

He added that he was optimistic on a resolution. "I believe that there'll be a new opportunity next year to reach an accommodation," he said.

Back on U.S. politics, Clinton was asked whether his wife, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, will run for president in 2016. 'I have no earthly idea," he said.]]>

State Department: CNN 'disgusting' for revealing diary of slain ambassador

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:14:43 -0400

the Associated Press reported.

A statement from a State Department spokesman called CNN’s actions “disgusting” and “indefensible,” alleging that the news channel broke a promise to Stevens’ family that it would not reveal details.

CNN reported that, according to the diary, Stevens had grown concerned about security threats and “a rise in Islamic extremism.” CNN also reported that Stevens feared he was on an “al-Qaida hit list,” but it was unclear whether such a fear was mentioned in his journal. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when asked about the “hit list,” said last week that “I have absolutely no information or reason to believe that there's any basis for that."

CNN defended the release of the information by saying the public had a right to know about the ambassador’s fears.

CNN said it found the diary on the floor of “the largely unsecured consulate compound where he was fatally wounded."]]>

House intel chair: U.S. TV ad in Pakistan a 'horrible idea'

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 09:32:13 -0400

put out an ad in Pakistan denouncing the anti-Islamic video that has been blamed for sparking protests around the globe.

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said, “I think it was a horrible idea. It gave credibility and it gave a permission slip to al-Qaida, to Pakistani officials.” He added that, “I don’t know who gave them the advice. It was horrible advice. It has exacerbated the situation.”

The ad featured both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denouncing the film, made by a U.S. filmmaker and called “The Innocence of Muslims.” The State Department paid $70,000 to seven Pakistani stations to run the ad.

Last week, the administration described the attack on U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens as an act of terrorism, but insisted that the attack had not been preplanned. The administration's account differs from some Republicans in Congress, who characterize the attack as both deliberate and planned.

Rogers said that he sat in on briefings from the administration on the matter, and that “not a lot came out of it,” but noted that, “It seemed that they doubled down. They doubled down. I think they thought they were boxed in a corner, and they had to double down on their information. It was -- it was a little confusing to me. I didn't understand why they chose to do that.”]]>

President’s speech will tackle deficit reduction, entitlement reform

Stacy Kaper and Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:50:25 -0400

Stephanie Cutter, appearing on CNN’s Starting Point on Thursday, said, “I think you will hear the president lay out his plan of balanced deficit reduction where everybody pays their fair share and we cut what we don't need and that includes entitlement reform.”

Earlier, she said: “I think you will hear him talk about the types of decisions we need to make as a country if we want to get our debt under control and do it in a way that will unleash growth and help the middle class grow.”

Obama senior campaign advisor David Axelrod said Obama will offer some new elements to his consistent theme that the way to take the country forward is by rebuilding and growing the middle class.

“The president will talk about where we have to go as a country,” Axelrod said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “There will be new elements in the speech … in terms of ideas that people hear that they may not have heard before, but the fundamental argument remains the same, which is there are certain things we have to do to grow. There are certain commitments we have to make as a country to grow, and he will make that case.”

With former President Clinton helping to recast what has happened over the last four years, Axelrod added, Obama will focus on the future.

“President Clinton cleared a lot of underbrush out of the way for us last night and, you know, the president has an opportunity to talk about how we lift the country, how we rebuild the middle class, the things we have to do together to achieve a kind of future that people are looking for,” he said.
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Pentagon: Navy SEAL's bin Laden book contains classified info

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:51:10 -0400

A new book by a former Navy SEAL offering a firsthand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Landen is getting heat from the Defense Department for revealing classified secrets, the Associated Press reported.

A Pentagon spokesman, George Little, told AP that the book reveals “sensitive and classified” information, but would not be more specific.

In addition, a letter obtained by AP from the admiral who heads the Naval Special Warfare Command said that the book was “hawking details about a mission” and could put military personnel and families at risk.

“For an elite force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appearing to be so,” Rear Adm. Sean Pybus wrote in a letter to his troops. “We owe our chain of command much better than this.”

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U.S. halts training for new Afghan army recruits

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:53:08 -0400

The senior commander of Special Operations in Afghanistan has put to a halt training for all new Afghan recruits under his command until Afghan troops can be re-screened for ties to insurgent groups, according to The Washington Post.

The move comes after a string of killings perpetrated by Afghan security forces against coalition forces. Thus far this year, 45 coalition troops have died as a result of so-called “green-on-blue” attacks.

In all, 27,000 Afghan troops will be re-screened, according to The Post. The move will not affect the majority of Afghan forces – 350,000 in all, according to The New York Times – but will involve screening of local police. The Times reports the training suspension could be at least a month, possibly longer.

According to The Post, many guidelines have not been followed in the vetting process for both army members and police, in an attempt to quickly grow the Afghan army.

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Romney camp strikes deal on delegates to avoid floor fight

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:48:32 -0400

The Romney campaign reached a deal on Monday with activists who were enraged by an attempt to change rules for delegate selection for the 2016 election, The New York Times reported.

Last week, Romney’s lawyers had proposed a deal that would have given future presidential nominees power over who gets picked to be a delegate, a move that some, including supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex., argued would be a huge power grab. The dispute had threatened to break out into a floor fight at the convention.

Paul campaign manager Jesse Benton called the developments “very positive,” according to The Hill. Under the new deal, a bound delegate is required to vote for the presidential candidate as required by state or party rules, but delegate selection is left to the states.

Jim Bopp, a delegate from Indiana, who had objected to the earlier change, released a statement hailing the decision. “The Romney for President campaign has heard the concerns of the conservative grass-roots voices in our party and has crafted an amendment to the rules adopted on Friday to address these concerns,” he said.

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Two U.S. soldiers killed by Afhgan army member

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:39:05 -0400

A member of the Afghan Army shot and killed two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan Monday as a dispute broke out during a joint raid by Afghans and Americans, The New York Times reported.

Thus far this year, 42 coalition soldiers have been killed by Afghan police and military, including 12 in the last month.

A separate incident in southeast Helmand Province early Monday left 10 Afghan soldiers dead.

A provincial spokesman told The Times that the attack was the latest example of insurgents infiltrating the Afghan military.

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Navy SEAL to release tell-all on bin Laden raid

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:35:00 -0400

The New York Times reports.

Penguin, the publisher of the book, would not say whether it sought approval, according to The Times. Spokespeople for both the Navy and National Security Council say that the author did not seek approval and they were unaware of the book until questioned by reporters.

The book, “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden,” set for release on Sept. 11, will be penned under the pseudonym “Mark Owen.” Names of other members of the SEAL team will be changed for security reasons, according to Penguin.

The author, who grew up in Alaska, was a former member of SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed bin Laden on May 2, 2011. He retired within the past year.]]>

‘First dog’ Bo now on diet

Jonathan Miller, National Journal — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:00:00 -0400

U.S. News & World Report reported.

In an event with young winners from Michelle Obama’s healthy recipe competition, Obama warned those gathered “not to drop any scraps on the floor.”

“Because Bo... Bo is on a diet right now and he will eat anything that he sees, especially some of the tasty meals that you guys have prepared," he said.

The First Lady has been an advocate for ending child obesity with her Let’s Move! initiative. Bo is 3 years old.

As U.S. News put it, “In recent photos, Bo has been looking slightly beefy. But we had chalked that up to Portuguese water dogs' unruly, curly locks. Now we know POTUS must have been feeding him scraps beneath the table.”]]>