Speech From the Rose Garden
For the full transcript go to:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/12/remarks-president-deaths-us-embassy-staff-libya
Having read the full transcript and watched the video, in the context of the speech, I do not believe President Obama was calling the death of our ambassador and three other Americans the result of a terrorist attack.
He did refer to acts of terror being unable to shake the resolve of the American people.
When the shooter killed 12 of our citizens at the viewing of The Dark Knight Rises, that was an act of terror. But it was not a terrorist attack in the sense of Islamic jihad.
You read the President's words and draw your own conclusion.
No matter what conclusion you draw, the facts remain: for days, the White House blamed the death of our ambassador and 3 other citizens on a video and not on the perpetrators of the crime.
As well, the White House seemed to ignore the fact that it happened on the anniversary of 9/11. as if it was just a coincidence and not planned.
Below you will find copied, from the Whitehouse website, the published text of the President's speech from the Rose Garden, in its entirety as published on the website.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 12, 2012
Remarks by the President on the Deaths of U.S. Embassy Staff in Libya
Rose Garden
10:43 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Every day, all across the world,
American diplomats and civilians work tirelessly to advance the
interests and values of our nation. Often, they are away from their
families. Sometimes, they brave great danger.
Yesterday, four of these extraordinary Americans were killed in an
attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi. Among those killed was our
Ambassador, Chris Stevens, as well as Foreign Service Officer Sean
Smith. We are still notifying the families of the others who were
killed. And today, the American people stand united in holding the
families of the four Americans in our thoughts and in our prayers.
The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and
shocking attack. We're working with the government of Libya to secure
our diplomats. I've also directed my administration to increase our
security at diplomatic posts around the world. And make no mistake, we
will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who
attacked our people.
Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects
all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs
of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of
senseless violence. None. The world must stand together to
unequivocally reject these brutal acts.
Already, many Libyans have joined us in doing so, and this attack
will not break the bonds between the United States and Libya. Libyan
security personnel fought back against the attackers alongside
Americans. Libyans helped some of our diplomats find safety, and they
carried Ambassador Stevens’s body to the hospital, where we tragically
learned that he had died.
It's especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi because it
is a city that he helped to save. At the height of the Libyan
revolution, Chris led our diplomatic post in Benghazi. With
characteristic skill, courage, and resolve, he built partnerships with
Libyan revolutionaries, and helped them as they planned to build a new
Libya. When the Qaddafi regime came to an end, Chris was there to serve
as our ambassador to the new Libya, and he worked tirelessly to support
this young democracy, and I think both Secretary Clinton and I relied
deeply on his knowledge of the situation on the ground there. He was a
role model to all who worked with him and to the young diplomats who
aspire to walk in his footsteps
.
Along with his colleagues, Chris died in a country that is still
striving to emerge from the recent experience of war. Today, the loss of
these four Americans is fresh, but our memories of them linger on. I
have no doubt that their legacy will live on through the work that they
did far from our shores and in the hearts of those who love them back
home.
Of course, yesterday was already a painful day for our nation as we
marked the solemn memory of the 9/11 attacks. We mourned with the
families who were lost on that day. I visited the graves of troops who
made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hallowed
grounds of Arlington Cemetery, and had the opportunity to say thank you
and visit some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed. And then last
night, we learned the news of this attack in Benghazi.
As Americans, let us never, ever forget that our freedom is only
sustained because there are people who are willing to fight for it, to
stand up for it, and in some cases, lay down their lives for it. Our
country is only as strong as the character of our people and the service
of those both civilian and military who represent us around the globe.
No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation,
alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand
for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of
the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to
see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake,
justice will be done.
But we also know that the lives these Americans led stand in stark
contrast to those of their attackers. These four Americans stood up for
freedom and human dignity. They should give every American great pride
in the country that they served, and the hope that our flag represents
to people around the globe who also yearn to live in freedom and with
dignity.
We grieve with their families, but let us carry on their memory, and
let us continue their work of seeking a stronger America and a better
world for all of our children.
Thank you. May God bless the memory of those we lost and may God bless the United States of America.
END
10:48 A.M. EDT