CNN Anchor Questions If Libya Should Even Be a Campaign Issue
When a news anchor's Obama-friendly question is slapped down by even a
liberal columnist, it's noteworthy. CNN's Carol Costello wondered if Libya
should even be a campaign issue, but both her guests -- liberal and
conservative -- answered in a resounding affirmation on Monday.
Citing the father of dead Ambassador Chris Stevens, who deplored the
tragedy becoming a campaign issue, Costello asked "So I think the
Ambassador's father spoke out too late because Libya has already become a
campaign issue. I guess the question is should it be?"
[Video below. Audio here.]
Both TheBlaze.com's Will Cain and ESPN.com's L.Z. Granderson
immediately replied that it should. "I don't know how it wouldn't be.
Look, this is not only an issue of national concern. It's an issue of
national security," Cain answered. "I fully agree with Will. Somebody
needs to be fired. We need to get to the bottom of this," said
Granderson.
Costello doubled down after Cain's indictment of the Obama
administration and its reaction to the attack. "There are legitimate
questions. But, L.Z., I'd like to ask you this. Republicans are now
throwing out the word cover-up. Has it gone too far?"
Granderson dismissed that sentiment and directed his scrutiny at the Obama administration. "There does appear to be a lot of shifting in the narrative. And someone at the end of the day needs to be fired. I'm not saying that's President Obama or Vice President Joe Biden. But somebody in that administration needs to answer to the American people. I'm very disturbed by all of this," he declared.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on Newsroom on October 15 at 9:31 a.m. EDT, is as follows:
CAROL COSTELLO: Both campaigns were out in full force on the Sunday morning talk shows.
(Video Clip)
DAVID AXELROD, Obama campaign senior adviser: Anyone based on the
intelligence that they were – that they had at the time would have said
what – what the administration said.
ED GILLESPIE, senior adviser, Romney campaign: But you have to get
honest answers and accurate answers in response to the questions. And
what we have seen is a constantly shifting story from this
administration.
(End Video Clip)
COSTELLO: The family of Ambassador Chris Stevens who was killed in that
attack has other feelings on the matter. In an interview with Bloomberg
News, Ambassador Chris Stevens' father said, quote, "It would really be
abhorrent to make this into a campaign issue. We don't pretend to be
experts in security. It has to be objectively examined. That's where it
belongs. It does not belong in the campaign arena," end quote. Joining
me now, CNN contributor L.Z. Granderson who leans left. And Will Cain, a
CNN contributor who leans right. Good morning, gentlemen.
WILL CAIN, CNN contributor: Good morning.
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN contributor: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So I think the Ambassador's father spoke out too late because
Libya has already become a campaign issue. I guess the question is
should it be? Will?
WILL CAIN: I don't know how it wouldn't be. Look, this is not only an
issue of national concern. It's an issue of national security. There are
questions about what was known when prior to the attack. Were danger
signs ignored? Were requests for more security ignored? But I think more
concerning than that is what in your clip you played Gillespie, is the
shifting narrative after the attack. This is extremely concerning.
We know from reporting from Eli Lake at The Daily Beast that
there were surveillance cameras on site that shows it was an organized
attack. We know there was drone surveillance in the final hours of the
attack that shows it was an organized attack. And we know that within 24
hours of the attack, not only did we know it was a terrorist attack,
but we knew that al Qaeda was involved and the name of the some of the
gentlemen – not gentlemen – some of the men involved.
So, then why did the administration, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice,
continue to go out on network after network and say this was response to
a video and a spontaneous attack? That is completely befuddling and it
reflects national security concerns going up to the highest levels of
this government. It reflects the Commander-in-Chief. There are
legitimate, very, very legitimate and important questions to ask that
have not yet been answered.
COSTELLO: There are legitimate questions. But, L.Z., I'd like to ask
you this. Republicans are now throwing out the word cover-up. Has it
gone too far?
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN contributor: No. I fully agree with Will. Somebody
needs to be fired. We need to get to the bottom of this. There does
appear to be a lot of shifting in the narrative. And someone at the end
of the day needs to be fired. I'm not saying that's President Obama or
Vice President Joe Biden. But somebody in that administration needs to
answer to the American people. I'm very disturbed by all of this.
And so Will's right. I don't understand how this could not be a
political issue. Mitt Romney was certainly wrong in the way that he –
excuse me – initially came out in regards to this. But now that we're in
it, we definitely owe it to the American people to get further into it
to see exactly what happened, what we knew when, and who should be
ultimately responsible.
CAIN: Carol, can I offer you one other reason why this is so important
to ask and answer during a campaign season? And by the way, this will
have no effect on one candidate versus the other. But, you know, a year
ago, we did not have enough of a national debate over whether or not we
should go into Libya and take action. We almost rushed into that. And
I'm telling you, I was here. I was part of these debates at least in the
media about whether or not we should get involved in Libya and oust
Gadhafi, and who then would take charge? Who would be in charge of
Libya?
We're having many of those same debates today about Syria and regarding
the entire Arab spring. What I'm telling you is there are large, large
geopolitical theory questions to be asked and answered about our
would-be leaders, President Obama or Mitt Romney. And what has happened
in Libya reflects the outcome of those decisions. It reflects what you
decide about who should you get behind in these countries.
-- Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center
