While Republicans Bicker, Whine, Posture And Stab Each Other In The Back, Obama Keeps His Eye On The Ball-- Captures Ahmed Abu Khatallah

The sick and obstructionist Republican peanut gallery-- largely driven by the vile racist neo-Confederates in their caucus-- seems to be incapable of accepting the reality that the American people elected Barack Obama, an African-American, to the presidency… twice. Like their top donors, they have never recognized Obama's legitimacy and have been content to sit on their fat asses for the last 6 years hatching plots and conspiring with Hate Talk Radio clowns to invent "scandals" like "Benghazi!" Meanwhile, the president, exasperated, has just done what he could to fulfilled his constitutional obligations to his office and to the American people in the face of their deranged and often seditious opposition.

This morning the White House announced the capture of Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a suspected ringleader in the terrorist attack on Benghazi. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), a Darrell Issa (R-CA), and other lo-info wing nuts who get their reality from Fox News, must be very confused, having been led to believe that Hillary Clinton was the ringleader. I wonder how many of them are already claiming Obama timed the capture to distract from the V.A. scandal, the IRS scandal and, of course, his miserably failed War in Iraq. In an operation that took months of careful planning, the FBI and American Special Forces troops nabbed Khatallah near Benghazi. Darrell Issa was first out of the box to start bitching that "the arrest of Ahmed Abu Khatallah is long overdue."

One jubilant official called Khattala’s capture “a reminder that when the United States says it’s going to hold someone accountable and he will face justice, this is what we mean.”

The Washington Post learned about the capture Monday but agreed to a request from the White House to delay publication of a story because of security concerns.

…The FBI believes other groups were also involved in the Benghazi attacks and is pursuing criminal charges against several individuals, including Abu Sufian bin Qumu, the leader of Ansar al-Sharia in the Libyan city of Darnah. Bin Qumu has also been designated a terrorist by the State Department, as has his group.

Keep in mind that in 2007, Bush and Cheney released Ansar leader Abu Sufian bin Qumu from Guantanamo into the hands of McCain crony Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi released him a few months later. No telling if he was at the infamous ranch meeting between Gaddafi and McCain. The White House released the following statement from President Obama this morning:

The United States has an unwavering commitment to bring to justice those responsible for harming Americans. Since the deadly attacks on our facilities in Benghazi, I have made it a priority to find and bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of four brave Americans. I recently authorized an operation in Libya to detain an individual charged for his role in these attacks, Ahmed Abu Khatallah. The fact that he is now in U.S. custody is a testament to the painstaking efforts of our military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel. Because of their courage and professionalism, this individual will now face the full weight of the American justice system.

Even as we welcome the success of this operation, we also pause to remember the four Americans who gave their lives in Benghazi representing their country: Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty. As I said shortly after the attack, they exemplified the values that we stand for as a nation, including a commitment to freedom and justice. All Americans should be grateful for their service, just as we are grateful to all our personnel-- civilian and military-- who represent our country around the globe. We will continue to honor our fallen by carrying on their efforts in support of the Libyan people’s aspirations to live in a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic society.

With this operation, the United States has once again demonstrated that we will do whatever it takes to see that justice is done when people harm Americans. We will continue our efforts to bring to justice those who were responsible for the Benghazi attacks. We will remain vigilant against all acts of terrorism, and we will continue to prioritize the protection of our service-members and civilians overseas. We will also sustain our support for the Libyan people, as they work to overcome years of tyranny and do the difficult work of building a democracy.