MARK STEYN: Benghazi bungle requires act of urgent political hygiene:

“Within minutes of the first bullet being fired, the White House knew these heroes would be slaughtered if immediate air support was denied,” said Ty Woods’ father, Charles. “In less than an hour, the perimeters could have been secured, and American lives could have been saved. After seven hours fighting numerically superior forces, my son’s life was sacrificed because of the White House’s decision.”

Why would Obama and Biden do such a thing? Because to launch a military operation against an al-Qaida affiliate on the anniversary of 9/11 would have exposed the hollowness of their boast through convention week and the days thereafter – that Osama was dead, and al-Qaida was finished. And so Ty Woods, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and Chris Stevens were left to die, and a decision taken to blame an entirely irrelevant video and, as Secretary Clinton threatened, “have that person arrested.” And, in the weeks that followed, the government of the United States lied to its own citizens as thoroughly and energetically as any totalitarian state, complete with the midnight knock-on-the-door from not-so-secret policemen sent to haul the designated fall guy into custody.

This goes far beyond the instinctive secretiveness to which even democratic governments are prone. The Obama administration created a wholly fictional storyline, and devoted its full resources to maintaining it. I understand why Mitt Romney chose not to pursue this line of argument in the final debate. The voters who will determine this election are those who voted for Obama four years ago and this time round either switch to the other fellow or sit on their hands. In electoral terms, it’s probably prudent of Mitt not to rub their faces in their 2008 votes. Nevertheless, when the president and other prominent officials stand by as four Americans die and then abuse their sacrifice as contemptuously as this administration did, decency requires that they be voted out of office as an act of urgent political hygiene.

Read the whole thing.

INTERVIEW: Obama Lies His Way Through Questions on Benghazi. I think it’s more stonewalling. I suspect that both Obama and his media allies are trying to keep this story from going full-blown until as much early voting as possible has taken place.

This won’t help: Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus.

UPDATE: Prof. Stephen Clark writes:

The CIA statement is interesting. Kristol formulates the following question: “So who in the government did tell ‘anybody’ not to help those in need?” Good question, of course. But notice that in the CIA spokesman’s statement no effort was made to deny the Fox reports that CIA personnel had requested aid during the attack. If the Fox reporting was bunk, and some have doubted it, you might expect them to take this opportunity to deny it.

There’s a dog not barking here – and just maybe, a high-level confirmation.

Indeed.

THIS MAY BE THE LAST LOCAL NEWS INTERVIEW OBAMA GIVES: KUSA 9News’s Kyle Clark asks tough questions, including were the Americans under attack in Benghazi denied military support. HT to Ellen Carmichael, via Twitter.

RELATED (From Ed): Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus.

TIME’S RUNNING OUT: Up to 60% off on Halloween costumes, candy, and more. They still have the hot mom in the Supergirl costume, too.

NOW ON YOUTUBE: I talk to Camille Paglia about her new book, Glittering Images, and why she’s voting Green instead of for Obama.

A REPORT ON how Dan Riehl is doing.

MORE LENA DUNHAM PARODY:

I ASK MYSELF THIS EVERY WEEK:

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE 21ST CENTURY: Campus Christian Group Banned Because It Requires Its Leaders to Be Christian.

THEN: Radical Chic New Leftists of the 1960s run roughshod over earnest New Deal-era liberals. Now: Greens versus greens.

As Henry Kissinger is reported to have said in response to the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, it’s a pity both sides can’t lose.

AMERICA’S MOST DISAPPOINTING SENATOR: Ordinarily, I’d say that you’re going to need a bigger website, but yeah, James Webb certainly qualifies.

CHANGE: How Germany Is Getting Cars to Talk to Each Other (And Traffic Lights).

FROM STEVE CROWDER: The Inevitable Lena Dunham Parody Video.

WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING: Vice President Biden’s Most Crass, Tasteless Gaffe Ever.

IT WASN’T JUST BENGHAZI: What about the Camp Bastion attack?

Time for more crickets from the MSM.

WHY THE GOP DOESN’T TRUST PHILLY DEMS:

Stephanie Singer is the chairman of the City Commission, the body that supervises, among other things, Philadelphia’s Board of Elections. In a normal city where such an office is a non-partisan or civil service post, it would be inconceivable that the person who is in charge of ensuring a fair vote would be involved in partisan politics, but when it comes to civics or ethics, Philadelphia remains mired in the bad old days of machine politics. Therefore, when the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Singer sent out an email blast urging citizens to vote to re-elect Barack Obama, the city of Brotherly Love merely shrugged. That Singer also went on in the email to claim that Judaism demands its adherents vote for the Democrats illustrates the way Jewish liberals have attempted to politicize their faith. But the willingness of the city to accept a situation where the elections commissioner is a rabid partisan tells us a lot about why there is so much distrust in Pennsylvania about the honesty of the elections system in the state’s largest city.

Read the whole thing.

VIDEO: Father of Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods speaks with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly:

Meanwhile, in the MSM, crickets.

TREATING PAIN with Virtual Reality.

REPORT: Senator Harry Reid hospitalized after motorcade crash in Las Vegas.

ESCHEW EXCESSIVE COCKINESS: Why I Think Obama Is Toast, by Dan McLaughlin of Red State.

BY THE WAY, COULD FRANKENSTORM BE GOD’S OCTOBER SURPRISE?

AND IF HE LOSES: Obama’s destiny: Lame-duck revenge or four-year revolution?  In 2010 Neo-neocon coined the term “Mad Duck Congress” — because of the harm they could do in their lame duck time.  If we win this, beware the Mad Duck President.

MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY: Looks like at least one senior DOE official knew the clean energy program was no good at picking winners and losers. But if they knew that in the dark of night, why did they keep doing it in the light of day?

EUROPE: Eurozone nears Japan-style trap as money and credit contract again.

BAD ANIMALS: Heart Asking Fans to Share Photos of Loved Ones in the Military for New Video:

Heart‘s Ann and Nancy Wilson are the daughters of a decorated Marine Corps officer, and their new song “Dear Old America,” is dedicated to their dad and other members of the military.  Now the group is putting together a video for the song, which appears on their new album Fanatic, and the Wilson sisters are asking fans to help.

* * * *

Adds the singer, “‘Dear Old America’ is especially written for those men and women who have served, those men and women who have put themselves out there on the edge, and who are trying to come home and return to the world as it is here.”

And yet, when given the opportunity to help elect just such a man to be president, they very publicly turned their backs on him. Perhaps this is their way of apologizing.