[h=3]By MONICA LANGLEY[/h]U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she takes responsibility for security at the American diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died in an attack last month.
APU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a speech in Lima, Peru, on Oct. 15.
"I take responsibility," Mrs. Clinton said in a recent interview in her office. "I'm the Secretary of State with 60,000-plus employees around the world. This is like a big family.…It's painful, absolutely painful."
On Monday, in Lima, Peru, she also told television interviewers that she accepts the blame, adding that security at America's diplomatic missions overseas is her job, not that of the White House. Her comments come as Republicans, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, criticize the Obama administration for its handling of the security before the attack by extremists and its explanations afterward.
She also spoke in advance of the second presidential debate, which will occur Tuesday night. Both security arrangements in Benghazi and the administration's differing explanations of whether the attack was the result of mob violence caused by an anti-Muslim video or a calculated terrorist strike were the subject of disagreement in last week's debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee.
In her remarks to CNN, Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were not involved in security decisions at the consulate in Benghazi. "I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha," she said.
The State Department scaled back U.S. security staff in Libya in the months before the attack, despite requests for additional personnel, former U.S. security officials told Congress last week.
In the interview with the Journal, Mrs. Clinton said she's working hard "to run an effective investigation to get to the bottom of what happened" in order to prevent such security lapses in the future. Yet, she added, "we will do our very best to think through the best security possible, but we can't keep people behind 20-foot walls and expect them to do their jobs. ..Americans need to realize our civilians serving our country are putting their lives on the line … in this inherently risky and dangerous world."
After the Sept. 11 attack, Mrs. Clinton grieved with the family members of the four Americans killed in Libya, as well as their colleagues at the State Department. She has also in some instances prodded other countries to step up their defense of other U.S. posts abroad, particularly those subjected to demonstrations around that time.
Write to Monica Langley at [email protected]
APU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a speech in Lima, Peru, on Oct. 15.
"I take responsibility," Mrs. Clinton said in a recent interview in her office. "I'm the Secretary of State with 60,000-plus employees around the world. This is like a big family.…It's painful, absolutely painful."
On Monday, in Lima, Peru, she also told television interviewers that she accepts the blame, adding that security at America's diplomatic missions overseas is her job, not that of the White House. Her comments come as Republicans, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, criticize the Obama administration for its handling of the security before the attack by extremists and its explanations afterward.
She also spoke in advance of the second presidential debate, which will occur Tuesday night. Both security arrangements in Benghazi and the administration's differing explanations of whether the attack was the result of mob violence caused by an anti-Muslim video or a calculated terrorist strike were the subject of disagreement in last week's debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice presidential nominee.
In her remarks to CNN, Mrs. Clinton said Mr. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were not involved in security decisions at the consulate in Benghazi. "I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha," she said.
The State Department scaled back U.S. security staff in Libya in the months before the attack, despite requests for additional personnel, former U.S. security officials told Congress last week.
In the interview with the Journal, Mrs. Clinton said she's working hard "to run an effective investigation to get to the bottom of what happened" in order to prevent such security lapses in the future. Yet, she added, "we will do our very best to think through the best security possible, but we can't keep people behind 20-foot walls and expect them to do their jobs. ..Americans need to realize our civilians serving our country are putting their lives on the line … in this inherently risky and dangerous world."
After the Sept. 11 attack, Mrs. Clinton grieved with the family members of the four Americans killed in Libya, as well as their colleagues at the State Department. She has also in some instances prodded other countries to step up their defense of other U.S. posts abroad, particularly those subjected to demonstrations around that time.
Write to Monica Langley at [email protected]