[h=3]By JAY SOLOMON And MONICA LANGLEY[/h]WASHINGTON—Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's acceptance of responsibility for any shortcomings that led to last month's terrorist attack in Libya did little to quell growing Republican demands that President Barack Obama more thoroughly disclose what the administration knew about the siege that killed four Americans.
The issue of the Sept. 11 assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi is expected to be pressed by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney through the duration of the campaign. The two men debated Tuesday night in Long Island, N.Y.
Meanwhile, leading Republican lawmakers, while offering Mrs. Clinton some praise for her forthrightness, are still pushing for an independent commission, which was established by her office to investigate the attack, to complete its work before the Nov. 6 presidential vote.
That appears unlikely. State Department officials announced the commission, called an Accountability Review Board, on Sept. 20. In an official notice on Oct. 4, officials said the board must report its findings within 60 days, unless its chairman requests more time.
Some Republicans are charging that the workings of the board, headed by retired State Department diplomat Thomas Pickering, are holding up the investigations of Benghazi taking place in the Senate and House.
"The commission has an important role in helping to reach final conclusions about what happened in Benghazi," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif), who is heading a House probe into the attack. "The commission should not, however, be an excuse for delaying other necessary efforts to determine what happened and what steps need to be immediately taken to protect our diplomats overseas."
State Department officials declined to comment Tuesday on the independent investigation. Last week, Mrs. Clinton said the Accountability Review Board "was working to be as thorough and expeditious as possible, knowing that we can't afford to sacrifice accuracy to speed."
Senior Obama administration aides said Tuesday that Mr. Obama accepts responsibility for the American deaths. They also criticized Republicans for mounting political attacks over a foreign-policy crisis.
Republican criticisms of the State Department over Libya have intensified in recent days after two former security officers stationed in Libya said their requests for an increase in U.S. diplomatic security in the country were denied. The State Department disputes some of that testimony.
The revelations, which came at a congressional hearing last Wednesday, were immediately cited by Mr. Romney and Republican leaders as evidence that the Obama administration had been blind to the growing risk posed by al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in North Africa.
In interviews aired and published Monday, Mrs. Clinton sought to damp political pressure on Mr. Obama by saying she took responsibility for any security lapses in the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.
"I take responsibility," Mrs. Clinton told The Wall Street Journal, stressing that State Department security professionals—not the White House—vet the threats posed to overseas missions. "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."
Mr. Issa on Tuesday praised Mrs. Clinton's statements on Libya: "Secretary Clinton showed leadership in acknowledging her ultimate responsibility for security failures that took place within her department before the events of Sept. 11, 2012."
Still, Mrs. Clinton's statements seemed to do little to damp the broader GOP push to attack Mr. Obama's national-security credentials going into the final weeks of the campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama has campaigned on his national-security record, highlighting the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, the battle against al Qaeda in Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and efforts to weaken Iran economically.
Republican criticism has partly been fueled by the Obama administration's shifting descriptions of the assault. Senior officials had initially said the attack on Benghazi stemmed from a "spontaneous" reaction in the Muslim world to the posting of a U.S.-made video that mocked the Islamic faith's Prophet Muhammad. The White House later said the assault represented a terrorist attack.
The praise for Mrs. Clinton mirrors the relatively favorable treatment she received at Mr. Issa's hearing last week when GOP lawmakers otherwise blistered the administration. She had personally called committee members, even inviting Mr. Issa to a classified briefing by the State Department, according to one legislative adviser.
"She demonstrated from the start that she wanted to cooperate and gave no sense that she was avoiding responsibility," he added.
At the other extreme, Mrs. Clinton gave some conservatives fresh meat in their zeal against her, which originated from her time as first lady during President Bill Clinton's two terms. The conservative advocacy group, ForAmerica, launched a new campaign Tuesday to urge President Obama to fire the secretary of state over the security lapses in Libya.
The issue of the Sept. 11 assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi is expected to be pressed by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney through the duration of the campaign. The two men debated Tuesday night in Long Island, N.Y.
Meanwhile, leading Republican lawmakers, while offering Mrs. Clinton some praise for her forthrightness, are still pushing for an independent commission, which was established by her office to investigate the attack, to complete its work before the Nov. 6 presidential vote.
That appears unlikely. State Department officials announced the commission, called an Accountability Review Board, on Sept. 20. In an official notice on Oct. 4, officials said the board must report its findings within 60 days, unless its chairman requests more time.
Some Republicans are charging that the workings of the board, headed by retired State Department diplomat Thomas Pickering, are holding up the investigations of Benghazi taking place in the Senate and House.
"The commission has an important role in helping to reach final conclusions about what happened in Benghazi," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif), who is heading a House probe into the attack. "The commission should not, however, be an excuse for delaying other necessary efforts to determine what happened and what steps need to be immediately taken to protect our diplomats overseas."
State Department officials declined to comment Tuesday on the independent investigation. Last week, Mrs. Clinton said the Accountability Review Board "was working to be as thorough and expeditious as possible, knowing that we can't afford to sacrifice accuracy to speed."
Senior Obama administration aides said Tuesday that Mr. Obama accepts responsibility for the American deaths. They also criticized Republicans for mounting political attacks over a foreign-policy crisis.
Republican criticisms of the State Department over Libya have intensified in recent days after two former security officers stationed in Libya said their requests for an increase in U.S. diplomatic security in the country were denied. The State Department disputes some of that testimony.
The revelations, which came at a congressional hearing last Wednesday, were immediately cited by Mr. Romney and Republican leaders as evidence that the Obama administration had been blind to the growing risk posed by al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in North Africa.
In interviews aired and published Monday, Mrs. Clinton sought to damp political pressure on Mr. Obama by saying she took responsibility for any security lapses in the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens.
"I take responsibility," Mrs. Clinton told The Wall Street Journal, stressing that State Department security professionals—not the White House—vet the threats posed to overseas missions. "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."
Mr. Issa on Tuesday praised Mrs. Clinton's statements on Libya: "Secretary Clinton showed leadership in acknowledging her ultimate responsibility for security failures that took place within her department before the events of Sept. 11, 2012."
Still, Mrs. Clinton's statements seemed to do little to damp the broader GOP push to attack Mr. Obama's national-security credentials going into the final weeks of the campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama has campaigned on his national-security record, highlighting the killing of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, the battle against al Qaeda in Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan, and efforts to weaken Iran economically.
Republican criticism has partly been fueled by the Obama administration's shifting descriptions of the assault. Senior officials had initially said the attack on Benghazi stemmed from a "spontaneous" reaction in the Muslim world to the posting of a U.S.-made video that mocked the Islamic faith's Prophet Muhammad. The White House later said the assault represented a terrorist attack.
The praise for Mrs. Clinton mirrors the relatively favorable treatment she received at Mr. Issa's hearing last week when GOP lawmakers otherwise blistered the administration. She had personally called committee members, even inviting Mr. Issa to a classified briefing by the State Department, according to one legislative adviser.
"She demonstrated from the start that she wanted to cooperate and gave no sense that she was avoiding responsibility," he added.
At the other extreme, Mrs. Clinton gave some conservatives fresh meat in their zeal against her, which originated from her time as first lady during President Bill Clinton's two terms. The conservative advocacy group, ForAmerica, launched a new campaign Tuesday to urge President Obama to fire the secretary of state over the security lapses in Libya.