While researching the post [Benghazi Stand Down Order](https://steemit.com/politics/@mikehamm/benghazi-stand-dwon-order) I came across the article from CBS News [Officials on Benghazi: "We made mistakes, but without malice"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/officials-on-benghazi-we-made-mistakes-but-without-malice/).  In this article CBS talked to Obama Administration officials under the condition of anonymity so they would be more open during their interviews.

Portion of the article has one official making the comment:

>"We're portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots," said one Obama administration official who was part of the Benghazi response. "It's actually closer to us being idiots."

Part of the idiocy, or incompetency shows up in not deploying FEST (Foreign Emergency Support Team).  The officials handling the Beghazi attack at the White House thought of a team to go in and set up generators to put things back together, like one might consider the Red Cross.  The FEST leader at the time, Mark Thompson, indicated in the article that "Benghazi was precisely the sort of crisis to which his team is trained to respond".

The second mistake that was admitted to is not convening a group called the Counterterrorism Security Group that would add more specialized knowledge to the group handling the attack.  Showing a bit of arrogance, along with the incompetence, those in the Obama administration chose not to convene this group of experts.  It's pointed out in the article that this group would have recommended deploying FEST.

What is sighted as a "stroke of terrible timing" a specially trained U.S. military group based in Europe for emergencies was on training exercises in Croatia at the time.  The attack also took place a few weeks before a second team of this sort was to be put in place.  With the hindsight of knowing Hillary Clinton's email had been compromised while Secretary of State, it would be possible the terrorist knew when to plan the attack to minimize the chance of U.S. military aide being provided.

The article goes on with the Obama administration officials indicating the "talking points" should have been more transparent.  They discuss how the email documents developing the talking points should have been released shortly after the attack.  The Obama administration refused to release the emails but did allow limited review of a portion of the emails.  The emails were finally released in 2014 after a lawsuit filed under the Freedom Of Information Act.  The emails, when finally released, demonstrated there was never a belief that the attack formed from a demonstration and that the State Department, under Hillary Clinton, played a significant role in shaping the final talking points that were presented to the American public.

This article, written seven months after the attack, was never about unnamed Obama administration officials admitting to mistakes that were made during the attack.  These unnamed officials were making an attempt to downplay, or coverup,  the actions that took place and didn't take place in the White House during and after the Benghazi attack.  Assuming CBS News was not part of this coverup, these officials essentially lied to the press, again.  The lies started with the assertion of this not being a terrorist attack and this article was intended to slow any further action at getting at the truth concerning the development of the talking points about Benghazi.

What the American public learned about the Benghazi attack shortly after it happened was what the Obama administration wanted us to believe.  That terrorism under Obama's watch was under control and the Benghazi attack was the result of a protest over a video that got out of control. I guess, in politics, it's better to be thought an idiot than to be known a liar.

Sources:
[Officials on Benghazi: "We made mistakes, but without malice"](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/officials-on-benghazi-we-made-mistakes-but-without-malice/)
[The Benghazi Emails: Talking Points Changed at State Dept.'s Request](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/benghazi-emails-talking-points-changed-state-depts-request/story?id=19187137)
[Text: The Benghazi Talking Points](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/world/text-describing-an-attack.html)
[Emails illustrate how White House shaped Benghazi talking points](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/emails-illustrate-how-white-house-shaped-benghazi-talking-points/)
[Former deputy CIA director defends editing Benghazi talking points](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/02/cia-mike-morell-defends-benghazi-talking-points)