LIBYA 2016ER ATTACKS RAND PAUL CLAIMED CLINTON’S HANDLING OF THE INTERVENTION IN LIBYA WAS HER “MAIN ACHILLES’ HEEL” Rand Paul Said Hillary Clinton’s “Main Achilles’ Heel” Was That She Did Not Think Through The “Unintended Consequences” Of Involvement In Libya And Did Not Provide “An Adequate Defense For Our Consulate In Libya.” “‘Her [Hillary Clinton’s] main Achilles’ heel is that she didn’t provide an adequate defense for our consulate in Libya,’ Paul said during a trip to Georgia just before the midterms. ‘And also, she didn’t think through the unintended consequences of getting involved in the Libyan war. So I think you’d have an interesting dynamic, were there a [Republican] nominee that was for less intervention overseas and in the Middle East and that’s fiscally conservative. You’ve never seen that kind of combination before, and I think there’s a lot of independent voters, actually, that might be attracted to that kind of message.’” [Politico, 11/9/14] Rand Paul Referred To U.S. Military Engagement In Libya As “Hillary’s War” And Said The Rise Of ISIS Was An Unintended Consequence Of It. “Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) certainly has a knack for boldness. On Sunday's Meet the Press, he dubbed U.S. military engagement in Libya ‘Hillary’s war’ and stated the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) is not a result of President Obama's inaction in the Middle East but the unintended consequence of the U.S. military engagement in Libya.” [Breitbart, 8/27/14] Rand Paul: “Hillary's War In Libya Allowed Thousands Of Surface-To-Air Missiles To Fall Into The Hands Of Radical Islamists.” “Hillary's war in Libya is a perfect example…Hillary's war made us less safe. Libya's less stable, and radical jihadists run amok. They swim in our swimming pool! Hillary's war in Libya allowed thousands of surface-to-air missiles to fall into the hands of radical Islamists. As Hillary was declaring victory in Libya, Ambassador Stevens was pleading for more security.” [CPAC Speech, 2/27/15] CLINTON DEFENSE SECRETARY CLINTON CLAIMED THAT THE U.S. DID NOT ABANDON LIBYA AFTER INTERVENING TO OUST GADHAFI Secretary Clinton: “We Did Stick Around” In Libya After Gadhafi Was Ousted, “With Offers Of Money And Technical Assistance...To Border Security, Training.” When The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that the U.S. did not stick around for the aftermath of Qaddafi’s fall in Libya, Secretary Clinton said: “Well, we did stick around. We stuck around with offers of money and technical assistance, on everything from getting rid of some of the nasty stuff he left behind, to border security, to training.” [The Atlantic, 8/10/14] VISITING LIBYA JUST BEFORE GADHAFI’S DEATH, CLINTON OFFERED U.S. SUPPORT FOR A DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION, CITING U.S. AUSTERITY AS THE REASON AID TOTALS REMAINED LOW New York Times: In Late 2011, Secretary Clinton “Pledged Political And Economic Support For Libya’s Transitional Government.” “Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged political and economic support for Libya’s transitional government on Tuesday, even as a senior administration official warned that Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and his loyalists remained ‘a lethal nuisance’ who could stall the country’s evolution… Mrs. Clinton raised a host of issues with Mr. Abdel-Jalil and other Libyan officials, including the consolidation of political control, the prevention of violence against Colonel Qaddafi’s supporters and the integration of myriad rebel militias into a new security structure.” [New York Times, 10/18/11]