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Subscribe to RSSJ. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. Ambassador to Libya who was among four Americans killed amid protests in Libya, was a "courageous and exemplary representative of the United States," President Barack Obama said in a statement on Wednesday.
The four -- who also included Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, a father of two -- "exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe," Obama said.
Born in 1960 in northern California, Stevens had been a diplomat for two decades after previously working as an international trade lawyer in Washington, D.C., according to his biography on the State Department website.
"Chris was committed to advancing America's values and interests, even when that meant putting himself in danger," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday in a statement posted on the official Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli.
Ben Curtis / AP, file
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens speaks to local media at the Tibesty Hotel in Benghazi, Libya, in this Monday, April 11, 2011 file photo.
"I had the privilege of swearing in Chris for his post in Libya only a few months ago. As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi. He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation. He spent every day since helping to finish the work that he started."
Stevens had only just taken up his appointment, arriving in May after having served two previous roles in the country: Special Representative to the Libyan Transitional National Council during the Libyan revolution from March 2011 to November 2011, and Deputy Chief of Mission from 2007 to 2009.
US ambassador, 3 others killed in attacks on Libya mission
He had also previously worked in Jerusalem, Damascus and Riyadh and was a Pearson Fellow with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. From 1983 to 1985 he taught English as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.
A video posted on the U.S. Embassy's official YouTube channel in May showed Stevens introducing himself to the Libyan people and speaking of his excitement at his new role.
President Obama, alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, condemns "in the strongest terms" the "outrageous and shocking attack" that claimed the lives of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
He was fluent in Arabic and French, and had earned an undergraduate degree at the University of California at Berkeley in 1982, a J.D. from the University of California's Hastings College of Law in 1989, and an M.S. from the National War College in 2010.
'Smiling, easygoing'
The Washington Post reported that Stevens was "smiling, easygoing and friendly" and "well-known at the State Department and on Capitol Hill."
His efforts to improve relations between the U.S. and Libya were underlined at one of his most recent public appearances. At a reception in Tripoli on August 26, he announced that the issuing of U.S. visas to Libyans would resume the following morning, according to a report in The Tripoli Post.
Mourning the incomprehensible, tragic death of my friend Chris Stevens, a great man &proud FSO.Stunned.
— Lara Friedman (@Lara_APN) September 12, 2012
"The reopening of our consular section will create new opportunities for deepening the ties between our two countries," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "Relationships between governments are important, but relationships between people are the real foundation of mutual understanding," Stevens said.
A statement from Frank Wu, Chancellor and Dean of the University of California's Hastings College of the Law, issued to NBC Bay Area station KNTV, said: "The Ambassador was performing the highest role that a lawyer is called upon to perform: public service. He and I communicated when he was appointed Ambassador. He had been looking forward to sharing his experiences with students when he returned. This is a tragedy. We mourn this loss."
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence, also issued a statement, saying: "I had the chance of meeting Ambassador Chris Stevens during his confirmation process and again when I visited Libya last year. He was an exemplary diplomat and his embassy staff could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable during my visit. My prayers are with the families and loved ones of these courageous diplomats who were working to help the Libyan people rise from the ashes of Gaddafi's rule."
Steven McDonald, a longtime friend of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens who was killed in the consulate attack in Libya, comments on his friend's compassion, integrity and commitment.
Lara Friedman, director of policy and government relations at Israeli-American charity, Americans for Peace Now, who described herself as a friend of Stevens, posted on Twitter that his death was "incomprehensible, tragic."
The BBC reported that, in diplomatic cables leaked by the WikiLeaks site in 2010, Stevens had once described Col. Moammar Gadhafi as "notoriously mercurial" and wrote that he could be an "engaging and charming interlocutor."
Sean Smith was a husband and a father of two, who joined the State Department ten years ago, Clinton's statement said. "Like Chris, Sean was one of our best. Prior to arriving in Benghazi, he served in Baghdad, Pretoria, Montreal, and most recently The Hague," it said.
Ambassador Chris Stevens was popular, young. A new generation of ambassador. Active, an athlete. He'll be missed
— Richard Engel (@RichardEngel) September 12, 2012
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Leave a Comment:
Really Mr. President, is this an extreme example of your failed international policy or just another good American sacrificed for your true beliefs...
You're blaming the President? Sounds more like a bunch of mindless ragheads that can't even watch a movie without killing in the name of their religion.
One second thought, you may be partially right. He does have a failed policy in the sense that the best policy would be cut off all foreign aid and turn that desert into glass. Anything less that than would be tragic.
This wasn't about any "movie" - that short clip video has been on youtube for awhile. This was more about Obama thumping his chest and bragging about killing Bin Laden.
The video was only recently picked up by Egyptian TV, overdubbed with an Arabic translation and run on Egyptian state TV 24/7.
xz sa
...After this, anybody who votes for Obama, except Obama's mom, is a traitor.
He was a lot better person than Obama or Osams ,which ever fits,anyway Obama should be peosecuted for treason
If I were president all foriegn aid to muslim countries would be halted, and assetts of their's in American banks would be frozen and there would be two very very large holes in the ground where the two embassies once were, end of friggin story!
Apparently, scumbag Obama said the this will not interrupt diplomatic ties with Libya, nor will it disturb the foreign aid we're giving to these vermin. WTF is going on? How long can we survive with this idiot in charge. He is literally slapping us in the face each week. When he is not busy running the country into the ground and pandering to the terrorist, he's running around the country making speeches to the pervs within our borders. The presidency has been cheapened and ghettoeized by Oblamer and Moochelle. What's next, a barbeque pit on the front lawn of the Whitehouse and a couple of coats of purple paint?
Yeah, affirmative action in it finest hour. jimmy carter was a buffoon, obma is just plain dangerous.
"courageous and exemplary" and he is very dead because someone just couldn't keep their big mouth under control. Don't look to obama for any real resolution, he doesn't want to upset his muslim brothers.
Do not blame me I did not vote for Obama.
"We condemn the disgraceful killings of the American diplomats in Libya in the strongest terms possible," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Wednesday in Washington. "We also condemn the attack on our nation's diplomatic facilities in Libya and Egypt. The actions of the attackers are totally inexcusable and un-Islamic."
"As American Muslims, there is no question that we categorically condemn any acts of violence and hate speech against anyone," said Maqbool Patel, president of the Islamic Society of Baltimore. "It is against the fundamental teaching of the religion of Islam."
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-local-muslim-reaction-20120912,0,5191260.story
I am afraid we have a President that calls others courageous without knowing what that means. The Presidents' actions are the opposite of courageous. We can't let this go unanswered. Mr. Obama - you gotta blow something up!!!
Simple Simon here shows us all the AmeriKKKan mentality.
After what the bankrupt United Snakes (US/Israel/NATO) oil thieves did to the richest, most stable country in Africa, in their quest for the oil/gas and mineral riches of Libya - turning Libya into a terrorist camp full of terrorist factions that must kill, rape and pillage on a daily in order to survive, I say the death of a US terrorist that wore a suit and a tie instead of a bandolier full of bullets, I say: You got away real cheap MFer's! The time is appreaching when the Great Satan and its Jewish hemmorhoid will need to wear a flak jacket just to get off an airplace in the Middle East where the US/Israel 'evil twins' have murdered, maimed and left millions homeless in the name of imperialism and racism.
This man of peace and diplomacy dedicated his life to help the people of the middle east in Libya and he was murdered by terrorists that hated him because he was an American. What a dam shame! I'm not one for revenge ... an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, But I think it's time to poke out a few eyes and bust some teeth out ... Blood for Blood! I know it's wrong but I'm angry!
Weep-Weep.
"Let no man write my epithet."
Criminals in a suit and tie are terrorists too, ya know Pilgrims?
Agreed. So we take the people responsible for this mess, Reverend Jones and the producer of the movie, and parachute them into the middle of Libya and let nature take its course.
If you think one guy can piss of a hornet nest..Maybe he should be elected President..Obama has no balls and goes and say im sorry.....
May the Souls of the Real American Heroes Rest in Peace. They died for their Country. May God give the Strength and Courage to their Families and Friends to bear this Huge Loss. GOD Bless the Americans. GOD BLESS THE USA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)
Oh my, how romantic: "He died for his country." Hell, so did Hitler, Stalin and hopefully "W" in a few more months. I mean, you murder 1.4m civilians in Iraq -and you've got some pretty nasty things coming at ya, right W?"
At least the man had balls to make a different.While Obama has no balls to do anything in the past 4 years.
The Hope and change you can count on...Pffffft!
Then, all you whiners should vote for the offshore Mormon banker, join the military, got to the Middle Esat and kill, kill, kill! Anything less means you Romney enablers are just "internet Rambos"!
There's also a few mercenary groups waiting for you blood-lusting turds to vent your whining! Go join 'em. No excuses!
BTW: Obamaq/Biden will win in 2012! No doubt!!
Obama will be vacating the White House as a result of his failed and incompetent apologetic policies in the Middle East. Radical Muslims have no respect for his weak responses to the killing of Americans in Libya with Arab Winter destructive demonstrations against American Embassies in the Middle East.
This Prez is a complete disaster and needed to be replaced yesterday.
Everyone... All jobs come with "Risks" to life-and-limbs.. If you want to take a job in an unstable country you do so and get paid for your job and take your lumps.. Stop burning the candle at both ends.. OR.. placing our young generation at risk of war for your Country's Political Mistakes.. It goes without saying.. Everybody supports their Troops.. BUT.. Not everybody supports their Country's Political Aggressions.. Hands up, if you think your "Quality-of-Life" has improved sense September 11th 2001..
From what I have been reading in the Alternative News (which in many ways is not more reliable, but gives a different WORLD view) is that the whole reason why we have wasted money and lives ousting Qaddafi in the first place is because he was doing business with the Chinese and although not a perfect government by far, it was none of our business even being there. Qaddafi apparently was also in negotiations or had already started building a massive solar array in the Libyan desert which was also apparently contracted with the Chinese government and/or corporations. The Untied States of Central North America just can't leave anyone alone. They just CAN'T! Why do you think our country is falling apart? Crooked Wall Street Banksters, War Mongering War Profiteering Military Weapons of Mass Destruction Manufacturers who for all intents and purposes, ARE the Elite. The DOD's annual budget is total INSANITY! No wonder we are in the situation that we're in. No wonder I can't find a decent job. No wonder there's no one to really vote for. That is, there are viable candidates to vote for, but those GOOD people never make into office, let alone are ever heard from on the Corporate Owned and Operated Main-Stream Media, because once again, the Main-Stream Media is owned BY the Elite. That is why you NEVER see the better choices for President (which are the Peace and Freedom Party, the Green Party or any of the other more than perfectly viable options for political office), which comes around to why we also do not and never will see or have what is called Roll-Over Voting. Because if we had Roll-Over Voting, there would NEVER EVER be a Republican in office ever again. Because the "Majority" of Americans aren't that stupid. Only the minority of mindless Tea Baggers are that stupid, because they are uneducated both politically as well as socially.
You may often hear the term: "Americans need to wake up." I think it's too late. AmeriKKKans are asleep and have been for quite a long time now. Look at all the mindless zombies who STILL keep their money in the Major Corporate Banks. Why? Why are they all this stupid? Why wouldn't they remove their money from these criminal corporations and put it in one of their local Credit Unions? The answer is because they are just plain stupid, that's why.
Oh well...and so we see that these ridiculous Civil Wars financed by ne'er-do-wells in high finance, and in the CIA and their shell companies and corporations and subsidiaries continue to sell arms to "Freedom Fighters?" just like they have been doing for decades around the world, financing the weapons sales with drug money, laundering it in these criminal banks on Wall Street and importing the drugs into and onto the inner-city streets of Amerikkka to poor, Black and Hispanic kids, perpetuation the existence of the gangs...when the real gangs are in plain sight in our state and federal capitols. Isn't the U.S. Military really just the most and best financed gang on the planet?
U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens' life and the lives of these other people who were with him were completely wasted. And it's a real shame, but then, the shame really lies on the ne'er-do-wells in Washington (Sewertown) D.C. and no where else.
Chris Stevens IS no more.... Mr. Obama because of your policy toward your fellow muslims.
He paid for AmeriKKKa's war crimes against the people of Somalia.
A nation where the price of one Hellfire anti-tank missile could keep 150 children from starving for 6 months.
Ambassador Stevens: Just another pale assed terrorist (with a tie) running a USAID/NED front for the CIA spooks.
AmeriKKKa spys on everyone and while it isn't authorized to vote in these countries the US 'puppet' always wins!!! Just take a look at what happened in Somalia this week as another US 'puppet' was (se)elected by the Great Satan to be Somalia's newest US 'puppet' president.
Our dearest Ambassador paid with his life for AmeriKKKa's war crimes against innocent civilians that have US hellfire missiles 'raining on their heads 24/7.'
Thoughts and prayers go to the families.
This attack had been planned for weeks, if not months. To know where the Ambassador would be, with the least amount of protection takes time and support. For Hillary to even mention the, "film", was a disgrace. That comment will haunt her in 2016. POTUS refuses to accept any accountability. Not with just this tragedy, but with each and every tragedy placed before him. To call the Ft. Hood terrorist shooting, work place violence, is just one of dozens of his deflect and distract type of Presidency follow from behind leadership.
May the Families of these fallen Heroes someday find Peace.
You are the usual petty right wing hack... toxic! Neighter Clinton or Obama are to blame, in any way.... has been blasted over and over again.... they are pi$$ed by a anti-muslim movie made in this country by another toxic hack.
The reaction is over the top and tragic. Stop intertwining your political desparation into it. Hopefully, all you puke baggers will die a natural death soon.
Obama/Biden 2012
Clinton/Warren 2016
The left shows it class by mentioning an irrelevant movie at the time 4 murdered Americans were being brought home. By making that statement, she was petty and politicized what was suppose to be a solemn moment. Not a time to stand on her wobbly soap box. Have a nice Day.
ABO 2012
Seems to me like if hussein usama thought he was exemplary, hussein could have looked at his intelligence briefings and had the ambassador and the others protected. Or removed. Usama did make his fund raiser though.
And then hussein usama lies about to protect his muslim brotherhood, just send more of our money there stupid.
not to worry just a bump in the road
Chris was all the things Obama isn't. What a disgrace to this country that clown is.