Fiasco – Benghazi: Episode 4 – Feckless
Host: Leon Neyfakh
Release Date: September 22, 2025
Podcast: Pushkin Industries
Episode Summary by Segment with Key Quotes and Insights

Brief Overview

This episode of Fiasco delves into the immediate political fallout from the 2012 Benghazi attack, exploring how it collided with the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Host Leon Neyfakh traces the escalation of the tragedy into a full-blown political scandal, analyzing decisions made by the Mitt Romney campaign, the Obama administration’s evolving narrative, and the media frenzy that followed. The episode highlights how Benghazi became a turning point in the weaponization of information in the social media age and set the stage for years of controversy and conspiracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: 9/11/2012 and the Campaign Truce (02:00–07:45)

• It's the anniversay of 9/11. Both the Obama and Romney campaigns agreed to suspend negative campaigning out of respect (“We were going to keep making our case, but we were going to make our case affirmatively.” – Lanhee Chen, Romney chief policy advisor, 04:11).
• Protests erupt outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo over the anti-Muslim film Innocence of Muslims. The U.S. Embassy releases a statement condemning the video.

Notable Quote:

• “[The Obama] State Department actually apologized to the very radical Islamists who were demonstrating in hurting the feelings of Muslims. It’s just disgusting.” – Lou Dobbs, conservative commentator (08:15)

2. Breaking News: Attacks in Cairo and Benghazi (07:45–12:30)

• The Embassy statement does not prevent violence; flags are torn down in Cairo.
• News breaks that the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya has been attacked and an American is dead.
• Conservative media and the Romney campaign see an opportunity in what they frame as administration weakness and “apology.”

3. Romney’s Immediate Response and Calculations (12:30–20:30)

• The Romney team debates how aggressively to go after the Obama administration, ultimately crafting a statement before midnight to avoid the appearance of politicizing 9/11 itself.
• “[The statement] was aggressive. We debated the aggressiveness… by the end of the call, I was. That the more aggressive posture was the right one.” – Lanhee Chen (18:05)
• The statement accuses Obama of sympathizing with the attackers, not condemning the violence.
• Romney personally approves: “Okay, that sounds about right to me… let it rip.” (19:12)
• The statement is released at 10:24pm ET (19:44).

Notable Moment:

• “[If you’d said] that night…that we would still be talking about that night and the events that transpired years later, I would have said, yeah, maybe it’s a blip in history.” – Leon Neyfakh (21:10)

4. Political Fallout and GOP Divisions (26:20–36:00)

• Next morning, Romney’s statement receives widespread criticism for politicizing a tragedy (“…it just sounds cynical and gross. It’s so patently political. It really gives you pause” – Critic, 27:55).
• Even GOP national security surrogates hesitate to defend Romney’s move (“…they were either not on board or they wanted to speak to me…before they were willing to get out there and say something.” – Chen, 29:20).
• Top Republicans (McConnell, Boehner) and John McCain offer condolences but avoid attacking Obama or endorsing Romney’s line.
• Conservative media figures like Rush Limbaugh and Breitbart defend Romney, framing criticism as coordinated media deflection.

5. The Feckless Narrative and Sticking to the Message (36:00–41:30)

• The Romney campaign decides not to walk back their attack (“The guy who wrote a book called No Apology simply could not apologize.” – Neyfakh, 40:25).
• Chen publicly calls Obama’s foreign policy “feckless”—a line repeated throughout the campaign.

Notable Exchange:

• “Mitt Romney said that you are America’s most feckless president since Carter. What would you like to say to Mr. Romney?”
  “I’d tell him to go feck himself.” (40:50)

6. National Security Concerns and Rising Global Protests (41:30–52:40)

• Widespread anti-American demonstrations across the Muslim world after Friday prayers, some peaceful, others violent (“…we didn’t really have time to immediately mourn and focus on the Benghazi attacks…We were so worried about whether there could be another Benghazi someplace else.” – Tommy Vietor, National Security Council, 52:05)
• U.S. embassies in Yemen, Sudan, and other countries attacked.
• Administration is consumed by efforts to harden global diplomatic outposts.

7. Unraveling the Timeline: Spontaneous Protest or Planned Attack? (52:40–1:06:45)

• Confusion reigns whether Benghazi began as a spontaneous protest or pre-planned terrorist attack.
• Fox News quickly asserts it was a planned Al Qaeda assault, not related to the film.
• Officials, including Susan Rice on Sunday shows, initially cite intelligence suggesting events stemmed from anger over the video.
• Intelligence community begins to revise assessments as facts emerge (“Intelligence officials acknowledged they originally got it wrong.” – Neyfakh, 1:05:30).
• “It was a fucking mess, man. It was really hard to figure out what’s going on.” – Tommy Vietor (1:07:15)

8. The "Cover-Up" Narrative Emerges (1:07:15–1:19:00)

• Fox News and Republicans suggest the administration is engaged in a cover-up to protect Obama politically (“…it was a very big deal for them to pin all of this on the video…when somebody goes out and sticks to a story like that and it’s just not true…” – Pamela K. Brown, Fox News producer, 1:12:30).
• FOIA requests uncover warnings about Benghazi compound’s vulnerabilities, increasing pressure on the State Department (1:13:25).

9. Investigations and Lingering Doubts (1:19:00–1:34:50)

• Congressional and media scrutiny increase, and new revelations (e.g., requests for more security were denied) fuel the scandal.
• Lawmakers and Fox News push for independent counsel or hearings, intensifying the partisan battle.

10. Political Ramifications & the 2012 Election (1:34:50–1:49:00)

• Romney’s poll numbers surge after first debate and ongoing Benghazi controversy, though the exact impact is unclear.
• During the second presidential debate (Oct 16, 2012), Benghazi comes up:
  • Obama emphasizes he called it an “act of terror” the day after the attack.
  • Romney insists it took two weeks for the administration to label it terrorism.
  • Fact-checking ensues, leading to confusion about semantics (“act of terror” vs. “terrorist attack”).
• “There was a distinction between terror and terrorism…we felt it took on a different tone…” – Lanhee Chen (1:46:10)

11. Aftermath: Scandal Overtakes Tragedy (1:49:00–end)

• “Soon, the attack in Benghazi became simply Benghazi.” (1:50:10)
• Obama wins re-election amid persistent Benghazi controversy.
• Attention shifts to Hillary Clinton and the congressional investigations to come. Fox News amplifies doubts about Clinton’s commitment to testify after her fainting and concussion.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s a fucking mess, man. It was really hard to figure out what’s going on… you have to allow for shifting explanations. It takes time to figure out what happens. I promise you—when I would walk into Situation Room meetings, there was not some conversation about, ‘how do we spin this?’”
  – Tommy Vietor (1:07:15)
• “If these groups had emailed the State Department and said: ‘Here’s the time, here’s the place, and here’s the method of the attack.’”
  – Kathryn Herridge, Fox News (1:14:00)
• “A terrorist attack, an act of terrorism versus an act of terror…Obama had not called it terrorism, he called it an act of terror, but not an act of terrorism. That was the distinction.”
  – Lanhee Chen (1:46:40)
• “On the night of the attack, Mitt Romney looked uncouth and opportunistic… By the time the election ended, those days were long gone and Benghazi had become a political event first and foremost.”
  – Leon Neyfakh (1:51:56)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Description | |--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:11 | Lanhee Chen on the campaign “truce” for 9/11 | | 08:15 | Lou Dobbs slams embassy “apology” | | 12:30–20:30 | Romney team’s crisis deliberation and aggressive statement | | 19:44 | Romney approves and sends the statement | | 27:55 | Initial media and GOP criticism of Romney’s statement | | 29:20 | GOP surrogates hesitant to defend Romney | | 40:50 | Obama, paraphrased: “I’d tell him to go feck himself.” | | 52:05 | Tommy Vietor on White House security panic post-Benghazi | | 1:05:30 | Intelligence officials admit initial assessment was wrong | | 1:07:15 | Tommy Vietor: “It was a fucking mess…” | | 1:13:25 | State Department cables warning about Benghazi vulnerability | | 1:14:00 | Kathryn Herridge: warnings couldn’t have been more specific | | 1:46:10 | Semantic debate: “act of terror” vs. “terrorist attack” | | 1:51:56 | Benghazi becomes political shorthand |

Tone & Style

The episode maintains a detailed, investigative tone, blending firsthand accounts (from campaign officials, journalists, and government spokespeople) with archival audio, journalistic skepticism, and a wry sense of historical perspective. The storytelling is brisk yet carefully sourced, often pausing to reflect on the long-term consequences and semantics that would shape the debate for years to come.

For Further Listening

The next episode continues with the story: Benghazi gets a whistleblower.