I urge voters to carefully consider our government’s response to the assassination of our ambassador to Libya and three other brave men in Benghazi when you consider whom to choose to be our next president.

Recent testimony and emails confirm that there were repeated requests for help to beef up security at the embassy before the al-Qaeda mortar attacks on Sept. 11. The ongoing attempts by President Barack Obama and other members of his staff to blame this on a little-known video have proved to be false.

Now comes the news that CIA operatives on the ground twice asked for permission to help Ambassador Chris Stevens and his staff and they were told twice to stand down. Later requests for military backup were also denied.

It is a horrible thing to think that these men could have been saved if experienced personnel had been able to defend them. The coverup that has ensued pales in comparison with Watergate, in which no lives were lost.

The father of deceased former Navy SEAL Tyrone Wood was recently interviewed and revealed details of meeting Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton at the memorial service for his son, just days after the attack.

I am embarrassed by their responses to him, from Biden’s crude remarks to the seemingly insincere apology Obama offered. This event reveals much about Obama’s inexperience, his ability to choose competent advisers and his truthfulness to the American people.

Kimberly Babb

Pine Grove Mills