What happened in Benghazi has been scrutinized by a nonpartisan, hard-hitting Accountability Review Board, seven prior Congressional investigations, multiple news organizations, and, of course, our law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
So today I would like to share three observations about how we can learn from this tragedy and move forward as a nation.
First, America must lead in a dangerous world, and our diplomats must continue representing us in dangerous places.
The State Department sends people to more than 270 posts in 170 countries around the world.
Chris Stevens understood that diplomats must operate in many places where our soldiers do not, where there are no other boots on the ground, and safety is far from guaranteed. In fact, he volunteered for just those assignments.
He also understood we will never prevent every act of terrorism or achieve perfect security, and that we inevitably must accept a level of risk to protect our country and advance our interests and values.
And make no mistake: the risks are real. Terrorists have killed more than sixty-five American diplomatic personnel since the 1970s and more than a hundred contractors and locally employed staff.
Since 2001, there have been more than one hundred attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities around the world.
But if you ask our most experienced ambassadors, theyll tell you they cant do their jobs for us from bunkers.
It would compound the tragedy of Benghazi if Chris Stevens death and the death of the other three Americans ended up undermining the work to which he and they devoted their lives.
We have learned the hard way when America is absent, especially from unstable places, there are consequences. Extremism takes root, aggressors seek to fill the vacuum, and security everywhere is threatened, including here at home.
Thats why Chris was in Benghazi. Its why he had served previously in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jerusalem during the second intifada.