Poised to make its impact on the first presidential primaries of 2016 is a compelling major motion picture about the 2012 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.
Michael Bay’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” contains content that is likely to test the nerves of those who are working for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton while simultaneously pleasing those who are supporting Hillary’s chief opponent, the currently surging Bernie Sanders.
Despite the fact that the movie never once mentions Hillary by name, her presence is felt at key points in the drama that unfolds on the screen.
Most viewers are already cognizant of the fact that Hillary was the Secretary of State during the terrorist attack that occurred on Sept. 11, 2012, which resulted in the death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
However, the media in many cases have been largely deficient, if not altogether negligent, in their news coverage and in their duty to provide the public with all-important information.
Many viewers are likely to come away from the film experience with an increased knowledge regarding the details surrounding the tragic event and an enhanced understanding of the political fallout that continues to occur in its aftermath.
Based on a non-fiction book of the same name, “13 Hours” focuses on six CIA operatives who find themselves having to engage in a treacherous fight to defend the U.S. diplomatic compound in Libya.
With its opening on the extended Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, a sizable number of people, some of whom reside in Iowa, New Hampshire, and other noteworthy early primary states, has now been exposed to the facts surrounding the devastating attack.
Paramount apparently had right-of-center filmgoers in mind as its target audience when it marketed the movie. The studio had the film’s premiere in the Red State location of Dallas, Texas, holding the screening as a benefit for veterans and honoring the CIA contractors and those who died in Benghazi.
Bay acknowledged to a reporter that Dallas was “a great place to show it [the “13 Hours” movie] because it is the heartland of America.”
GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump even rented out an Iowa theater so that the public could view the film free of charge.
“Mr. Trump would like all Americans to know the truth about what happened at Benghazi,” Trump’s Iowa co-chair told The Des Moines Register.
Conservatives are welcoming the delivery of some crucial information via film, but so is a significant portion of self-identified Democrats who are Sanders supporters and who do not back the candidacy of Hillary.
Bay has, in essence, provided opposition research for those in this camp who wish to avail themselves of it.
“13 Hours” brings to the big-screen the true story of a small but powerful group of courageous Americans who take on the terrorists in Libya in order to try and save the lives of Americans who are at the official diplomatic compound and in terrible distress.
The movie shows that, at the time prior to the attack, the Benghazi compound was extremely vulnerable, despite numerous requests that were repeatedly made for heightened security.
The story line establishes that the ambassador’s residence and compound in Benghazi did not have sufficient protection.
Audience members watch the protagonist CIA operatives in the film as they are given a tour of the ambassador’s residence. They are shocked at the underwhelming size of Ambassador Stevens’s security staff.
Creating more consternation is the individual who is in charge of the diplomatic compound, Bob.
He is in total denial with respect to the danger that is imminent, telling the operatives that their presence is not necessary because, in his estimation, no real threat exists.
Filmgoers observe that the Hillary-led State Department fails to even attempt a rescue during the time period in which the ambassador and the other Americans are under fire.
Responding in part to the “13 Hours” book (source material for the film), spokespersons from the current administration claimed that there was no feasible way to launch a rescue at the time of the Benghazi attack.
However, the truth is that F-18 fighter jets were only about a one-hour flight away at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy. Released emails contradict the current administration’s statements.
For example, one email from an aide to former Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta, which was written on the day of the attack to aides of then-Sec. Clinton, read: “After consulting with General Dempsey, General Ham and the Joint Staff, we have identified the forces that could move to Benghazi. They are spinning up as we speak.”
In the film, not only does the administration fail to affirmatively initiate a rescue of those who are under attack, but the person in charge, Bob, uses the words “stand down” while ordering the six CIA operatives not to attempt a rescue of those who are trapped at the compound.
The six heroes disobey the “stand down” order and head to the compound anyway.
The current administration, especially then-Sec. Clinton, repeatedly claimed that the attack was a “spontaneous protest” caused by an Internet video.
In “13 Hours,” filmgoers see the CIA operatives react with disbelief as members of the administration blame the attack on protests that never happened.
All of the above points are highlighted in the movie and viewers of the film are able to soak in the reality of what actually occurred in Benghazi and what took place immediately afterwards and beyond.
As for Hillary, it is not a pretty picture.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read more reports from James Hirsen — Click Here Now.
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