was restoring its ties to moammar gadhafi's regime.ed about this, you know, country that was really an enigma for so many years, to get in there and try and form relationships with the libyan people, after so many years, the u.s. had not had ties with the libyan people. and so, then, when he went back to benghazi as the envoy to the opposition, to the transitional national council, he really tapped in to that wide network of contact, and the tribes, libya's a very tribal society. many different groups, many different tribes. so he had contact throughout the whole country. not just in the civil society, but in the business community. he loved to entertain, and he loved to invite libyans over to his house, and so when they looked after the arab spring to appoint a new u.s. ambassador to libya, after the moammar gadhafi fell, really chris stevens was seen as the only person that could do it. his enthusiasm for libya really unparalleled. >> all right. elise labott live for us in washington. thank you for all of those details. again, u.s. a

involvement in libya, getting rid of moammar gadhafi, putting together a coalition with others to geti, that had bipartisan support. you had support not just of president obama and his team but from john mccain, joe lieberman, lindsey graham and republicans, adds well. this is a bipartisan initiative. nobody wanted gadhafi to stay in power. right now there's a fight developing between the romney campaign and the obama campaign on the statements they came out in the aftermath of cairo and to a certain degree libya. let's throw to viewers and let the viewers listen to what mitt romney said a little while ago referring to the initial statement that came out of the u.s. embassy in cairo. >> i think it's a -- a terrible course to -- for america to stand in apology for our values. that instead when our grounds are being attacked and being breached, that the first response to the united states must be outrage at the breach of the sovereignty of our nation. and apology for america's values is never the right course. >> he was referring to free speech and the aftermath of this controversial an

gadhafi was captured on that day breaking news out of libya reports that deposed the dictator moammar gadhafi is dead the libyan fighters say they have defeated the last forces loyal to more market off forty two years of terror seemingly ended just hours ago and there is the picture that is being circulated that is purported to be moammar gadhafi tripoli of celebration so what appears to be the end of a brutal era this is a huge day for the rebel forces the revolutionary forces in libya a huge day the end of a brutal era. do you think that you know what was communicated by the mainstream media here in the united states. you know did a good enough job in portraying what was actually happening on the ground there. really you just showed it just heard it every revolution has stages i mean look at the french revolution lasted thirty years from one bloody wave to another bloody way of every revolution in russia and in the middle east what we need to have been able to do was to locate those forces that are really ready to move liberal democracy as a really ready to move at least to some form of dem

in libya that's particularly true in the aftermath of 42 years of moammar gadhafi's rule and the emergence of some 300 militias in a brief eight-month period as the rebels fought to oust gadhafi. >> one final thought before i let you go, robin. if he were alive now, what would he want the u.s. to do in the short term as a result of what happened in libya this week? >> i think he would say waver not, do not fear the future. engage and also allow those on the ground to lead the way. let the libyans and egyptians and tunisians guide the united states and its allies on what role it can play, not try to go in heavy handed, as the united states has often done. i also think when it comes to his own death, he probably would have said make sure that these guys get a free and fair trial and that they reflect the new rule of law in libya. >> robin wright, thanks very much for coming in. >> thank you. >> up next, the former u.s. ambassador to morocco on the serge of violent protests against america. i'm only in my 60's... i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't

moammar gadhafi also had a condoleezza price problem in he loved condoleezza rice too much. when his compound in tripoli was overrun by rebel forces one thing he found in his living quarters was a mash book of pictures and clippings about condoleezza rice. every page a new thing about condoleezza rice. eke. gadhafi it turns out was also afraid of the top floors of buildings that had multiple floors. ga dauf dhafi also never liked to go anywhere without a ukrainian nurse. he had a whole fleet of ukrainian nurses. there was one familiar blond one he liked with him at all times. gadhafi's son once booked mariah carey to perform for the gadhafi family on a new year's eve bash on the island of st. barts. some of those weird things about gadhafi we learned once his regime fell last year when people started going through his creepy belongings. some of those things including the nurse thing, that we learned about gadhafi because of wikileak wikileaks, related to libya were released in late 2010 and early 2011 around the time the rebel uprising was starting in that country. one of th

dollars with warships off the coast of libya attacking the moammar gadhafi regime for the purposes ofransitioning libya without a stated or defined policy of who we were supporting, what we hoped to gain, the geopolitical view of those who might come in to power an now the president continues to operate in an area where he has no articulated policy and now four americans, and our ambassador is dead and the president is yet to be able to describe what has occurred and what is the president's policy? why is it the president is operating a year after having attacked libya without a policy. >> congressman, to be fair, and support of the president and policy will point out that time was of the essence given moammar gadhafi's intention to go hout house to house and kill them like rats or words to that affect. you and senator jim demint have requested any diplomatic cables that might have come from embassy chris stevens. what are you hoping to learn, senator from those cables? >> first of all, it was myself and the senator from tennessee. >> sorry. first of all, cnn uncovered the diary of cr

where of course the libyan protesters or the libyan people who are against the government of moammar gadhafi had really welcome to us intervention called western intervention to help them overthrow the former leader and they are but this iteration in libya is really escalating in the sense that the u.s. president has promised to send a team of marines to the ground the security situation there we've also heard that u.s. war destroyers are unable we're just going to be sent to that area supposedly to help with potential humanitarian assistance and evacuations of the of course remains to be seen how that will work out and also reports of unmanned surveillance drones potentially being deployed according to president obama in libya to help them supposedly hunt down the people responsible for these attacks although it's really quite unclear how that's going to play out. well you can see the latest uproar from across the muslim world following our correspondent on twitter it's a fast moving story no way to talk to us in detroit the united states we're very pleased to say. he's editor of the pan-af

moammar gadhafi didn't permit institutions, civil institutions. he ruled, he was an autocratic dictator. and we knew that. so when he was overthrown, the new government was going to need support, long-term support. they have their own money from oil. they needed help building civil institutions. >> sounds like ambassador stevens wanted to play an integral role in helping that support, the next chapter, if you will, of libya, and his life tragically cut short. fran townsend, thank you so much for calling in. if you get any more information call us back. listening to her speak i can't help but think of the images, our coverage of benghazi, really the birthplace of the revolution, the rebel movement, and here it is the same city in which the ambassador, who wanted to help libyans -- >> who played such a key role in that >> -- was killed. we're sitting on a bunch of shale gas. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe.

now, it's been almost ooh year since moammar gadhafi was killed.'s head over now live to cairo, egypt, where the protests continue outside the u.s. embassy there. there's tear gas molotov cocktails. our ian lee is there. and could you bring us up to speed on the very latest? the last time we were there, there were a lot of protesters a lot of flag burning. what's the situation now? >> reporter: well, zoraida, what's going on right now is if you look behind me, you can see roughly about 200 protesters squaring off with police, about 100 yards away from the u.s. embassy. and what we're seeing here really is a battle of attrition. on one side you have the police, on the other, the protesters. this battle has been raging for about 12 hours now. neither side really committed to taking on the other and trying to finish this. the police have a perimeter set around the embassy. they're not pushing too far outside that perimeter and the protesters are able to regroup and retry. the protesters seem determined, but they do not have the numbers, really, to bre

ambassador chris stevens was one of the first to arrive in libya after the uprising there against moammar gadhafi. he was killed in the attack on the u.s. embassy and today he along with the three others who were killed receiveed a hero's welcome. an honor guard carried the caskets of those killed. chris stevens, sean smith and tyrone woods and glen doherty all died on the 11th anniversary of 9/11. president obama, vice president joe biden and secretary of state hillary clinton were all there for the arrival home. >> today we bring home four americans who gave their lives for our country and our values. >> chris stevens was everything america could want in an ambassador. how he first went into the peace corps, during the revolution he arrived in libya on that ship. and in benghazi he layed down his life for his friends. libyan and american. and for us all. >> libyan authorities say they have arrested four people in connection with the attack. >>> high temperatures today were cooler than yesterday. especially down in the south bay and also in the north bay. temperatures running in the 70s this aft

leader, one of the first american diplomats sent to libya in 2007 and helped free the people from moammar gadhafi >> he was exactly the kind of american ambassador that any of us would want in that post because he understood libyans and libyans like him >> in his video he made it clear that he liked them >> i was thrilled to watch the libyan people stand up and demand their rights >> he was called a natural diplomat, someone who did not stay in his office but would go out into the community. in may he was named u.s. ambassador to libya. last night he and three others were killed in an attack on the u.s. consulate. >> my understanding is that the reason he was killed was that he went back into save his people, his employees >> stevens graduated from piedmont high school and then went to uc-berkeley >> he was a fun-loving man who knew how to get things done but to do them with a smile on his face. relentlessly optimistic >> he joined the peace corps and attended hastings law school. he set out to make a difference in the world >> such a waste. i'm sorry. >> he is described as idealistic, unpretenti

>> reporter: we did amazing work in libya to help depose moammar gadhafi. but at the same time, there are real elements in tunisia, libya, that are really quite against the american interests. if you look at the polling, very high percentages, it will be hard for the governments that are trying to formulate themselves and try to regain control of the nations and control the negative elements of the society. >> michael lighter, thank you very much for joining us from washington. and now, to how all of it became political today in the race for president. mitt romney somehow wanted today to be about america apologizing for its values, even after it became clear that today was about the death of an american ambassador and others, in one of two attacks on american interests on 9/11, no less. and instead of backing away, romney doubled down on his position. our chief political correspondent chuck todd has been following this all day. >> reporter: good evening, well, last night, mitt romney turned the attack and brought it into the presidential campaign, despite b

was trying to restore its ties with libya after decades with moammar gadhafi.en when the conflict happened, the air spring, he was the representative to the rebels, to the transitional government. and so when president obama and secretary clinton were looking for an ambassador to head up the u.s. embassy and represent the u.s. in libya, with this new government there was really no other man for the job, he was really dieing to go back, and, in fact, he was so excited and told friends and colleagues and, in fact, i was at his swearing in, that he was so excited to go back to the country that he loved. and he just felt at home there, and he was really fondly remembered here today in the last few days of the state department, don. >> to a person everyone has said nothing but glowing reviews and glowing remarks about christopher stevens, and his commitment to -- not a job for him, this was his career, this was his passion, this is what he loved. the secretary of state, elise, said he loved libya. he loved doing his work there. >> he really -- you know what one of h

in many ways he helped them achieve the liberation of moammar gadhafi so it is even more tragic thatng from cairo. just about to go to the state department. secretary clinton expected to speak any minutes. just a couple of other minutes from the statement released by the state department and secretary clinton a little earlier. she says all the americans we lost in yesterday's attacks have made the ultimate sacrifice. we condemn this vicious and violent attack that took their lives which they had committed to helping the libyan people reach for a better future. america's diplomats and development experts stand on the front lines every day for our country. we are honored by the service each and every one of them gives. andrea mitchell. >> andrea mitchell at the state department. this is the first ambassador killed in the line of duty, andrea, since 1979. >> and, of course, that was in afghanistan. that's with the russian invasion of afghanistan, so this is an extraordinary occurrence, and it should be overlooked that three other americans, including a foreign service officer, at least

ambassador arrived in benghazi via cargo ship last year during an uprising that would defeat moammar gadhafi's regime. the ambassador held together different groups that would soon form libya's government. >> every where chris and his team went in libya, in a country scattered by war and tyranny they were hailed as friend and partners. >> reporter: after the civil war ended president obama asked stevens to be the next ambassador to tripoli. he made video to introduce himself. my name is chris stevens and i'm the new u.s. ambassador to libya. >> reporter: he's the sixth u.s. ambassador killed in the line of duty. also killed in the attack was sean smith, the father of two served for ten years as an information management officer for the state department. he was also well-known in the online gaming community. this morning a mystery surrounds the online firm that may have prompted the violent protest. cbs news hasn't been able to find any record of sam basil the person identified as the filmmaker. the name may be an ali as. steve kline was involved on the film. he said he has no regrets. >> i cou

egypt and tunisia have held free election, libya's dictator, moammar gadhafi was deposed and killed. but the president argued those countries can't achieve democracy without sacrifice. >> i will always defend their right to do so. >> reporter: the president went into great detail about everything the u.s. had done to promote democracy in the very countries where protests are now taking place outside u.s. embassies. >> mr. obama used his address to take aim at iran. >> the iranian government props up a dictator in damascus and supports terrorist groups abroad. time and again it has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad did not respond to mr. obama's remarks. he said he didn't want to influence the presidential election. tuesday he told the associated press a new world order needs to emerge from years of which he described as american bullying and domination. mahmoud ahmadinejad scheduled to address the general assembly this morning. you can see our interview a little later on cbs "this morning." >>>

egypt and tunisia have held free elections, libya's dictator, moammar gadhafi was deposed and killed. but the president argued those countries can't achieve democracy without embracing freedom of expression. >> as president of our country and commander-in-chief of our military i accept people will call me awful things every day. and i will always defend their right to do so. >> reporter: the president went into great detail about everything the u.s. had done to promote democracy in the very countries where protests are now taking place outside u.s. embassies. >> mr. obama used his address to take aim at iran. >> the iranian government props up a dictator in damascus and supports terrorist groups abroad. time and again it has failed to take the opportunity to demonstrate that its nuclear program is peaceful. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad did not respond to mr. obama's remarks. he said he didn't want to influence the presidential election. tuesday he told the associated press a new world order needs to emerge from years of which he described as american bullying and dominatio

the islamic militias are a legacy of the uprising that killed moammar gadhafi they are also accused of intimidation and carrying out extrajudicial killings journalist anthony while says america's foreign policy has the stabilize the region. the cause of what we're seeing here today is many decades of foreign policy that backs interventionist type of occupation in countries around the world the middle east is just another region that has been destabilized as the us who really play the role as the front line bullies and the international spread of democracy on behalf of western intel the u.s. has built you know over nine hundred bases one hundred forty five countries around the world spreading democracy at the end of a gun barrel or with drones flying overhead force. citizens that never asked for the for the us invitation to come to the envoys to come into the into their countries to democratize them is what is causing these these conflicts that you're seeing today this crisis is warranted because of us foreign policy and the interventionist style the tactics that are utilized in order t

and introduce national police an army the militia groups can comprise mainly rebels that topple moammar gadhafilast year people however blame them on numerous security breaches and lawlessness last week as have all those rallies turned violent protesters stormed their headquarters. recent muslim protests sparked by a single video posted online underlines just how powerful it all the internet is now so-called hacker chapters there are now spreading across the arab world are seen as a way to promote in the panel journalism but as a policy reports the groups could and of being used by governments to promote their own agenda. each day across the world millions of fingers fly across keyboards with the power to break through some of the toughest security fire walls this is the most powerful weapon streams of darter flashing across the computer screens of the world in the blink of an eye information that can promote provoke and educate people. to talk. to that or not that i mean. physically attacking the clinic and that's where you will find a lot of hearkens grown up in this political situation and t

workers when really they were the people that were invited into the country to help them overthrow moammar gadhafi and so it's a really really contradictory sort of situation but we do also have to keep in mind that some of the islamic militant groups in libya have been suspected of trying to put together this kind of situation in the past in june there was a reported bombing attempt of the very same building in the that was stopped and no one was injured but again it's a really tense situation and it only looks like this is going to inflame attitudes across the arab world by the way we're bringing you live pictures from cairo right now. seems like the u.s. is not trusting. washington. right. well i mean the big question here is why there wasn't more security in the first place but yes that is correct we have heard from president obama that a team of u.s. marines is actually going to be making its way right now off to libya to try to help boost security there we've also heard reports of possible warships moving towards the area again to supplement security and we also heard reports of potential lo

to senior officials who worked for moammar gadhafi on trial in libya accused of abusing public money earmarked to compensate the families of victims of the lockerbie bombing both deny using the money to try and make the families drop the charges against libya the nineteen eighty eight bombing of a pan on flight of the lockerbie in scotland killed two hundred seventy people would surely be accepted responsibility for in just hours and three. u.s. officials are using an antiquated law to charge seven occupy acts of its for blocking the entrance to the port of houston in texas last december and activists wrongly garza is one of those facing prosecution and he told our say that the government's free speech repression is creation problems where none exist. it seems that it was it was a set up from the beginning because as obscure as this law is for some reason one of the arresting officers knew it was a felony and while we were out there on the road this was this was a rest they made under a tent they brought out of a larger attention covered us before they actually arrested us but before

and other western countries to help overthrow moammar gadhafi and so it's quite ironic and sad frankly to see the same people who the u.s. helped overthrow gadhafi rise up and attack the embassy there and we do also have to keep in mind there's been protest over this film also in tunisia back to libya and we have heard from president barack obama that a team of marines is being shipped out to the area to stabilize the situation there we've also heard potential navy destroyer ship and another. goal being to deploy to the area supposedly for humanitarian assistance and possible evacuations of though that's not been confirmed and we've also more disturbingly heard reports of drones unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles being deployed to the area to supposedly hunt for so-called radical groups there although it's quite unclear how that's actually going to play out and how they're going to get them out of the area once the situation stabilizes so very disturbing developments here in the middle east. so clashes have been breaking out in cairo for a second day over the u.s. made film which de

two senior officials who work for moammar gadhafi are on trial in libya accused of abusing public money earmarked to compensate the families of victims of the lockerbie bombing by was denied using the money to try and make their families drop charges against libya the eighty eight bombing of upon our flight over lockerbie in scotland killed two hundred seventy people which would be accepted responsibility for in two thousand and three. card a second in command in the arab peninsula has allegedly been killed by a missile during a military operation in yemen sayed al sharif orchestrated attacks and kidnappings across the country and had previously been detained for nearly six years and gone on a mowbray i discovered grantor is believed to be the walls of the most active of the alleged death of al sharif would be a serious blow to the group. u.s. officials are using an antiquated low to charge law to charge seven occupy acts of its for blocking the entrance to the port of houston in texas last december and activist ronnie garza is one of those facing prosecution and he told r.t. that the g