Co-host of CNN’s “New Day” Alisyn Camerota said that the news that the U.S. would be evacuating its embassy in Yemen could be seen as “quite a blow the Obama administration.” (VIDEO: CNN Guest Says ‘Bigotry And Racism’ Behind Criticism Of Islam)
CAMEROTA: This seems like it could be seen as a blow t to Obama administration. It’s definitely going to be used by Republicans to criticize his foreign policy stance, because Yemen and cooperation with Yemeni government is something the president held up as a successful partnership in taking on terror.
CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT JIM SCIUTTO: That’s exactly right. And look, this is region-wide now. You have no diplomatic presence, no embassy in Yemen. None in Syria for a number of years now through the Civil War. Post-Benghazi, nothing in Libya and nothing in Somalia for a number of years. All of these places [are] hotbeds of terrorism…
I’m told by U.S. military officials that counter-terror operations will continue– that’s drone strikes, etc.– down here in the south. But you do lose something when you don’t have those key diplomatic relationships, when you’re not sharing information with the local government with is a partner. And now we see this in four of the countries, four failed states that are real threats to U.S. security. It’s a problem. A real loss.
[h/t GOPICYMI]