Clinton: Chris Stevens Would Reject Trying To Diplomacy from a ‘Bunker’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

HILLARY CLINTON: "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 65 American diplomatic personnel since the 1970s and more than 100 contractors and locally employed staff. Since 2001, there have been more than 100 attacks on U.S. Diplomatic facilities around the world. But if you ask our most experienced ambassadors, they will tell you, they can't 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. That's why Chris was in Benghazi. It's why he had served previously in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem during the second intifada. Nobody knew the dangers of Libya better. A weak government, extremist groups, rampant instability. But Chris chose to go to Benghazi because he understood --"