The Air Force has one fewer $400 million F-22 Raptors in its inventory due to an ‘incident’ on Tyndall Air Force Base. The pilot assigned to the 325^th Fighter Wing declared an emergency and ejected safely. The aircraft impacted within the perimeter of the base.

The Air Force has stated that the accident had nothing to do with the problematic oxygen system in the F-22.

As news of the record criminal fine levied against BP for the Deepwater Horizon disaster was echoing around the Gulf Coast, a fire on another Gulf oil platform was reported. Two people are missing and four are badly burned on the shallow-water platform South of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

The initial report is that the platform was shut down for maintenance when the accident occurred, so only a minimal amount of oil has leaked into the Gulf and the fire was put out quickly. I hope they can understand why Gulf Coast residents might not wholeheartedly accept that initial conclusion.

Kathy Kattenburg at the Agonist has a round-up of people trying to figure out what the ‘scandal’ is regarding Benghazi.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) got fed up at the House hearing and flat told the Republicans that they had a large responsibility for what happened because they cut the funding for embassy security.

McCain lost his control when a reporter pointed out that he and other Senators are complaining that they aren’t being informed at press conferences they schedule at the same time as classified briefings on the subject and they don’t bother to look at the thousands of pages of classified materials that have been provided.

UN Ambassador Susan Rice is apparently in trouble because she doesn’t reveal classified information that would identify sources and methods when appearing on Sunday talk shows. Apparently Senators rely on Sunday talk shows to find out what is going on, rather than attending classified briefings by intelligence agencies.

Take Out

Is he gone? …Shhh!

[Editor: Mini-Sox and his tabby sibling are waiting for me to leave to have a kibble snack.]

Friday Ark