US News

‘Secret’ Libya fear

A “secret” State Department cable emerged yesterday that contradicted the White House story about the terror attack in Libya, just as President Obama and Mitt Romney launched their final cross-country blitzes before Tuesday’s election.

Officials at the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, held an “emergency meeting” less than a month before the deadly terrorist assault because they feared the consulate couldn’t defend against “a coordinated attack,” a newly revealed cable showed.

The Aug. 16 cable, marked “secret” and sent to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and others, sounded an alert about 10 Islamist militias and al Qaeda training camps in Benghazi, Fox News said.

In the cable, State’s senior security officer “expressed concerns with the ability to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support and the overall size of the compound.”

It contradicts the Obama administration’s assertion that the Sept. 11 attack that killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans came without warning.

The State Department declined to comment, noting that the cable was classified and that an independent board is conducting “a thorough review of the assault.”

Meanwhile, Obama and Romney kicked their campaigns into high gear for the final stretch of the race — as they begin crisscrossing the country nonstop until Tuesday’s election.

Both went on attack after observing a self-imposed cease-fire this week during Hurricane Sandy.

As he barnstormed across the swing state of Virginia, Romney mocked Obama for suggesting the creation of a secretary of business.

“We’ve got to have a president who understands business as opposed to trying to hire someone in the Cabinet that has a background in business,” Romney declared to cheers from a crowd in Doswell, Va.

Romney made three stops in Virginia, a state Obama flipped Democrat in 2008 but which is key to Romney’s electoral strategy.

Romney today will campaign in Wisconsin and Ohio.

Obama tried to keep milking his commander-in-chief moment from Hurricane Sandy.

He sported a leather bomber jacket emblazoned with the presidential seal at his first rally of the day in Green Bay, Wis., hoping to cut off Romney’s attempt to expand the electoral map for Republicans.

Obama took shots at Romney, while deploying some of the same calls for unity that he made during an appearance in storm-scarred New Jersey with Republican Gov. Chris Christie Wednesday.

“We need a vision that says we don’t just look out for ourselves — we look out for one another,” Obama said.

The president accused Romney of using his “salesman” talents to push old Republican policies that he said caused the economic collapse.

“Well, let me tell you, Wisconsin, we know what change looks like, and what the governor’s offering sure ain’t change,” he said.

He also stumped yesterday in Nevada and Colorado and plans to blanket Ohio today.