Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday tried to douse a political firestorm over the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya , saying she 's responsible for the security of American diplomatic outposts . `` I take responsibility , '' Clinton told CNN in an interview while on a visit to Peru . `` I 'm in charge of the State Department 's 60,000-plus people all over the world , 275 posts . The president and the vice president would n't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals . They 're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision . '' But she said an investigation now under way will ultimately determine what happened at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi , where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed on September 11 . `` I take this very personally , '' Clinton said . `` So we 're going to get to the bottom of it , and then we 're going to do everything we can to work to prevent it from happening again , and then we 're going to work to bring whoever did this to us to justice . '' VP debate left unanswered national security questions . The attack took place in the eastern Libyan city that was the cradle of that country 's 2011 revolution . Obama administration officials initially blamed a mob inflamed by a U.S.-produced movie that mocked Islam and its Prophet Mohammed , but later said the storming of the consulate appears to have been a terrorist attack . With criticism growing , Vice President Joe Biden said during last week 's vice presidential debate that the White House did not know of requests to enhance security at Benghazi , contradicting testimony by State Department employees that requests had been made and rejected . After the debate , the White House said the vice president did not know of the requests because they were handled , as is the practice , by the State Department . Fact Check : Benghazi security . `` In the wake of an attack like this , in the fog of war , there 's always going to be confusion , '' Clinton said . `` And I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence . Everyone who spoke tried to give the information that they had . As time has gone on , that information has changed . We 've gotten more detail , but that 's not surprising . That always happens . '' She added , `` What I want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game . '' `` I know that we 're very close to an election , '' Clinton said . `` I want to just take a step back here and say from my own experience , we are at our best as Americans when we pull together . I 've done that with Democratic presidents and Republican presidents . '' Her remarks drew a quick response from three Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee , including ranking member John McCain . Clinton 's statement of responsibility was `` a laudable gesture , especially when the White House is trying to avoid any responsibility whatsoever , '' the Arizona senator said in a joint broadside with Sens . Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire . However , they added , `` The security of Americans serving our nation everywhere in the world is ultimately the job of the commander-in-chief . The buck stops there . '' Stevens , State Department computer expert Sean Smith and security contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods died in the Benghazi assault , which State Department officials now say was the work of dozens of armed men . Clinton also described a desperate scene in the State Department during the hours of the attack , as staff tried to find out what had happened . `` This was a many-hour ordeal that we were all involved in , and I was deeply concerned as you would obviously assume , to hear about an attack , '' she said . Not only was the picture coming out of Libya murky , but also , `` Then we could n't find Ambassador Stevens , and we were trying desperately to figure out what happened to him and to Sean Smith and to the others who were there . '' Actress sues filmmaker . Clinton said her mission now is to make sure such an attack will never happen again , and also to ensure the work of American diplomats wo n't be stopped even in dangerous areas like Benghazi . `` We ca n't retreat . We have to continue to lead . We have to be engaged , '' she said . `` We ca n't hang out behind walls . '' She said Stevens , who came to Benghazi on a cargo ship to start building ties with rebel leaders during last year 's revolt , `` knew that more than anybody . '' Special forces assessed security at Benghazi . Two ex-SEALs died protecting others . U.S. beefs up diplomatic security .
`` What I want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game , '' Clinton says . `` I take this very personally , '' she says . Diplomats need security but `` ca n't hang out behind walls , '' she adds .