Barack Obama on Benghazi: 'If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal'

PUBLISHED: 16:44 EST, 18 October 2012 | UPDATED: 17:19 EST, 18 October 2012

President Barack Obama, during an interview to be shown on Comedy Central, has responded to a question about his administration's communications after the Benghazi attack, responded by saying: 'If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.'

Obama was speaking to Jon Stewart of The Daily Show for a programme to be broadcast tonight.

Stewart, a liberal whose audience of young voters is prized by the Obama campaign, asked the president about his handling of the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

Not optimal: President Barack Obama, pictured left, discussed the killing of four men in Benghazi while speaking to Jon Stewart, right, on The Daily Show

Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith and former U.S. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Ty Woods were killed by terrorists on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 - an attack that the White House initially blamed on a spontaneous protest about an anti-Islam movie made in California.

Stewart asked: 'Is part of the investigation helping the communication between these divisions?

'Not just what happened in Benghazi, but what happened within.

Killed: Ambassador Chris Stevens, left and diplomat Sean Smith were among those killed in the attack on Benghazi

'Because I would say, even you would admit, it was not the optimal response, at least to the American people, as far as all of us being on the same page.'

Obama responded: 'Here's what I’ll say. If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.'

He continued: 'We’re going to fix it. All of it. And what happens, during the course of a presidency, is that the government is a big operation and any given time something screws up.

Attack: The men were killed in the September 11 assault on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, pictured

Ablaze: The fighters who attacked the U.S. consulate came armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars

Rage: A protester hols his rifle during the assault on the Benghazi consulate

'And you make sure that you find out what’s broken and you fix it.

'Whatever else I have done throughout the course of my presidency the one thing that I’ve been absolutely clear about is that America’s security comes, and the American people need to know exactly how I make decisions when it comes to war, peace, security, and protecting Americans.

'And they will continue to get that over the next four years of my presidency.'