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Video: Former Navy SEALs Launch Attack Ad on President Obama
A group called OPSEC, made up of ex U.S. Navy SEALs, Special Forces and CIA operatives, has created a video attack against President Obama, reports the Daily Mail.
In the opening of their 22-minute video (below), Ben Smith, a former Navy SEAL, says: "Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not. As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy. It will get Americans killed."
However, President Obama has never claimed that he killed Osama Bin Laden and gave immense credit to the Navy SEAL team that did.
Scott Taylor, chairman of OPSEC, told Reuters: "We want the American people to understand the cost of these leaks and politicization both on those who serve and on our national security and to hold those in positions of leadership accountable if it doesn’t stop."
Taylor failed to win the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in Virginia in 2010.
Fred Rustmann, a former CIA operative, said the Obama administration has been leaking "to help this guy get re-elected, at the expense of peoples' lives."
However, neither Taylor or Rustmann named any specific leaks or present any proof of people dying.
Untouched by the OPSEC video attack is Admiral William McRaven, who oversaw the Bin Laden raid and gave President Obama credit.
The Daily Mail quotes Admiral McRaven as saying: "At the end of the day, make no mistake about it, it was the president of the United States that shouldered the burden for this operation, that made the hard decisions, that was instrumental in the planning process, because I pitched every plan to him."
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Comments
State of Reason said:
State of Reason said:
"Obama is just another politician. He's better than many in a lot of ways. He hasn't done some of the things I've wanted him to do but he's done surprisingly well considering the situation he's in with an economy that was losing 800K jobs each month when he started and has added jobs almost every month since the stimulus started to take effect. Also, given that congress has decided that destroying him is more important than actually helping the country his hands are somewhat tied. Tell me how he's supposed to do his job when congress has voted over 30 times to repeal Obamacare (knowing full well they couldn't do it while he was in office) but haven't presented a single jobs bill?"
Thanks. You saved me from typing almost the same thing :)
I'm not fond of Mike Huckabee, but even he says that the GOP is more concerned about defeating President Obama than in the good of the country.
http://okhenderson.com/2012/01/03/huckabee-rs-more-interested-in-defeating-obama-than-in-rebuilding-usa-audio/
That this President has accomplished anything should be lauded considering the circumstances.
Blame for the current state of an economy that was on the verge of world wide collapse just four years ago can hardly be laid solely or even predominantly at the feet of the current president. Sure, he's made some less than stellar decisions - they all do. However, he helped stave off *massive* financial disaster. Can you imagine where the world would be if President Bush had served another term?
Obama is just a smoother
Obama is just a smoother talking representative lap dog of the international bankster war profiteering cabal than Bush or Romney would be. If not this would not happen: Northrop Grumman’s chief executive, Wes Bush, led the defense CEOs with $26.2 million (US Tax Dollars) in pay last year. Check this out: http://youtu.be/pZ7vQ9PJTlI Check out Revelations 2:9 Write in Bernie Sanders for President or WWIII will begin under either magic underwear man or Barry Soetoro. We are nothing more than the United States of Israel ZioNazi land until the Federal Reserve is recognized as a criminal organization and the Pentagon hierarchy of Satan is leveled to the ground.
This is from Wikipedia. "An
This is from Wikipedia.
"An OPSEC assessment is an intensive application of the OPSEC process to an existing operation or activity by a multidisciplined team of experts."
Now, I have to ask two questions: 1. Just who are the "EXPERTS?" Lamorte? Cowan? Taylor? Smith? Vallely? And 2. How do they come by having these data, the information about an operation, unless someone tied to the operation "LEAKS" it to any one of them or all of them?
I'm suggesting that this is a group of political parasites - something I can't stand - capitalizing on the credulity of our officials by advancing the notion that some quasi-intelligence group needs to filter through plans of operations to be conducted by our various forces to determine what the public is entitled to know about it and when it can be divulged./
Or is it a case, in the last analysis, a group of trouble-makers during an election year.
jaysea
I can't help but wonder why
I can't help but wonder why this Ben Smith, a "former" Seal, is now speaking out with some fabricated statement about the president's taking credit for Bin Laden's demise. For you who support this tripe, go to Snope's and see the fallacy of his statement. If it is as one of the posters claims that the Koch brothers are financing this trick, then it's just a cadre of scumbags who want to create distrust in our president's actions during this election year. It's typical guttersnipe behavior similar to the "Swiftboat" crap a few years ago.
jaysea
To any and all who take the
To any and all who take the time to read these and other posts, ask yourselves just how you would dole out the income that the government receives. What programs would you fund? Where would you add new programs, cut existing ones, modify those existing ones, and then take into account the legislative make-up that will allow expenditures or eliminate them as they deem necessary. How are you going to serve the political action committee folks clawing at your coat tails? Now tell yourself just how successful you think you'd be at accomplishing anything. In other words, visualize a walk in the shoes of a president.
jaysea
That's a great challenge.
That's a great challenge. I'll be interested in any replies you get.
I have an essay proposing a 95% rule. Every government agency, down to the smallest unit that submits a budget, would receive 95% of what it received the previous year. Mangers would be rated on how well they maintained their service on the reduced funding.
I suspect most departments could make up the by re-using paper clips.
No one could really complain if everyone had the same cuts.
Submitted by EyesWideOpen on
Submitted by EyesWideOpen on Aug 18, 2012. *new
"OMG means OBAMA MUST GO !!!"
Not on your life. This is worse pair of candidates than McCain/Palin was in '08.
The Romney/Ryan combo is not worthy for presidential consideration. Neither is qualified to fill those shoes. They both propose fanciful, foolish solutions to problems neither of them understands, and what their agendas will do to the citizens of this country will be devastating.
jaysea
jaysea32.... You make some
jaysea32.... You make some valid points, but I Cannot agree Romney/Ryan are a WORSE pair of candidates than McCain/Palin. Where do you think this country would be today had McCain been elected and (God forbid) had a stroke?? Palin would now be our President. OMG!! That's ALMOST as Bad as having Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosy as President. EITHER one of the Romney/Ryan team is JUST AS QUALIFIED to fill the President's shoes, or More So, as BHO has proven over the last 3.5 years. ALL Politicians propose fanciful, sometimes foolish solutions during their campaigns, and would say ANYTHING to get elected.... as this campaign Proves every day. Finally, with respect to what BHO has already done to the DEBT LEVEL of this country in 3.5 years, some of which will Not Materialize for several more years, the REAL question is... 1) Has Obama EARNED Re-election? 2) More Importantly, can America AFFORD 4 More Years of the same?
I had to ask myself, what
I had to ask myself, what foreign relations assets do these two carry? Well, Romney made a trip to Europe, and managed to embarrass himself with the Brits and the Poles, and Ryan has zero contact to date to my knowledge of his activity. He's more concerned about introducing us to his "mom" and her accomplishments, and what a good plan he has to replace Obamacare. After watching how he doted on "mom", and spoke not one word about the wars, immigration problems, international economic effects on the U.S., and on and on about existing problems, I concluded that he knows nothing in this regard, and, therefore, avoids them altogether. Neither did Palin, remember? He mentions, almost in passing, that "they" plan on reducing the debt, and will produce jobs. Well, unless "they" plan on expanding government, "they" will have NO control on jobs. That's strictly a private sector function that will determine what jobs and how many there will be, disastrous as it is.
jaysea
They plan to sprinkle money
They plan to sprinkle money on the rich so they will take pity on the working class and create more jobs. Oh, wait...that didn't work last time, but that never stopped the Republicans.
WHAT is the big debate over
WHAT is the big debate over attacking Obama about this video or the killing of OBL?? There are PLENTY of things to attack BHO about without this. For example... review some Obama Campaign 2008 promises... to get him elected then. WHICH OF HIS PROMISES HAS HE ACTUALLY KEPT? What POSITIVE things has he accomplished in the last 3.5 years? WHERE are all the JOBS he Promised? WHERE did the DEFICIT REDUCTION he talked about go? Has he EARNED a Re-election in 2012? Can America SURVIVE another 4 years of Obama? Why are all the "Obama Lovers" so BLIND to REALITY? Can you all NOT See what BHO has done and where he is taking us? WAKE UP AMERICA -- OMG means OBAMA MUST GO !!!
What promises has BHO kept?
What promises has BHO kept? Go to: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/ Check his record on the right hand side of the page. For more in-depth analysis, Click on the Obamameter.
I personally agree that BHO has not been what most would have hoped. He is just another politician, better spoken than most, but still only a politician. To me, his biggest failing is not what he has done, but what he has not even tried to do. For all the real changes he has made, he could be Bush's chosen successor. We're still in tao counter-productive wars, the prison at Guantanamo Bay is still operating, and the "Patriot" Act that stripped Americans of so many Constitutional guarantees has not only been discarded but extended.
Those are, for me, the things that he has failed miserably at fixing. But he IS just a politician subject to the same moneyed interests as all other presidents.
James Smith.... Thank you for
James Smith.... Thank you for the Link to the Politifact site. I have reviewed the content there, and consider myself Enlightened to some things I was Not aware of. These days, one Cannot rely solely on our BIASED News Media alone.
That being said, I Do Agree with everything you said, Except that I think Obama DOES NOT deserve another 4 years to do ADDITIONAL Damage to the American Deficit, which will eventually BANKRUPT our country and CRIPPLE future generations.
I'm NOT sure Romney/Ryan will be any better, but we CANNOT afford another 4 years of the same as we currently have. It's a real shame that politics in America has become what it is. Each Presidential election cycle seems to present the voting public with LESS of a GOOD choice between candidates. In November we're forced to choose between the Lesser of Two Evils, Not knowing WHICH choice will make the better President. They Don't run on the OWN MERITS, but on VICIOUS ATTACKS and LIES about their opponents.
America NEEDS to get the MONEY OUT of Politics, AND establish a rule where a sitting President is measured by his First Term Accomplishments, BEFORE he/she is Eligible for a Second Term. We also desperately NEED Congressional Term Limits - 8 years MAX - No More "Jobs for Life". Elected Congressional leaders should have to Go Back to the Private Sector after 8 years. Other changes ( see below ) would make sense too, but these would be a Good Start.
_**Congressional Reform Act of 2012**_
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress ( past, present & future ) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional Retirement Funds move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates WITH the American people. It may Not be used for any Other purpose.
3. Congress can Fund Their Own Retirement Plan, just as all Americans do. ( IRA's, 401-k's, etc. )
4. Congress will No Longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the Lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must Equally Abide by All Laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.
Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an Honor, Not a Career. The Founding Fathers envisioned Citizen Legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then Go Home and Back to Work.
Don't you think it's time? THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
Not only do I agree with you
Not only do I agree with you about term limits, I go somewhat beyond that. See my essay at:
http://slrman.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/term-limits/
I also agree with your Congressional Reform Act. Because that same congress would have to approve this, what do you think the chances are?
Obama is just another
Obama is just another politician. He's better than many in a lot of ways. He hasn't done some of the things I've wanted him to do but he's done surprisingly well considering the situation he's in with an economy that was losing 800K jobs each month when he started and has added jobs almost every month since the stimulus started to take effect. Also, given that congress has decided that destroying him is more important than actually helping the country his hands are somewhat tied. Tell me how he's supposed to do his job when congress has voted over 30 times to repeal Obamacare (knowing full well they couldn't do it while he was in office) but haven't presented a single jobs bill?
I am concerned about the deficit which is part of the reason I refuse to vote for Romney. How will they fix the deficit when their budget plan calls for more tax cuts on the wealthy, who are currently paying very near the lowest taxes in the history of income tax in this country, and more spending on the military, which currently spends more than every other country in the world combined? I don't see how that's going to help the situation.
This OPSEC propaganda effort
This OPSEC propaganda effort is nothing but Republo-Zio-Nazi BS. Also the so-called Democrats in public office are just as guilty of insider trading and war profiteering. Yes under certain conditions like valid war effort; a certain amount of secrecy is acceptable. On the other hand there is no provision what so ever in the US constitution to codify secrecy and in fact Article 1 section 9, clause 7 reads: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. So every taxpayer has the right to know what they are spending $ on. This effort to smear the Obama administration is obviously motivated by republo-Zio-Nazi war profiteering elitist crime family agenda. Bush started two genocidal wars for military industrial,oil and natural resource profit while never going after Bin Laden, which they always said, was the perpetrator of 9/11. In fact Bin Laden denied being involved in the 9/11 attacks and the FBI said there is no hard evidence that he was involved. Here is a transcript reportedly from the real Bin Laden: http://www.911review.com/articles/usamah/khilafah.html. When you look at photos purported by the powers that be to be of Bin Laden over the years it is obvious they used one or more stand-ins to spread their propaganda about the one time CIA operative to justify their war profiteering modus operandi. Bin Laden was treated for a kidney ailment receiving dialysis at the American Hospital in Dubai in the summer of 2001. We will never know if it was the real Bin Laden that was killed in the "Operation Geronimo" because they disposed of the body in the ocean. The Skull and Bones secret society stole Geronimo's Skull from his grave and use it for their hideous secret rituals, which illustrates the morals of these decrepit inbred elitist idiots that have come to power over our nation. I think that Obama, just as the Bush Family are nothing more than a lap dog for the crime syndicate that the Federal Reserve and the military industrial complex is. Zionism is not a religion; nor a representation of the majority of Jewish people, many who are progressive and hold humanistic values in both the USA and Israel. So if you label me anti-Semitic for my stance against monetary system monopolizers, war and war profiteers; you are only fooling yourself. In fact to put an end to the secrecy, tyranny and crime syndicate that the US government has become the first step you all should take is place a write in vote for Bernie Sanders, a great honorable US citizen, politician and of Jewish decent for President. Shame on OPSEC.
Just like the captain that
Just like the captain that crashed his destroyer into an oil tanker, this guy is a tool. And don't give me shit because he's veteran, I did my time.
One thing that this article
One thing that this article fails to mention is that this political "OPSEC" group is registered as a non profit "public information" group so they do not have to disclose their doners.
You can't just invent a
You can't just invent a "quote" for somebody then get angry about the thing you invented. Obama never took credit for killing Bin Laden. He has repeatedly honored the team that did kill him, the intelligence community who helped find him and countless others.
That said, a number of people in the military and intelligence communities have praised the president for making a tough call and making the mission happen.
I'm sure this guy was just as angry with GWB taking credit for hunting down Saddam and for "winning" the war in Iraq.
Considering this country's
Considering this country's incredible military expenditures, i doubt that Obama talking about OBL getting killed is going to give the Muslims a chance to win. I feel like when this guy says "enemy", he means the American public.
I also believe in keeping
I also believe in keeping intelligence secret, and I often point to the project at Bletchley Park in England where the fact that the Allies (particularly the British) had broken the German Enigma code (and in doing it invented the first electronic digital computer) was kept secret for twenty five years after WW II ended.
On the other hand, times have changed, and with the Bin Laden raid I am sure that word was "Tweeted" out that the raid happened and Bin Laden was at least compromised, if not dead, before the Seals made it back to base.
I had a good friend that was a Navy Seal. He participated in a raid where he was one of 24 US troops killed in a fairly successful "covert" operation.
The problem came in the fact that the enemy seemed to know they were coming, and were waiting for them to arrive. As the Seals made their way inland, they were fired on, killing my friend.
After the operation, many articles and news stories were written.
Articles giving my friend's name and the names of his family, the name of all the wounded and killed, names of people in his squad whose lives he had saved. Great details about the operation. Even a Reader's Digest article.
I will not name my friend here, because his family has suffered enough, but there was no outcry about the politicians (and particularly the President) talking about that operation and taking credit for the operation at that time.
The operation? "Operation Nifty Package", otherwise known as the invasion of Panama
The President? George H. W. Bush
This one really makes me
This one really makes me angry.
"You did not kill Osama Bin Laden, America did," Ben Smith -- identified as a Navy SEAL -- says in the video, continuing: "The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not."
To hear the maker of this "documentary" tell it, the President isn't really even the commander-in-chief of the military; and the military, then, can do whatever missions it wants...
...and so it was under that paradigm that Navy Seals descended on Osama Bin Laden's compound and took him out... with no input from the President.
Never mind that no Seal or any other military personnel so much as farts without the President's okay; and that the military doing anything without the President's permission is the very definition of a coup. Or that Obama was advised by many to hold-off on the Bin Laden thing, but decided to give the order anyway.
The maker of the documentary is hiding behind Delaware corporate anonymity; and is enjoying being able to lie like a dog because of Citizens United.
This cannot possibly be the nation in which any of us want to live, is it? Is this the way it's going to be? Is this what we have to look forward to?
If so, then I here and now repeat what I've been saying for several years: Though I obviously want to live a long time, at my age I'm in touch with my mortality; and sometimes I'm kinda' glad that I won't be alive for the worst of what's obviously coming... both socio-politically, and environmentally.
Gregg L. DesElms
Napa, California USA
gregg at greggdeselms dot com
Veritas nihil veretur nisi abscondi.
Veritas nimium altercando amittitur.
"Never mind that no Seal or
"Never mind that no Seal or any other military personnel so much as farts without the President's okay; and that the military doing anything without the President's permission is the very definition of a coup. Or that Obama was advised by many to hold-off on the Bin Laden thing, but decided to give the order anyway."
But the makers of this video completely ignore this fact, or are ignorant about it, or they just wish to attack the president for whatever reason. It's a reflection of behavior of adolescence which never quite leaves some people as they grow older.
If this divulging the secrets of the military is so rife, why are the complaints so rare? Next thing you know, with such warped thinking, they'll be charging the president for starting this war.
jaysea
In other words, this "OPSEC"
In other words, this "OPSEC" group is the "swift boat veterans" front group for this election cycle: throw out a large number of baseless and incorrect accusations and lies about a candidate - that bogs the candidate down in refuting them, and the public then associates the accusations with the candidate even though they are false and in most cases are the direct opposite of reality. As exemplified in this article - the President gave credit for killing OBL to the SEALs, the Admiral in charge of the SEAL team credits the president's working in their support, and this douchebag then accuses the president of taking the credit for himself.
If the group spews 50 lies about a candidate, it won't take believing in more than even one of them to poison that candidate in the public's eyes, and the average Joe is either too lazy to fact check this stuff or they're just unwilling to change their mind once it is made up regardless of contradictory evidence that exonerates the accused (and studies have shown that the majority of the population behaves that way). They just take advantage of the fact that most people, when they see a lot of accusations, will think "gee, there's so many accusations - odds are at least a couple of them have some truth in them!"
As demonstrated all too well by some of our facebook commenters above, who spew anti-obama rhetoric and demand he stops leaking information, despite the article itself refuting that those things ever happened.
First thing I thought of -
First thing I thought of - Swift Boat Version II.
In this case, this so-called OPSEC attributes a false statement (at least one) to Obama and then attacks him for something he didn't do.
Lower than low, and you can bet Rove and the Koch boys are behind it.
A, thank you Ben smith for
A, thank you Ben smith for serving your country but the other BULL*HIT your talking is typical republican nonsense! First Ben smith! Obama never personally said "HE" killed Bin laden he gave orders strategy took dvice from his military advicers and when the brave men and women accomplished the mission Obama praised them gave them the credit. Ben smith you are a filthy human being trying to play politics with your lame pathetic bunch oh old fools called the gop! Number 2 AS*HOLE what secrets are Obama leaking??? why are you and your buddies holding back?? wheres the proof! I don't expect you to go public with you allegations but how about going to congress soldier!!! try the senate soldier!! don't take your transparent pack of lies to fux news! Ben smith is a disgrace to the uniform and a pig!!! But of course your typical republican doesn't give a damn that Ben smith is full of SH*T because reason and logic has long since left that party of old fools.
Leaked what secrets? That
Leaked what secrets? That Bin Laden was dead? I suspect the Arab world knew before BHO announced it.
These ex-whatevers seem to be under the spell of the neo-con Republicans that hate Obama so much they try to blame him for everything.
They might also remember that the President is the Commander-in-Chief, then review the concept of chain of command.