SEALs’ good name hijacked for political hackwork
Our fellow Americans at Fox News and at conservative political blogs around the country continue to be enthralled by a political group that calls itself OPSEC — short for operational security — and that is fronted by ex-Navy SEALs, among others.
OPSEC’s main message is two-fold: President Obama has taken much too much political credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden, and has endangered troops and intelligence-gathering by talking too freely about how it was done. In expressing those concerns, the group claims to be absolutely nonpartisan.
“This issue is more than just politics,” as OPSEC founder and ex-SEAL Scott Taylor says. “Folks from this group, including me, have buried enough of our buddies.”
“Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden. America did,” another ex-SEAL, Ben Smith says in a highly sophisticated 22-minute video released by OPSEC. “We have become a political weapon. We are not.”
But you are wrong, Mr. Smith. That is precisely what you have become — a rather dull-edged political weapon, and no more than that — and you have done so by your own choice.
Taylor, for example, ran for Congress in 2010 in Virginia, losing in the Republican primary with just 8 percent of the vote. On his personal Facebook page, Smith has referred to Obama as “the Heir Communist-in-Chief Hussein Mao-Bama,” claiming that during his 2012 State of The Union Obama wore “some bad tan lotion because he looked like an old bruised Banana which made me think that Harry Belafonte was walking out to give his rendition of ‘Day-O’ before ‘ole’ suck and blow’ was to come out and enlighten us with his blasphemous spew.”
“You are an Imposter,” Smith wrote on another occasion. “You are a Muslim (Cassius Clay, Lew Alcindor, Barry Soetoro), You are the Manchurian President and may you go back to the country you were born in when you are deposed you little, little man (and take all your communist sympathizers with you). You insult everything that was considered American. May you and your administration be a lesson to history and your posterity be lost to the rebirth of AMERICAN PATRIOTISM!”
To be blunt, these are not the words of a calm-minded nonpartisan military professional offering his expert judgment to the American people. They are the unhinged rantings of a racist zealot enlisted to serve as a frontman for the real money and brains behind the effort, whom OPSEC refuses to disclose.
One more thing: In my mind, any conversation about politicians shamelessly trying to horn in and take credit for military success should begin and end with one fellow in particular. You probably recognize him:
As MC Hammer used to sing, “Can’t touch this.”
– Jay Bookman
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642 comments Add your comment
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
“But I really do try not to dismiss any site that’s actually reporting an event. If someone links to Newsmax or worldnetdaily and the point is about actual *facts* emanating from there (hey, it’s happened on occasion), it’s kind of silly to go on about the source of the facts. and if I’m ever guilty of that I expect to be called out.”
Good for you, sfd.
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
Not one word about Rev Wright or Liberation theology in 2008 but now NBC is going to do a one hour special on the Mormon Religion. Can you say fair and balanced?
NBC gets no Romney campaign help on Mormon special
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TV_NBC_MORMONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-23-10-03-54
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
4:45 pm
@Tom
When and where did you see President Obama taking credit for Osama bin Laden being removed?
He had one news conference to explain what happened and how it happened, within security limits, nothing else.
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
4:46 pm
“The funny thing about your tripe Jay is the fact President Bush was in the military”
Yeah, and to paraphrase George Gobel…he did a heck of a job. Not a single Vietnamese plane got past Texas
OPSEC - Obama's Presidency Slandered Everday By Cons
August 23rd, 2012
4:46 pm
Top Commander Dempsey criticizes OPSEC
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey called out a group of special operations veterans for wading into politics with a video claiming President Barack Obama has taken too much credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden.
“If someone uses the uniform, whatever uniform it is, for partisan politics, I’m disappointed by that, because I think it does erode that bond of trust that we have with the American people,” Dempsey told Fox News in a video posted Wednesday.
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:46 pm
Does anyone really think Bush would have taken credit as Obama has constantly, regarding the SEAL action taken against Osama?
No. I doubt he would have.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bush_mission_accomplished.jpg
He only made that carrier circle about 20 times keeping those guys from going on leave so he could get his little photo op in.
But no he would have played it cool and real low key.
Old Hand
August 23rd, 2012
4:47 pm
Some of you have a distorted notion of how free the military and government employees in general are to engage in politics of any kind. Here are examples of violations of the Hatch Act, which governs the political activities of employees of the federal government. These examples come from a memorandum sent by the federal Department of Health and Human Services recently to every federal employee in that agency. As you read them, keep in mind that every example is a violation of the Hatch Act:
• It’s noon on Saturday; you are sitting on your sofa with a cup of coffee and reading the paper on your laptop. You decide to check Facebook and see that a friend posted an invitation to a political fundraiser for a partisan candidate for public office. You click on the “like” link below your friend’s post and go back to reading the paper.
• On Sunday, you receive an email from a Political Action Committee on your personal computer at home. The email asks you to participate in an exciting fundraising contest, to see who can raise the most campaign funds for a partisan political candidate’s campaign by creating a personal fundraising webpage on your home computer. The contest winner will be invited to have lunch with the candidate. You participate in the contest from your home computer.
• It’s your lunch break on Monday, and you are sitting in the cafeteria of the federal building in which you work. You have your smart phone with you and, using your phone, donate $100 to your preferred candidate for President.
• You want to express your personal opinions, so on October 3 of a Presidential election year; you download the official photo of the President and save it on your workplace computer as your screen saver.
• While researching an issue at work on your government computer, you come across a partisan political candidate’s campaign website and are shocked by the content related to the issue you are researching and want to share it with your five hundred Facebook friends. You copy the link to the partisan website, open your personal Facebook account, and quickly “share” the link so that it now appears on your Facebook page.
• You receive an email while at work from a personal friend. The email has a particularly hysterical partisan political cartoon about the candidate you plan to vote for in the upcoming election, you forward the cartoon to a few of your work buddies because you know they will enjoy it and will not be offended by the content.
• You decide to write a blog talking about politics and life in D.C., and why your preferred party is the party to vote for in the upcoming election. You write your first blog entry while at work, and post it after you get home.
St Simons - he-ne-ha
August 23rd, 2012
4:48 pm
josef, i read that late last night. Thank you & getalife for your kind words.
that fellow must have been very unhappy.
I enjoy reading you word-people between all these numbers on my desk.
You know (of course you do) that the ‘keeper of the stories’ and
the ‘keeper of the language’ holds a high place in the tribe. Hell he
probably didn’t even have to go out on hunting parties or battles.
Bead counters like me, it was ‘git out there buddy’
we were a dime-a-dozen.
Orange12
August 23rd, 2012
4:48 pm
Hey, I don’t particularly care for President Bush but you have to give him his do. I mean he was a military pilot and he was under hostile fire once (even if it was only a shoe).
Williebkind
August 23rd, 2012
4:48 pm
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:43 pm
There are no D”s
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
“Jay, what is your point? That military veterans are not entitled to voice their opinions or run for office?”
Certainly they’re entitle. Just as we are entitle to disagree with them and criticise them
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
Not one word about Rev Wright or Liberation theology in 2008
Yes there was. NBC covered it.
Funny how talking about a Religion that Romney actually is
Off Limits
Claiming Obama is a Muslim
Well that’s just fine.
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
August 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
td, is it bad for MSNBC to discuss the mormon religion? If it helps people understand what that religion is about, what is the problem?
Oh, you’re a conservative and educated people are to be feared….I forgot!
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
August 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
Oh I don’t know, your post seems a little foolish as it seemed the former President and his comrades were trying to take credit for the action against Osama…..
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:50 pm
There are no D”s
There are no (R’s) either.
skydog
August 23rd, 2012
4:50 pm
“all kinds of crazies have come from the woodwork, spewing unchecked hatred and lies as I’ve never seen before in American history.”
Simmer down Philosopher,
You should have seen the cons in Albany, Ga. in 1962.
This ain`t the big one and they will lose again just like `62.
pogo
August 23rd, 2012
4:51 pm
Jay, Obama is trying to suck as much political capital from what our Intelligence agencies and the Seals did and that is dispiccable. Most of the intelligence that went into this operation startedwas done under the Bush administration. Our military and our intelligence were only sure enough about our “position” to recommend an action during Obama’s term. Besides, Hillary Clinton had to convince Obama to do this. If she hadn’t pushed the loser, who knows? If America had to elect a Democrat in 2008, they should have elected Hillary. I could have lived with her as president but not this poser we have now.
OPSEC - Obama's Presidency Slandered Everday By Cons
August 23rd, 2012
4:52 pm
@td
August 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
Not one word about Rev Wright or Liberation theology in 2008 but now NBC is going to do a one hour special on the Mormon Religion. Can you say fair and balanced?
NBC gets no Romney campaign help on Mormon special
*******************************************************************************************
They beat the Rev. Wright dead horse to death over and over.
The Mormons are ONE SCARY RELIGION.
They believe in a man who claimed he was a modern day prophet
who found some tablets and he put the information in the bible.
spooky!…………….
WEIRDOS…..
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
4:52 pm
lalala – I would vote for you if you were running against Obama/Biden! Both are complete embarrassments to this country. Really sir, it is time to try someone else, Obama did not work out for hard-working middle-class people. Free-loaders and Hollywood like him though because he constantly gives them things they did not work for? Work for what you get in life or get out of the way!
Granny Godzilla - Union Thugette
August 23rd, 2012
4:53 pm
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
Not one word about Rev Wright or Liberation theology in 2008
Not one word….are you nuts? deaf? blind?
the loop …over and over and over
on the RW media over and over and over
silly silly silly
RB from Gwinnett
August 23rd, 2012
4:54 pm
Let’s hear some more whining from the 0% about how 13% is unfair.
Class of '98
August 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
I’m as patriotic as anyone, but it is very simple-minded, and overly politically correct, to assume that no one EVER joined the US armed forces because of the material gains it offers.
If the GI Bill wasn’t an attractive incentive to join the military, why does the military advertise it so much?
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
@pogo
If much of the intelligence work about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden was done during the Bush Administration, why did he refuse to send in Special Forces reinforcements at Tora Bora to caputre/kill him?
Secondly, you completely false assertion that Hillary Clinton had to convince him to go after bin Laden, why is that information only found in so-called conservative circles?
JamVet
August 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
I swear that most of these Republicans actually wish that OBL was still alive.
Better yet, if those SEALS had all gotten killed in that rescue attempt that would have been perfect!
Think of the never-endingl venom they could have laid at BHO’s feet then!
They are plain old miserable one way d*ckheads, whose patriotism stops the moment they walk out of their Republican pup tent…
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:49 pm
You are just going to have to link that hour special on Liberation theology for me. I really would like to watch it.
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:56 pm
Work for what you get in life or get out of the way!
I agree. The estate tax is a good thing.
Too many trust fund babies like Romney get everything handed to them.
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
4:57 pm
“Does anyone really think Bush would have taken credit as Obama has constantly, regarding the SEAL action taken against Osama?
No. I doubt he would have…He only made that carrier circle about 20 times keeping those guys from going on leave so he could get his little photo op in.”
You know what is wrong with the majority of posts here and on other political blogs? They represent people being sucked into defending POLITICIANS who are often indefensible in their words or deeds instead of arguing for or against beliefs themselves (with which politicians may have only a passing acquaintance or alliance to). Politicians should be seen as out servants, not our heroes.
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:57 pm
JamVet
August 23rd, 2012
4:55 pm
I swear that most of these Republicans actually wish that OBL was still alive.
Better yet, if those SEALS had all gotten killed in that rescue attempt that would have been perfect!
Think of the never-endingl venom they could have laid at BHO’s feet then!
They are plain old miserable one way d*ckheads, whose patriotism stops the moment they walk out of their Republican pup tent…
So are you degrading these veterans now? I thought you said that was off limits? I guess it is only off limits to degrade lib vets.
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
4:57 pm
You are just going to have to link that hour special on Liberation theology for me. I really would like to watch it.
They did far more than an hour on Rev Wright.
Way more. He is a link of them talking about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPTTWtLocwg
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
4:57 pm
@Tom
Could you please define the free-loaders you speaking of?
Robert Lee
August 23rd, 2012
4:58 pm
Pogo 4:51
So. which country are you writing from?
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:59 pm
Granny Godzilla – Union Thugette
August 23rd, 2012
4:53 pm
td
August 23rd, 2012
4:44 pm
Not one word about Rev Wright or Liberation theology in 2008
Not one word….are you nuts? deaf? blind?
the loop …over and over and over
on the RW media over and over and over
silly silly silly
Please show me the story on Rev Wright and Liberation theology that was on ABC, CBS or NBC in 2008?
Thomas
August 23rd, 2012
4:59 pm
Blogs and social media bring out the worst in all of us-
I always assume the tougher the blogger the smaller the…… Kind of like the Wall Street guy that drives a Porsche- he is compensating for something.
Navy Seals doing bad things on social media and what not- I prefer we all give them a mulligan or two. I wouldn’t stoop so low as to judge military such as the Navy Seals until I have risked my life for this great country.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 23rd, 2012
4:59 pm
Tom @4:42… did not Bush announce “We got him” when Saddam Hussein was captured?
Pass the Cheesy Grits Please
August 23rd, 2012
5:00 pm
Please show me the story on Rev Wright and Liberation theology that was on ABC, CBS or NBC in 2008?
Go to Youtube.
Do you know what Google is ?
There are millions of clips out there.
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
Jackie – Welfare queens and entitlements(and I do not mean those who payed into medicare and SS, like I did for over 40 yrs) moochers!
td
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
OPSEC – Obama’s Presidency Slandered Everday By Cons
August 23rd, 2012
4:52 pm
“They beat the Rev. Wright dead horse to death over and over.”
ABC, NBC or CBS? Please show me a link.
Joe Hussein Mama
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
RB — “Let’s hear some more whining from the 0% about how 13% is unfair.”
How about we just make fun of your haircut instead?
Robert Lee
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
td 4:57
Reading Comprehension strong in this one not
JamVet
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
What vets are you referring to, td?
Your assertion seems exceptionally ludicrous, but go ahead and explain it…
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
5:01 pm
“Is it bad for MSNBC to discuss the Mormon religion?”
Not necessarily – if they are truthful and their motive is educational and not political. Otherwise, it is a form of evil – using position or the “pulpit” to unfairly influence the thinking of others for self-serving ends.
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:02 pm
williebekind
“Why are the liberals concerned about the military and especially what they say. They only serve for selfish reasons like free college tuition.”
Your head should grow in the ground like a turnip…
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:05 pm
Oophs, I almost forgot where I was at, I see the liberal sharks circling me. But I have been in a few battles before, Just curious folks, how many of you ever served in our military. I’m not putting you down if you did not, would just like to know. Granny, Jackie, Cheesy, etc, thanks guys!!
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
5:05 pm
@Tom
You indicate there was/is welfare queens and those who received entitlements they did not pay for. Do you really believe that you never received benefits from the government in any form? You indicate that you work for more than 40 years; sounds like you may have owned a home. I do expect that you used those benefits you got from you military service and took write-offs on your tax for your principle and interest?
Yes?
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
5:05 pm
“You know what is wrong with the majority of posts here and on other political blogs? Towncrybaby spam.”
Oh, I forgot. Also the senseless one or two sentence “noise” added by a few posters. Thanks for the reminder, “Thug”.
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:07 pm
Taxpayer – Sir are you a fan of Rachel Madcow? Never heard anyone speak so fondly of her!
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
5:07 pm
@Tom
1st Cav Div, Viet Nam 1968 – 1969.
Joe Hussein Mama
August 23rd, 2012
5:09 pm
Tom — “Just curious folks, how many of you ever served in our military.”
You know I have; we’ve discussed it.
Which branch was I in? I’ll give you a hint: Thanks for the ride, Air Force.
skydog
August 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
Town,
It`s going to sound strange no matter how the piece explains the planet kolob.
ahhh… maybe you can help me with this?
Joe the Plutocrat
August 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
I posted this before, but it disappeared. 1 – I have known a handful of SEALs, Army Special Forces vets, and Rangers… a handful. I have known far more (pathetic) ex-military types who claim to have been SEALs, “green berets” etc. Heck, Steven Segal claimed to have been recruited by the CIA. 2 – Where was all the OPSEC clamouring when Valerie Plame was outed? I have great respect for (most) SEALs, but seems to me, being a female CIA spook, running operations/agents on foreign soil; sand the ‘back up’ of the US Navy/DoD is quite ‘heroic’. This is just like the “drones are bad” nonsense. The Predator program was ramped up (as an offensive weapon) by the post 9/11 Bush White House. Bush used it with marginal success. Obama comes in and starts whacking al Qeada big-wigs from Pakistan to Yemen; and all of a sudden; drone strikes are ‘bad policy’ and reveal ‘weakness’ on Obama’s part? ditto the bin Laden raid. Obama gave the green light whereas Bush did not (Tora Bora, 2001), and the right-wing loons accuse him of “gloating”. 3 – And talk about “politicizing” the SEALs. I thought these guys were “silent” warriors. They don’t seek the limelight, or look to parlay their service into book deals or political office. And speaking of OPSEC; isn’t this guy putting his family in danger by stamping I WAS A SEAL on his resume? 4 – Class of ‘98, you actually DO forfeit some of your rights when you enlist/receive a commission in the armed forces.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
Towncrier
They represent people being sucked into defending POLITICIANS who are often indefensible in their words or deeds instead of arguing for or against beliefs themselves (with which politicians may have only a passing acquaintance or alliance to). Politicians should be seen as out servants, not our heroes.
———————————————————
Damn, I may to stop drinking at lunch, I am agreeing with Towncrier
Class of '98
August 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
Literally the first words on the US Army website: “TODAY, YOU CAN RECEIVE THE GREATEST BENEFITS EVER OFFERED: $20,000 IN BONUSES, MONEY FOR COLLEGE, HEALTH CARE AND MORE.”
So, I’ll ask again… if nobody EVER joined the military for the financial benefits, why do they advertise it so much?
The Truth
August 23rd, 2012
5:10 pm
Mitt Romney is draft-dodging chickenhawk. That is all…
Jay
August 23rd, 2012
5:12 pm
“Please show me the story on Rev Wright and Liberation theology that was on ABC, CBS or NBC in 2008?
You’re being silly, td.
For beginners, ABC News broke the story by airing the clips in the first place.
Old Goober
August 23rd, 2012
5:15 pm
Oophs, I almost forgot where I was at, I see the liberal sharks circling me. But I have been in a few battles before, Just curious folks, how many of you ever served in our military. I’m not putting you down if you did not, would just like to know. Granny, Jackie, Cheesy, etc, thanks guys!!
I served four years in the USMC, Tom. And as for confidentiality agreements, after more than 50 years I’m still bound by one governing my teeny role in the Bay of Pigs invasion, even though I was an 18-year-old who couldn’t have located Cuba on a map at the time. I suspect there are as many liberals as conservatives who served in the armed forces. Only in the last couple of decades or so has military service become so politicized. And although I’m of the liberal persuasion, I maintain my contempt for those who ducked service to their country because they had “better things to do.”
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 23rd, 2012
5:15 pm
Just curious. Has anyone of the surviving SEAL CMOH recipients spoken out about this issue?
Class of '98
August 23rd, 2012
5:16 pm
Pardon me, that quote was from the US Army Reserve website. The question remains.
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
5:17 pm
@Old Goober
SALUTE!!!
marko
August 23rd, 2012
5:18 pm
This guy makes Jr. Hank and Ted Nugent seem like level headed, down to earth kind of guys. In the boy that cried wolf story, the villagers stopped coming after the third false alarm. Wonder how many times the faithful are buying this nonsense before they realize they’re being jerked around.
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
5:18 pm
“Damn, I may to stop drinking at lunch, I am agreeing with Towncrier.”
If we could get away from all the finger pointing, CS, we would probably be surprised to have more common ground than we suppose. Of course, there are going to be things we will likely never agree upon, but we can at least agree enough to solve some of our most pressing problems.
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:21 pm
BIG DADDY
Happy Birthday and SONS OF THE CONFEDERATE VETERANS…we ain’t got near enough testosterone soaked reenactors…
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:23 pm
Jackie – Thanks, same time I was there. USAF(support role) at Camh Rahn Bay and Bien Hoa. Did do some base security and patrol at times though. On my paid for house now – I guess someone else is responsible for my hard work in paying it off early, just like Obama said?
Towncrier
August 23rd, 2012
5:26 pm
“For beginners, ABC News broke the story by airing the clips in the first place.”
For better or worse, breaking a story is often deemed more important than conforming to a worldview (as you showed earlier, Jay, by telling us FNC had revealed the address of one of the SEALS involved in the Bin Laden raid).
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 23rd, 2012
5:26 pm
Josef -
You know SONS OF THE CONFEDERATE VETERANS only works when Kam says it
Real Scootter
August 23rd, 2012
5:26 pm
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:07 pm
A lot of the posters here think that Maddow’s words are the “gospel”. Jus sayin……
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:26 pm
“but we can at least agree enough to solve some of our most pressing problems”
It isn’t the “to” that’s the stumbling block. It’s the “how”
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:27 pm
Common
Nuhn uhnh! I discovered that. Kam seconded, The two of us together can usual pull the gris-gris. But Big Daddy sometimes ignores us to prove it’s not working…
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
5:27 pm
@Tom
You are responsible for paying for your house, however, you used the government benefits provided by the VA loan you got and the Principle and Interest on your home was written off your taxes, right?
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:29 pm
Taxpayer – Sorry about my misspelling again, it should have been Rachel Maddow not Madcow. My badd!!!!!!!!!!
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:30 pm
SCOOTTER..
Sister Rachel ain’t afraid to tilt the windmills on the Liberal Plantation. She’s an unabashed liberal, for sure, but anybody who watches her on a half-way regular basis knows she’s no party line hack…
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 23rd, 2012
5:30 pm
Jay may be out celebrating his birthday yanno.
If so he may come back feeling the under the weather (bourbon) so everyone play nice LOL
Pizzaman
August 23rd, 2012
5:31 pm
opsec @ 4:31 once retired and not bound by any restrictions over classified material Military are allowed to speak their mind, run for office and offer a political opinion. Should I choose to do so I would have to do so as Pizzaman, not Pizzaman, USN Retired, in civies not Uniform.
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:32 pm
Jackie – Actually I did not use the VA loan or education benefits, which later in life I second-guessed myself. But I do watch the military channel alot on cable tv!
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:32 pm
“but anybody who watches her on a half-way regular basis knows she’s no party line hack”
Sometimes annoyingly so.
Get Real
August 23rd, 2012
5:32 pm
Tom you were right the first time….
td
August 23rd, 2012
5:33 pm
Jay
August 23rd, 2012
5:12 pm
“Please show me the story on Rev Wright and Liberation theology that was on ABC, CBS or NBC in 2008?
You’re being silly, td.
For beginners, ABC News broke the story by airing the clips in the first place.
Sorry Jay but Sean Hannity railed about Rev Wright and played the audio for weeks before the film clips were run. I did know one of the networks ran the story but could not remember which one. I do not remember the other two even running the story on their new cast much less an hour long special on Liberation theology. ABC news ran a 4 minute segment last night on Mormonism and have another 4 minute segment planned tonight.
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:34 pm
DOGGONE
Funny you should say that. I’ve felt that way about her from time to time…and that’s a good thing…
Old Goober
August 23rd, 2012
5:34 pm
So, I’ll ask again… if nobody EVER joined the military for the financial benefits, why do they advertise it so much?
I suppose it’s an inducement. But in the time I served, the GI Bill played no role in my decision to enlist, and I doubt that it tempted very many at all. In fact, I never gave any thought to the GI Bill until I decided to start college at age 22. At that time, GI benefits were much more generous than today’s version—my benefits paid my tuition and books through undergraduate study and even part of graduate school, plus I received something like $340 per month as a living allowance—a small fortune to an enlisted man who left the Corps after four years earning $240 per month.
In my opinion, very few young men today enlist purely for the prospect of getting educational benefits at the end of enlistment. That’s way too far down the road for most teenagers and young men in their early 20s.
Joe the Plutocrat
August 23rd, 2012
5:34 pm
I have to go, but has anyone watched the clip? the first 6 minutes offers insight to how the US special operations and intelligence community works. far more than anything Obama offered. and Scott Taylor; Obama did NOT say “I killed bin Liden”. he said; “…I directed the CIA and DoD…” that’s what the Commander-in-Chief of “America” does. and I return to Valerie Plame. these covert warriors all speak of the value of “Human Intelligence”. Well, there you have it. I doubt the DoD or SEALs will ever ‘confirm or deny’ Scott Taylor’s role with Navy Special Warfare. and given the manner in which this “operation” is being conducted; I question the credentials of half the bozo’s featured in the video.
Get Real
August 23rd, 2012
5:36 pm
Td…..that is because Obama was never vetted, the liberal media never reported on anything that would have put him in a negative light…..now, the veil has been lifted
skydog
August 23rd, 2012
5:37 pm
All I dodged in `69 was 284 ping pong balls that rolled down the draft chute.
It sounded something like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wawp5NNKOi0
Class of '98
August 23rd, 2012
5:37 pm
“For beginners, ABC News broke the story by airing the clips in the first place.” – Bookman
When discussing media bias, it is a question of VOLUME, or the time spent on coverage of a certain story. For instance, NBC Nightly News spent precisely 17 seconds on the LGBT fanatic who shot a security guard in Washington D.C. last week. ABC and CBS times were also laughably low.
Anyone who claims the level of coverage of that incident would not have received DRAMATICALLY more coverage if it had been a pro-lifer attacking an abortion clinic is either lying or very, very stupid.
This is just one example. Did ABC, NBC, CBS et al. MENTION Jeremiah Wright? Yes, they did. But usually they present stories like this as an example of the Right trying to mudsling. Stories like this are here today, gone tomorrow, and twisted to infer that they are only issues because the Right is “exploiting” them.
Recon 0311 2533
August 23rd, 2012
5:37 pm
A few of Obama’s radical friends. Frank Marshall Davis, selected as Obama’s mentor by his grandfather. Davis was a card carrying communist and Soviet Union apologist. Jeremiah Wright radical Black Theology preacher. Bill Ayers Weather Underground domestic terrorist. Khalid Al-Mansour and Rashid Khalidi both followers of radical Islam, anti Israel. Jeff Jones. It’s said that people are known by the company they keep. Obama’s associates and close advisers have gone mostly overlooked.
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:37 pm
I find it rather interesting that any reputable “news” organization would find it necessary to run anything less than an hour-long special on any particular religious group…and for that matter, what’s “news” about the Mormons…those of us with any interest in what they believe have long since invited them in for a chit chat…so, what’s the point?
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:38 pm
“Funny you should say that. I’ve felt that way about her from time to time…and that’s a good thing”
Yeah, I watch from time to time, especially if she’s following a story I find interesting…but she does, sometimes, ride a hobby-horse story to the point of annoying shrillness and I have to stop watching at that point.
independent thinker
August 23rd, 2012
5:39 pm
I guess these guys and the right are going to complain about this story as well From August 9, 2011:
“”"”"”"”"President Obama made an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, today to pay tribute to the 30 U.S. troops killed over the weekend in Afghanistan.Two transport planes brought home the remains of the 30 servicemen, who were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shot down on Saturday. The crash was the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war.
Mr. Obama paid his respects to the fallen servicemen on both C-17 transport planes and then spent about 70 minutes meeting informally with the troops’ family members, offering his condolences for their loss and his deep gratitude for their sacrifice and service. About 250 family members and fellow servicemen and women of the fallen were at Dover for the ceremony.”"”"”
Did the guy in the flight suit ever do anything like that to respect fallen troops?
If I recall he barred all photos of the dead returning and never honored them in this manner. I guess the cons will say it was a political stunt.
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:40 pm
“But usually they present stories like this as an example of the Right trying to mudsling”
And of course, you know this because you watch every news outlet, every minute their on the air and because you keep an exhaustive list of the stories they cover and for how long, and what their focus is.
Right?
Not in a million years.
Real Scootter
August 23rd, 2012
5:41 pm
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:30 pm
I know you like Maddow jo. I just don’t care for her demeanor any more than the rest of the pundits and was just trying to give Tom a heads up.
Tom(Independent Viet Vet,USAF)
August 23rd, 2012
5:41 pm
Good picture of Bush in pilot’s garb(even if it was not in combat). Now show me picture of Obama in same garb, just does not look right for some reason!
philosopher
August 23rd, 2012
5:41 pm
Granny Godzilla – Union Thugette
August 23rd, 2012
4:43 pm
Ditto!!
Pizzaman
August 23rd, 2012
5:42 pm
Funny no one has mentioned Cheney. He ran his mouth right after the OLB killing saying that his administration knew where OBL was since 2006 and was using intell he supplied to prosicute the war. All of a sudden he shut up. Either the new heart worked or Karl Rove got to him and explained how bad he was making Bush/Cheney look. I vote Rove.
Class of '98
August 23rd, 2012
5:42 pm
Old Goober, I appreciate your response, and thank for your service to this country.
My dad is a (ex)-Marine, and Vietnam vet. He joined the Marines because he barely earned his GED, and he needed a job. He is patriotic, but joined for mostly selfish reasons. There is nothing wrong with that.
I am not disparging the courage or committment of our soldiers. But it is absurd to claim, as many on this blog have today, that monetary incentives have NOTHING to do with it.
Common Sense isn't very Common - Bored in Pittsburgh
August 23rd, 2012
5:44 pm
Try this SEAL(former) on for a true hero
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/opinion/bruni-principle-over-politics.html
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:44 pm
” But it is absurd to claim, as many on this blog have today, that monetary incentives have NOTHING to do with it.”
Anyone who believes that is living in a world of wishful thinking. Money has ALWAYS been in the picture when it comes to the military. Always.
josef
August 23rd, 2012
5:45 pm
I will grant that Rachel can drone on and on to distraction, especially when I don’t agree with her! But, and this is a big reason I like her so much, like Anderson Cooper, she has a great sense of self-irony and doesn’t take herself TOO seriously…besides, she invited Big Daddy to come visit…
Michael
August 23rd, 2012
5:46 pm
Four years ago some conservative preachers urged the faithful to pray for rain during Obama’s acceptance speech in Denver – result – not even a shower.
Then, there were two hurricanes that hit the US during the republican convention. Bush used the first one as a reason not to attend the convention. Now, Isaac is aiming at Tampa.
I don’t know if the Black Liberation theologists have been praying for rain on republicans, but they might have been thinking it. So, if the BLTs have that much influence to cause hurricanes, I would recommend the republicans try to get some BLT thinking positive thoughts about republicans.
It’s clear their conservative preachers have not been up to the task.
Doggone/GA
August 23rd, 2012
5:47 pm
“she has a great sense of self-irony and doesn’t take herself TOO seriously”
Yes, I like that too. And this too “besides, she invited Big Daddy to come visit”!
Sandra
August 23rd, 2012
5:47 pm
I guess none of you who look for every chance to slam Obama even if it’s based on Fox News Lies, bothered to read the article by Peter Bergen who knows more about Bin Laden and is regarded as an expert in that area. He lays out very well how it was the Pakistani’s that forced the President’s hand in even announcing it right away. That Black Hawk that was left behind sort of announced something was happening and how many countries have those. No one actually knows where the leaks came from. The author of the book has said it didn’t come from the White House.
As it’s said, you are allowed to have your own opinion, but you are not allowed to make up your ‘facts’.
Jay
August 23rd, 2012
5:47 pm
sheets
Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (aka "Knuckle-Dragger")
August 23rd, 2012
5:47 pm
Come on Jay, Emperor Nero only does things for whatever political mileage he can get out of it, including the bin Laden raid, which he played for all it was worth. Do you really think he has an ounce of knowledge concerning military matters, and their impact on a given geopolitical situation or situations? As I have said before, nobody would hire this guy to run a lemonade stand.
Heck, it had to be tough for him to have his comrade killed (they are the same religion, you know).