Navy SEALS are part of a video that admonishes Barack Obama for leaking national security secrets that Obama believes can benefit him politically.
Here is the trailer
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlfBlsigaLk[/youtube]
Here is the entire movie
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-Xfti7qtT0[/youtube]
Well, this was just too much for Eric Boehlert of Media Matters. He called them gutless. Well, not technically. He said that they have no guts.
Then he largely denied having said it
And then he tried to walk it back
Tweets courtesy of Twitchy
You can decide if you believe him. I don’t.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
That’s the trouble with stuff you say that gets grabbed and recorded.
Instead of stating (as a fact) that you never said that, you get confronted with your own words.
And why, exactly, is addressing a question about the actions of the Administration Republican?
Is it not possible for a Democrat to question the wisdom of giving away National Security for the sake of partisan advantage? If so, there are some faux Democrats in Congress.
The capture of Bin Laden was done by our (formerly) most highly classified assets. Forget about that. The Enemy now knows everything about what was once closely guarded.
Seriously: must one be Republican to love America? Must one be Democrat to regard our military as a tool of partisan politics?
Oops. Sorry. The last question is obviously rhetorical, as the obvious answer is “yes”.
What I find painful and disheartening is the loss of Seal Team members soon afterwards…for what reason?
I’m pretty sure that the Navy Seals, if OBL had been killed during Bush’s presidency, and Bush attempted to claim as much responsibility for it as Obama has, that they would have issued the same condemnation.
And, of course, that doesn’t include the multitudes of liberal/progressives who would have been shouting in the streets about Bush’s ego for doing so.
If anything, this proves that liberal/progressives have no intellectual honesty when engaging in political discourse, and that everything is fair game, including using lies, distortions and misrepresentations, as long as their side “wins”. Alas, when the liberal/progressives “win”, We, the people, lose.
I wouldn’t have put it quite the way Eric Boehlert did, knowing how quickly the words would be twisted by the right wing propaganda machine. I would have said that the men who put together the video–who happen to be former Navy seals–don’t have the honesty to admit that they’re running a totally partisan, anti-Obama swiftboating operation. They specifically state they’re not political. That’s what is commonly known as a lie.
I would also say that these jackasses are totally devoid of integrity. They’re presuming to speak on behalf of all Navy Seals–including those who currently serve and who actually participated in Operation Neptune’s Spear. They’re using their former connections to one of the nation’s most highly respected and unfailingly honorable military organizations as if it were some sort of personal brand name, to express political opinions regarding a Commander in Chief that are entirely their own. This is what such a swiftboating operation looks like.
What I find particularly contemptible about their little smear campaign is that they’re deliberately taking advantage of current Navy Seals, including those who were actually at Abbottabad. While part-time male model Benjamin Smith and his pals–as civilians–are completely free to say whatever the hell they want in public while waving flags and displaying trident symbols on their websites and implying that they speak for all those still wearing the uniform and the insignia, those for whom they pretend to speak are barred from publicly contradicting them by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The anonymous warriors that Obama thanked on behalf of a grateful nation, pinned medals on, shook hands with, and saluted, are effectively gagged by the military code that they still live under.
Why would I think other Navy Seals might have different opinions about their Commander in Chief than these paid political swiftboaters? Why would I think Smith’s paid rants about Obama are total bullshit?
I’ve linked a video clip of Admiral William H. McRaven in a couple of other threads already. If you don’t know who this guy is, look him up. You can find full transcripts of the interview if you take the time to look for them. If you don’t think Admiral McRaven’s words carry more weight that Benjamin Smith’s, you’re a totally hopeless case.
Greg,
It’s great that Admiral McRaven likes working for Obama but it doesn’t change the fact that the biggest problem with this current administration is the leaks that are going on. Even some Democratic Senators have commented on it. These leaks are very damaging and need to be stopped (and the people doing the leaking need to go to jail).
David
@Greg:
I think that you don’t know the military community, and specifically the special forces community, as well as you think that you do. It’s quite likely, and highly probable, that the ex-Seals speaking out are doing so on behalf of those still serving, considering how close-knit that fraternity is.
@David, #5:
People seem oblivious to the fact that leaks are sometimes calculated. They have a wider than local audience. There’s a mixture of information and disinformation. I watch all leaks about Iran with apprehension.
@johngalt, #6:
Maybe I haven’t watched enough movies, played enough video games, or frequented the correct websites.
I don’t pretend to know what active duty Navy Seals think, but I have great difficulty believing that most have the strong negative feelings about their Commander in Chief that Benjamin Smith is pitching. Benjamin Smith is doing politics. That’s totally obvious. He has descended from being part of an elite military team to the level of a James O’Keefe.
Active duty military personnel are not primarily concerned with politics. They’re not predisposed to automatically feel sympathy toward those who attack and defame the man whose orders they’ve taken an oath to follow. Especially members of elite units like the Seals. They’re primarily mission skills and mission completion oriented. They aren’t inclined to question their place in the team or in the chain of command. Doing so would diminish effectiveness. I can deduce that from what little I do know of them.
You don’t speak for the SEALS who participated in the operation either. As a matter of fact, as johngalt pointed out, these folks most likely still maintain ties to their former team mates and may very well likely be voicing opinions that they can’t. These are not the only SEALS/SPECOPS guys who have come out saying the same thing. Are they all full of bullshit as you claim? One of the “jackasses” you refer to is Chris Kyle. In case you don’t know who he is, he has more confirmed kills than anyone in U.S. military history. Over 200 to be more exact. That’s more than 200 less shitbags who were trying to kill Americans. Think of the American lives he saved. But according to you, he is a jackass because he spoke out against the intel leaks. As an added bonus, he punched out Jesse Ventura who was bad mouthing the Iraq War and Bush at a gathering for a SEAL who had been killed there. How pathetic. Would love to see what would happen if you called one of these guys a jackass to their face including the “male model”. My $$ would be on the “male model”.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2012/01/03/255_confirmed_killsmeet_navy_seal_chris_kyle_270423.html
Ya, kow what?
I worked with two ex-navy SEALs in the 1990’s.
Both veterans of Iraq under the first Bush.
One painted targets on the ground amidst the enemy.
He got exposed to some poisons somehow there.
The other carried another man with two broken legs to safety for more than 15 miles…..in sand!
Neither one had a bad thing to say about GHWBush.
But both expressed gratitude for the services who supported them being up to staff and more.
Now that’s not the case.
Obama has been and continues to decommission ships, equipment and men.
I can easily see those two men sounding off against that.
And, steal their thunder?
You had better not!
GHWBush never tried.
So, we don’t know what they’d have done.
Obama did try.
And we are seeing the result.
@Greg:
Is that where you think I got the idea for what I said? That’s quite amusing, as well as wrong. But don’t let what I said distract you from taking the narrative and twisting reality into something an honest person won’t recognize.
BTW, I happen to be ex-Navy, Greg. Maybe, just maybe, I know what the hell I’m talking about. And much, much more than your little rant against these ex-Seals suggests that you know.
By all means, though, continue to rinse and repeat the liberal/progressive talking points of the day on whatever current issue subject has come up here. It allows those of us with real knowledge to see exactly how ignorant liberal/progressives truly are.
While commenting on whether or not the seals are gutless, lacking in integrity etc.. they’ve earned the right to set the record straight. Commander in Chief he maybe and progressive liberal talking points pundits a lot in this forum maybe remember they make the sacrifices so He and you don’t have to.
HOOAH!!!
Mathman asks ‘Must one be Republican to love America” Qualifies as the stupidest question I’ve yet to see at F.A.
No question this is pure paid swiftboating. Sad day for The Seals.
Semper Fi
So lets see< A highly secret drone goes down in enemy territory, no attempt to destroy it was made. Our valiant leader asked them to please give it back. The big eared jacka&& stupidly told the world who it was that got OBL. He made our most secret black ops people known to the world. and by so doing putting them at risk. What a real man he isn't.
Richard Wheeler, you don’t speak for me or the CORP, so why the Semper Fi? I really don’t believe you were a Marine. Swift boating? I say they were a tad lenient on the purple lipped jack—.
@jainphx, #13:
I don’t really know which is more pitiful: That people are so full of irrational hatred for their nation’s President that they can’t see straight, or that they’ll readily believe any sort of b.s. simply because someone who shares their hatred told them it was true.
I’m a big constitutionalists and believe in everyone’s right to free speech, which leads me to my next point. Since that freedom has been predicated on the sacrifices that have been made by our brave young men and women I contend that every citizen should have to submit themselves to conscription. In particular those that wish to serve in the role of President. I don’t care if its guard and reserve just put some skin in the DAMN game.
jainphx #14 That would be CORPS. My DD-214 is on record at F.A. Yours?
Greg says: I don’t pretend to know what active duty Navy Seals think……..and yet you still run your soup coolers with no background in SOF and have never been part of the community…#Sand and stick with wringing your hands…
@Richard Wheeler:
So a decorated SEAL sniper who took out over 200 bad guys and no doubt saved American lives is a jackass for criticizing the President over intel leaks. More like a sad day for the Corps.
After bin laden was killed and the press and obambi ran their mouths 24/7 about seal team 6, twenty members of seal team 6 end up blown out of the sky. I wonder how that could happen. If it had been a random chopper with random special forces , well maybe just combat, but to me this attack seemed to be a sacrifice obama gave the muslims so they could save face or have some revenge on the US. Thats just what me and mine think it could be.
@Greg,
Yes, sometimes leaks are calculated but it is clear that there are some that were calculated for political advantage and not for the calculations you believe they may be.
@Richard Wheeler:
The other day I was watching something, I think it was Bret Baier, where one of the talking heads said he didn’t like the ad because he didn’t believe military members, current or former, should be speaking politically. I know you will agree with this Rich; I gave up my right to free speech for 10 years while I was in uniform, I’m certainly entitled to it now. And so are the vets in those PACs. I think all military members understand the importance of OPSEC, but I’m sure you’ll agree that few understand it as much as the special forces community. You and Greg were both in ‘Nam, I’ve read some of the OPSEC breakdowns that occurred there. Most of the OPSEC measures that are now in placed were implemented as a result of Viet Nam.
If you had to bury a bunch of your friends because JFK’s or LBJ’s administration couldn’t keep their mouths shut, would you have said something once you were out?
@Nikki Foster:
Interesting idea, NF.
I recall at the time that the SEAL team’s regular chopper type was down for one or another odd reason.
The type they were in when hit was a much easier target for jihadis.
Then their regular pilot was also not available.
So, they might have got served up by a stealth suicide jihadi pilot in our own midst (how many times must they fool us like that then kill us before we notice?)
Aqua I’d certainly agree that as private civilians they can say whatever they want ,truth or fiction.
If they’re getting money from a Pac. their motivation and veracity can be questioned. I personally don’t know if they are or not. Do you?
Irish open in Dublin against USNA (my 2nd favorite team) Sat morn 9/1. Ranked#25 preseason(generous)? Noles opener?
@another vet, #19:
And from what source do we have that information? From Smith himself? From Patriot Promotions? Were any military records ever made public? Have any Seals who served with Smith–and who are outside the little circle involved in the attack ads–actually come forward to publicly verify his statements?
The point being this: Any input that would tend to reflect well on Obama, his administration, or his supporters is instantly rejected, regardless of its source, while any negative input is accepted without question, no matter how doubtful the source might be. But the exact opposite seems to apply in the case of a guy like Smith, or in the case of any of Obama’s opponents. Admiral McRaven’s statements, for example, are simply tuned out, or summarily dismissed as irrelevant.
@Sua Sponte, #18:
Striking poses isn’t actually content. Unless you’re modeling, I suppose.
@Greg:
Here are a few sources to get you started. They range from Fox on the con side to NBC on the lib side with the Navy times thrown in for good measure. 5 BSM’s and 2 Silver Stars. That is one decorated jackass.
http://www.navytimes.com/entertainment/books/offduty-books-biography-spotlights-sniper-initially-wasnt-allowed-enlist-011612w/
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/meet_the_big_shot_BxlVpxzQijkC9mwZcmwkrN
http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/01/05/factor-interview-america%E2%80%99s-most-lethal-sniper-chris-kyle-details-his-150-certified-kills-reveals-why-he-punched-jesse-ventura/
http://www.nbc.com/stars-earn-stripes/about/bios/chris-kyle/
As for McRaven, look at what he said about the leaks. Look at what SecDef Gates said about the leaks. That is the main issue. What have these two “investigations” turned up so far? It took very little time to nail the Army PFC or Specialist, whatever rank he was, who leaked the intel to wiki but they just can’t seem to get to the source of these leaks even though they know who published them. What a farce. If you are content with the compromise of sensitive information at the expense of our military and intelligence communities to make Obama look good, then so be it.
@another vet:
An impressive record. I missed that the reference in #19 was to Chris Kyle. So, at what point does Chris Kyle appear in the video? Have I somehow missed his comments as well? I don’t believe that the man is even quoted or mentioned in the video.
And what’s the story on Benjamin Smith? He’s the guy I was using as an example of automatic credibility. Is there similar background information available on him? I certainly couldn’t find any.
Also, forget “Simon”, CIA Officer (Ret.), with the blacked out face and the disguised voice. A nice dramatic touch, but his phantom presence is the personification of source so anonymous that he has no credibility whatsoever.
I’ll call Scott Taylor’s motives into question, too. Not because I question his record, but because he’s also asserting that this isn’t about politics. That’s a transparently false statement. Of course it’s about politics. It’s entirely about politics. It’s entirely about putting a republican back in the White House.
@Greg:
It is not just the SEALs that are hot under the collar over the actions of this administration, but when you have ICE agents, and the Border Patrol, represented by their [beloved by the left] unions giving a press conference about how this administration is preventing from doing their jobs and are being told to release illegals with records, this administration has a confidence problem that is not going to go away.
Now, I realize that you probably didn’t know about the presser because it was not covered by the lamestream media who is not going to cover anything detrimental to this inept Administration. But give it ICE/BP did, and it is just one more nail in the Administration’s coffin.
Now, you may want to claim that the leaks, which are very real and eminating from the White House, never hurt anyone, so you need to explain to me why the White House leaked the name of the Pakistani who lead us to ObL, and who is now sitting in a Pakistani prison because he is considered a “traitor” to Islam. What that leak did was inform, in big block letters, any potential informant in a Middle East nation, that the U.S. will leak their names and they will not get any help from the U.S. when they are persecuted by Islamic radicals.
Again, you have to really be struggling to defend this current Administration. Perhaps you would like to explain your defence to the families of Brian Terry, Jaime Zapata and over 300 Mexicans.
@retire05, #29:
The White House DIDN’T leak his name. The part Dr Shakil Afridi played had been discovered by Pakistani intelligence services long before anyone in the White House made any mention of him. He had been turned in by colleagues at the hospital where he worked. He had been taken into custody only a couple of weeks after the raid and was subsequently charged with high treason. Political factions in Pakistan were demanding his execution. At which point the U.S. openly acknowledged his roll. That move put the whole thing in the international spotlight, and quite possible prevented the Pakistani government from having him executed to pacify their extremist elements. The guy wasn’t executed, but was sentenced to 33 years. For whatever it’s worth, the U.S. has formally protested the sentence.
@Greg:He was the one I was referencing. Kyle’s remarks start 3 paragraphs above Romney’s picture. To the point and not very flattering. I’m sure you will not like anything he says. Other SEALS comment as well.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137636/Osama-bin-Laden-death-SEALs-slam-Obama-using-ammunition-bid-credit.html
I am not that familiar with the other 3 but here is another group headed by another decorated SEAL. While not as decorated as Chris Kyle, it is still a very impressive record and this guy was a commander for SEAL Team 6. Like I said in #19, there is more than one group out there.
http://soforamerica.org/?page_id=102
As for defending the intel leaks or turning a blind eye, it is all about returning Obama to the WH. My guess is he stated the intel leaks didn’t come from his administration and then found out they did. Now in order to avoid embarrassment, they are going to cover it up.
@Greg:
Great post. A bought and paid for political hit job masquerading as patriotism: how novel. These people are beneath contempt. Imagine, trying to undermine the CIC with troops still in harms way, just to score some points with GOP brass and get on YouTube. Sad.
Chris Taylor, in the Daily Mail:
I guess this demonstrates that a high body count doesn’t prove anything beyond the fact that you’re top man at the task you’ve been trained for.
How does this guy know what really happened, or what people in the Pentagon know but aren’t saying? He was 2 years out of the service when the Abbottabad raid took place. And downplaying the importance of eliminating Osama bin Laden is totally beyond belief. (That previously all-important mission seems to have become irrelevant to some republicans later on in the Bush administration, at about the same time it became apparent that it wasn’t going to be accomplished on their guy’s watch.) How do you suppose the active duty Seals who were dropped down into the Abbattobad compound feel about that statement? And if killing Osama bin Laden “didn’t change anything,” there’s still the fact that the Obama administration has overseen the methodical elimination of the entire al Qaeda leadership structure. Does that not change anything either?
BTW, if Taylor and his swiftboating associates aren’t making the part the current Commander in Chief played in the elimination of Osama bin Laden central to an effort to score political points, I don’t know who the hell is.
@Greg: As I noted before, stick to other things as you’ve not been or are part of the community and are a hack who would have never made it…It’s readily apparent regardless of any association with the military you didn’t have the intestinal fortitude to be a part of the community or make the cut, yet resort to believing you have a dog in the fight now, how brave…All the qualities of a pouge…
@Sua Sponte, #34:
Unlike Mitt Romney and the former Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driver, of course . . . Are you actually paying any attention to who you apparently intend to vote for?
@Greg: The point is, the war has not been ended. Going back to your McRaven link, he even states in one of those that while AQ has been weakened in Afghanistan, they have strengthened themselves in Somolia and Yemen. You did read everything the man said correct? I would also argue that they may have strengthened themselves in Iraq and Syria as well. This war is far from over. To further illustrate that point, look at the number of U.S. KIA in Afghanistan since OBL was killed. It hasn’t gone down by much if any. OBL and the other leadership that has been killed is only part of the picture. If it was the sole factor as you elude to, we wouldn’t be suffering anymore casualties would we? If the Obama administration (once again, no credit to our military) wiped out all of its leadership as you say, why have they strengthened themselves in those other countries? We will have to keep decapitating its leadership and attritting its membership until it is extinct. That may take a long time if it’s even possible. They are like cockroaches.
President Barack Obama, May 2, 2011.
@Tom: Kind of like the democrats did when Bush was President? The big difference here is that these guys paid their dues and probably forgot more about fighting wars than most people , including yourself, know. I would say they have more than earned their right to their opinion. I would like to see you tell one of them to their face that you hold their service in contempt. It would make for a good show.
another military shot by a afghan police officer, as GENERAL DEMPSY ARRIVE IN AFGHANISTAN
WITH JENNIFER GRIFFIN.
THE PREVIOUS WAS BY THE AFGHAN MILITARY TURNED ON THEIR BENEFACTOR THE MILITARY
@Greg: After a year of breaking his arm patting himself on the back and listening to criticism for it, of course he was going to say that. He’s not that stupid. Go back and look at his speech the day it happened and count the self references. It looks like he may have learned something in that year time period.
Actually, that’s from the televised announcement that broke into regularly scheduled programming on the day it all took place.
Compare and contrast.
@Greg: He should have been whisked away before that.
@another vet:
I never wrote that I held their service in contempt. So you are completely wrong there. I hold in contempt the fact they are trading on their connection to the team that killed bin ladin to make a political attack ad while those involved must remain silent. Obama has done nothing wrong here, unless you consider authorizing the mission wrong. The line of attack that he should pretend he had nothing to do with it is idiotic. If it failed, he would have been blamed. I’m sure there are those who wish it had for that very reason. That is how sick this county has become.
@DrJohn, #43:
According to Reuters, Dr. Afridi rejected a U.S. offer to relocate him and his family. The sources aren’t named, but it’s hard to imagine a request for that level of cooperation from the CIA wouldn’t have included such an offer. My guess would be that Dr. Afridi must have badly misread the local political situation.
YOU AT THE WHITE HOUSE SHUT THE FUCK UP
@another vet:
Bottom line is the Republicans are going to do whatever it takes to sully this unassailable signature accomplishment. So they trot these guys out for their 15 minutes. The fact that it’s taken seriously by anyone is jaw dropping to me. You might be a little out of your depth if you’re this easily manipulated.
TOM
YOU ARE THE SICKO HERE ALONG WITH YOUR SAME,
@Tom: The issue here are the leaks. If you don’t think that there is something wrong with that, then you do not understand why certain information is classified. As for the decision to kill OBL, anyone would have made that decision. I have given Obama credit for it many times here however I won’t make him out to be some sort of a Rambo or war hero like you guys are. I take it you thought it was sick when the democrats and their operatives/supporters accused Bush of starting a war to divert attention from the economy or accused him and those of us who served as being war criminals or accused him of blowing up the WTC? I remember the night it happened the first comments out of you were how happy you for Obama. Not first the military or our country, but Obama. That’s not politics? As for the SEALS, given what their mission is, you are damn right I take their views on war seriously. Notice Aye’s post in #42. Not much difference between what the SEALS said and what Obama said is there? As far as being out of my depth, I will be more than happy to compare my military record to yours whenever you get a chance. I’ll put up my DD214, both pages, and you can put up yours. The only thing not annotated on mine will be the jumps I made from my 8 years on a Special Forces MID.
@Tom:
This, “unassailable signature accomplishment” came up only from constant intellegence gathering established by Bush admin and shunned by Senator Obama, as such the credit is simply not all of Obama’s. Killing targets do not yield the context of plans such targets have. It’s clear that Osama Bin Laden death has little to no impact on AQ as it’s formed around a loose system of cells and current actions from AQ are seen in helping Libyian Rebels, Syrian Rebels, Eygpt’s Muslim Brotherhood “security”, and reinforcing their Yemen positions. Osama Bin Laden knew of contacts in certain areas and possible agendas of the cell leaders but now him being dead all the intel content found in his compound will take longer to make contextual sense of their plans and by the time it is made sense of the plans may have already been put into action or dismantled and trashed. It would have been more important and vital to US and Allied security to detain the man than kill him, but this is the same President that had issued a drone strike on an American citizen in Yemen over just being a suspected terrorist instead of seeking capture and placing on trial of the suspect (as is written about Treason in the Consitution).
The leaks detail certain service men, and while some of you think the leaks should be defended, put in mind that the leaks give names that enemies of the United States can now track down and find to bring ruin and pain to the named family members. Life is not pleasnant and war is hell, these leaks just put the lives of innocents on the hook all because someone in the Admin thought it would be political win to leak how “great” the Admin made on choices and to squash rumors of the man being a dithering fool unable to control his own Military.