Here come the GOP 2012 Smear version of the Swift Boaters BS

[WoodPeckr]

You KNEW this BS was coming and here it is!!!
Funny how this BS surfaces after Mitt the Twit is crying, whining and bellyaching about how he will not get into the gutter as he carps Obama is doing!!!...

Special ops group attacks Obama over bin Laden

A group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces operatives is set to launch a media campaign, including TV ads, that scolds President Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and argues that high-level leaks are endangering American lives. Leaders of the group, the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc, say it is nonpartisan and unconnected to any political party or presidential campaign. ...

 

[Aardvark154]

Presumably Senator Feinstein has become a member of the GOP?

The Washington Times
Monday July 23, 2012

"The Democratic leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Monday that the White House appears to be responsible for some highly criticized leaks of classified information in recent months.

“I think the White House has to understand that some of this is coming from their ranks,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein told a World Affairs Council forum."

 

[toguy5252]

By the time Rove and his PAC are done with him Obama will have been a hindrance and and the Seals completed the operation in spite of Obama.. It will have been Bush with Romney's assistance that was responsible. just like they made Kerry practically a traitor. I am in awe.

 

[Butler1000]

Things are so polarized down their I'm not sure anyone not already commited to voting GOP will listen to this one.
They should be going after DISNEY for for trying to cash in on the SEALS by trademark in the wake of their success!

 

[WoodPeckr]

They won't go after DISNEY because as long as someone is making a fast buck, all is good....

 

[onthebottom]

Clearly they don't want the POTUS butching up his image on their service.... wonder how that white house leaks investigation is going ala post #2?

 

[seth gecko]

This group was fairly recently founded by Ryan Zinke, himself a former Commander with DEVGRU. He is currently a Republican Senator (or Congressman, google it yourselve's, dammit!!). There are LOTS of things for active SOF to gripe about (mainly non-stop deployments over the past decade+), but this group is NOT representative of the active USSOF community or SEALS in general. These guys should be ashamed to be politicizing their (primarily) past relationships in the SOF community. And to include "OPSEC" in this groups name is hypocritical to the nth degree. Its easy to claim to speak on behalf of a group that normally wouldn't ever be caught dead speaking publicly anyways, and very like won't publicly speak out against this (thats what OPSEC boils down to.... privately, they bitch with the best of them).
OTOH, very shortly after the OBL raid, many highly-placed officers across the USSOF spectrum came out calling for the WH to STFU, as there were valid fears that too many operational details were slipping out.
Taking out OBL was a team effort, not just SEAL team 6, but everyone who ever had their hands on the file dating as far back as the Clinton admin, and as CiC Obama was the one who was going to be ultimately held responsible if the job worked or flopped. He made a tough decison to approve the job, and it happened to be the right one.

 

[blackrock13]

Clearly they don't want the POTUS butching up his image on their service.... wonder how that white house leaks investigation is going ala post #2?

How exactly does it 'butch' up his image? He's already is CIC. You don't any higher. Certainly he knows better than to wear jumps suits on a flight deck,

bush_flightsuit.jpg

 

[Aardvark154]

Seth, I don't believe anyone is saying that the President didn't make a tough call in giving the go ahead for the OBL raid.

What PLENTY of people both in the SOF community and elsewhere are saying is that these leaks are endangering U.S. national security, and that from the content of these leaks it appears that they are comming from the White House or the Pentagon.

 

[seth gecko]

Seth, I don't believe anyone is saying that the President didn't make a tough call in giving the go ahead for the OBL raid.

What PLENTY of people both in the SOF community and elsewhere are saying is that these leaks are endangering U.S. national security, and that from the content of these leaks it appears that they are comming from the White House or the Pentagon.

Good points.
The article Woody linked to seemed to go on about Obama taking undue credit for the OBL job (at least thats how I read it) and IMO he's entitled to share in the credit.
As to the other leaks that the article refers to - "clandestine drone attacks, informants planted in al Qaeda affiliates and alleged cyber-warfare against Iran", there's duality in everything, even the effects of these leaks. Drone attacks may be a big surprise to the majority of North Americans to read about in their newspapers, but they are probably one of the absolutely worst kept secrets in nations where the drones are operating. Everyone in Waziristan is totally aware of them, same with Yemen, same with Libya when they were operating there. The only thing thats a questionmark is who, when & where the drone will hit. Informants in terrorist groups? Unless the current WH admin is actually naming the names, it pretty much a non-starter. Heck, IMO I'd LIKE to have more disinformation spread that would shake up the cohesion of some of these groups (if thats what this is) Operations require communications, and people won't be talking as much if they're unsure of the loyalties within the group. Cyber-warfare against Iran? Unless the US actually comes out and says "yeah, we developed Stuxnet/Flame/Duqu/Gauss/Thunderstruck, etc etc what are they really spilling and who is it harming (well, other than Iranian centrifuge operators and Lebanese bankers?) The more that people understand just how penetrated Iran already is, the less likely any actual fighting will start up over their non-existant nukes.
I don't know the full extent of what's been allegedly "leaked", but the three items brought up in the linked article seem to me to be helpful in keeping actual adversaries from heating things up by keeping them off-balance.
Of course, thats all just my opinion.

 

[Scarey]

Everything I've ever read about special forces says they do not strut.It's almost a code for them.They take care of business and leave the politics at home.This will probably not go over very well in their tight knit community.Smells a bit like a "ring and run".Obama was the commander -in-chief.He made the call, and you can be damn sure his presidency would have eaten it a hundred times over if he made the wrong one.President Carter will attest to that.He DOES deserve some credit.ONLY he in the capacity of POTUS could make such a call.

The Republicans are not stupid.I have said in here before that I believed Obama won his second term the minute Osama Bin Laden died.That is his shining achievement(yes..he achieved it.On his word that mission was a go) and they think if they can tarnish that it may help.These special forces men are honorable human beings.why would they be a part of something so shady?

 

[blackrock13]

Everything I've ever read about special forces says they do not strut.It's almost a code for them.They take care of business and leave the politics at home.This will probably not go over very well in their tight knit community.Smells a bit like a "ring and run".Obama was the commander -in-chief.He made the call, and you can be damn sure his presidency would have eaten it a hundred times over if he made the wrong one.President Carter will attest to that.He DOES deserve some credit.ONLY he in the capacity of POTUS could make such a call.

The Republicans are not stupid.I have said in here before that I believed Obama won his second term the minute Osama Bin Laden died.That is his shining achievement(yes..he achieved it.On his word that mission was a go) and they think if they can tarnish that it may help.These special forces men are honorable human beings.why would they be a part of something so shady?

^^^+1^^^

 

[Aardvark154]

. . .they think if they can tarnish that it may help.These special forces men are honorable human beings.why would they be a part of something so shady?

Because the issue is not did the President make a "guttsy decision" I don't know anyone who says he didn't.

Rather what I do hear people saying that the security leaks coming from within the Administration are endangering lives and U.S. national security. Part of those leaks involve details of the OBL raid.

I also to a lesser degree hear people saying the president is attempting to take too much credit for the OBL raid, that is a different thing than saying he deserves no credit and mostly has to do with the first point.

 

[Scarey]

Because the issue is not did the President make a "guttsy decision" I don't know anyone who says he didn't.

Rather what I do hear people saying that the security leaks coming from within the Administration are endangering lives and U.S. national security. Part of those leaks involve details of the OBL raid.

I also to a lesser degree hear people saying the president is attempting to take too much credit for the OBL raid, that is a different thing than saying he deserves no credit and mostly has to do with the first point.

That bar was set VERY high by George"Mission Accomplished"W.Bush.I read alot of articles in the political realm.i know he met privately with Seal team 6 and congratulated them.I know he mentioned it in the State of the Union.In no interview have I ever heard him say in any terminology"this was my kill...this was my takedown....this was my mission".It's just not his character.They are fishing and I really think this may backfire on them.

What specific security leaks? Harry Reid was wrong about Mitt's taxes but at least he gave some specifics.........What specific leaks?....there have been no further attacks since he took office and many high profile targets have been taken out...could this really have been done if the administration has such loose lips?.....this stuff is right up there with"Obama hates America"...okay..why?

 

[onthebottom]

That bar was set VERY high by George"Mission Accomplished"W.Bush.I read alot of articles in the political realm.i know he met privately with Seal team 6 and congratulated them.I know he mentioned it in the State of the Union.In no interview have I ever heard him say in any terminology"this was my kill...this was my takedown....this was my mission".It's just not his character.They are fishing and I really think this may backfire on them.

What specific security leaks? Harry Reid was wrong about Mitt's taxes but at least he gave some specifics.........What specific leaks?....there have been no further attacks since he took office and many high profile targets have been taken out...could this really have been done if the administration has such loose lips?.....this stuff is right up there with"Obama hates America"...okay..why?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/dianne-feinstein-white-house-leaks_n_1696588.html

 

[blackrock13]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/dianne-feinstein-white-house-leaks_n_1696588.html

Interesting point from same;

The Democratic leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Monday that the White House appears to be responsible for some leaks of classified information.

The California lawmaker said she was certain that President Barack Obama, who receives a daily intelligence briefing, isn't disclosing secret information, but she was uncertain about others at the White House. "I don't believe for a moment that he goes out and talks about it," she said./QUOTE]

Wow, some leaks.

That sounds serious. Are we talking <1% or 10% or what. I'd be more concerned for the others, read spies, cyber or other types, just as much if not more.

 

[onthebottom]

Did you miss:

Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed two attorneys to lead the investigation into who leaked information about U.S. involvement in cyberattacks on Iran and about an al-Qaida plot to place an explosive device aboard a U.S.-bound airliner.

 

[blackrock13]

Did you miss:

Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed two attorneys to lead the investigation into who leaked information about U.S. involvement in cyberattacks on Iran and about an al-Qaida plot to place an explosive device aboard a U.S.-bound airliner.

Nope. so they should.

 

[Scarey]

I'm off to work (and when I say work I mean mother wants me to clean the basement),but from skimming over the attached article I have two points.A)."The California lawmaker said she was certain that President Barack Obama, who receives a daily intelligence briefing, isn't disclosing secret information, but she was uncertain about others at the White House. "I don't believe for a moment that he goes out and talks about it," she said.".

That's the man the people are voting for. B).Due respect to the Special ops opinions, but where were they when George. W. Bush defined and enhanced his presidency around the events of 9/11?.When many of the Republicans ,still in the house and senate ,molded legislation on the backs of the 9/11 victims, and then accused anyone who questioned it of a lack of patroitism? That simple fact shows the political ,not patroitic, nature of these series of new ads.Looking at the bigger picture, I think this sets an awful precedent.

I believe there will be members of special forces who will step forward to defend President Obama, which will then hi-light a rift within probably the most elite military organization in the world.That's not going to be good for any American citizen.Leaks can be plugged....knowledge of such internal stryfe at the highest levels of the American Military will be a much harder wound to heal.

 

[Aardvark154]

I'm off to work (and when I say work I mean mother wants me to clean the basement),but from skimming over the attached article I have two points.A)."The California lawmaker said she was certain that President Barack Obama, who receives a daily intelligence briefing, isn't disclosing secret information, but she was uncertain about others at the White House. "I don't believe for a moment that he goes out and talks about it," she said.".

That's the man the people are voting for.

Yes, however, a President is responsible for his Administration. It is analogous to why is the captain of a warship relieved of command when they weren't even on the bridge at the time of a collision or grounding.