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SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts) Sun Aug 19, 2012, 02:33 PM Aug 2012

A MUST READ: Peter Bergen Are 'Swift Boat' attacks on Obama bogus?

"I was the only journalist granted access by the Pakistanis inside the compound in Abbottabad where bin Laden was killed. I also spoke on the record about the hunt for bin Laden with a variety of current White House, Pentagon and intelligence officials, as well as former Defense Department and CIA officials familiar with aspects of the story.

None of them divulged classified information about the bin Laden operation. Indeed, they went to great pains to avoid doing so." ~Peter Bergen

Editor's note: Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, is a director at the New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank that seeks innovative solutions across the ideological spectrum, and the author of the new book "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden -- From 9/11 to Abbottabad."

Is there any merit to these serious accusations?

In fact, Obama and his national security team made every effort -- successfully -- to keep the intelligence about bin Laden a closely held secret for almost a year, from the time they first identified what they believed might be the al Qaeda leader's hideout in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan, in August 2010 until May 1, 2011, when the raid was launched to kill him.

....

Pakistani journalists started arriving at bin Laden's Abbottabad compound soon after the helicopter crashed and started filing stories about the mysterious helicopter and its oddly shaped tail rotor. An Abbottabad resident even tweeted about the unusual sound of helicopters flying over the city in the middle of the night.

...

It quickly leaked that SEAL Team Six had executed the raid, but this was hardly surprising as the SEALs are the principal Special Operations Forces in the Afghanistan/Pakistan theater, something that has been discussed in multiple news stories over the past several years and in bestselling books such as "Lone Survivor" by former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell.

And the SEALs have hardly kept a low profile of late, cooperating in a movie "Act of Valor" that was released in theaters this year, which actually featured real SEALs playing the parts of the heroes of the movie.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/17/opinion/bergen-obama-swift-boat/index.html

"During his speech to the nation and world, Obama did not divulge the name of SEAL Team Six, saying only that a "small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability."

&feature=player_embedded

For more information please visit
Conduct Unbecoming RE: (OPSec, Right Wing Group Trying to Swiftboat Obama)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021159075

9 replies

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Highlight:

A MUST READ: Peter Bergen Are 'Swift Boat' attacks on Obama bogus? (Original Post) SunsetDreams Aug 2012 OP

What's strange is ProSense Aug 2012 #1

Exactly and all of this is linked to the GOP SunsetDreams Aug 2012 #2

Repubs know this is Obama's strongpoint... kentuck Aug 2012 #3

On "Ben Smith" FB page he said he was only paid SunsetDreams Aug 2012 #4

If the Bush II Administration would have done its job when bin Laden was surrounded in Tora Bora, AnotherMcIntosh Aug 2012 #5

Obama team needs to remind all that Bush/Cheney shut down OBL unit Gus2525 Aug 2012 #6

"In the style of the Immortal Andrew Breitbart I will be posting the hate mail that I get" SunsetDreams Aug 2012 #7

Taking Down OBL Was A Group Effort AnnieBW Aug 2012 #8

I just read this and find it a great read riverbendviewgal Aug 2012 #9

ProSense

(116,464 posts)

1. What's strange is

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 02:46 PM

Aug 2012

that no one other than those involved had any idea this was going down. The news caught the world by surprise. Yet Republicans are spinning a post-operation leak and trying to claim the President had nothing to do with the operation in his role as CIC.

Republicans are just pissed that President Obama got Osama bin Laden.

SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts)

2. Exactly and all of this is linked to the GOP

Reply to ProSense (Reply #1)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:02 PM

Aug 2012

The Worst-Ever Attempt at Swiftboating

Of course, it’s hard to take this seriously as “educational” when key members of the group have ties to the Republican Party. Scott Taylor, the president of OPSEC, ran as a Republican in Virginia’s second congressional district (he lost the primary). The spokesperson, Chad Kolton, worked in the Bush administration, at the Republican National Committee, and in the office of John Boehner. OPSEC also shares an address with two GOP consulting firms—the Trailblazer Group and TelOpinion. I’d be surprised if that were a coincidence.

The video itself throws doubt on the group’s intentions. It’s saturated with anti-Obama content, and goes so far as to doctor a quote—from his address announcing the death of bin Laden—to portray the president as ungrateful to the troops. In that announcement, Obama thanked the “tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals." OPSEC removes the line from its excerpt.

http://prospect.org/article/worst-ever-attempt-swiftboating

Group Attacking Obama Has Deep GOP Ties

The Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund, the group attacking President Obama's administration for allegedly leaking classified information, has deep ties to the Republican Party, Reuters' Mark Hosenball reports:

R

ecords filed with federal and state authorities, and material posted on the Internet, show that key players in the campaign by the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund include individuals with current or former affiliations with national and local Republican Party organizations. These include the group's treasurer, lawyer and TV producers.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/group-attacking-obama-on-leaks-has-deep-gop

Founder Of Obama Swift Boating Group: ‘I’m A Birther’

Speaking to Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin, Larry Bailey, a 27-year veteran Navy SEAL, embraced several conspiracy theories about Obama’s roots:

I have to admit it, I’m a Birther … In his books, Obama said his mentor was a fellow named Frank Marshall Davis. Frank Marshall Davis was a member of Communist Party USA, he wrote for the communist party’s Hawaii newsletter, he was a close friend of Obama’s mother, and there’s a strong case that Frank Marshall Davis rather than Barack Obama, Sr. was Barack Obama, Jr.’s father and that Barack Obama, Sr. was just an administrative father of convenience. … Barack Obama’s a born red-diaper baby. He’s a socialist. His beliefs are the very antithesis of my beliefs. As far as I am concerned he is one of the most unlikeable and unprepared politicians we’ve ever had.

Special Operations Speaks claims to simply be concerned veterans trying to stop leaks. But Bailey “admits freely that his extensive efforts to mobilize special operations veterans and their supporters around the country is rooted in his personal dislike of the president and his desire to see him replaced.” He has already produced an ad accusing Obama of leaking sensitive information and hopes to raise over a million dollars to finance more attack ads.

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/08/17/709231/founder-of-obama-swift-boating-group-im-a-birther/

Ben Smith, supposed ex Navy Seal (not associated with Navy Seal Team 6) served 2000-2006, was Andrew Breitbart former bodyguard and has strong Tea Party ties. He supposedly helped elect 13 Tea Party members to congress. This guy also wrote a nasty Open Letter to President Obama that was tore up by Snopes http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/navyseal.asp

He is an actor, and supposed model and I wonder if he even served. From the moment Bin Laden was killed this guy has tried to grab the spotlight and go on fox news, even though he now claims that Seals just do their job they don't seek notoriety. But yet here he is....

He created his FB page with the name "Former Navy Seal Benjamin Smith"...he wants to be known for this...he wants fame. His FB was created May 26th, 2011 after Bin Laden was killed on May 1st 2011. He has uploaded all his news interviews on there. He wants to attach himself to Seal Team 6 who actually did the job that the CIC ordered them to do. Seal Team 6 who did the hard work on the ground. This guy is ridiculous. He just wants his 15 minutes of fame, and has from the get go.

Opsec Education Fund Inc.: From heroes to liars swiftboating a President

The group claims to be non-partisan but all its leaders are Republican operatives and professional Obama haters, including Birther nutcase Gen. Paul Vallehy. The who's who of this group includes former Navy Seal Scott Taylor who is a failed Republican congressional candidate in Virginia's 2nd congressional district. Chad Kolton worked for the Bush Administration as a spokesperson for the Director of National Intelligence. The media consultants on this 22 minute video are the Republican media and strategic communications firm HDMK.

HDMK stands for Terry Holt, Trent Duffy, Jim Morrell and Chad Kolton. Kolton we have already talked about but Holt is a former spokesperson for John Boehner (R-OH) before he was Speaker of the House. Duffy is a former Press Secretary under George W. Bush and Morrell was deputy chief of staff to the House Republican Conference and a speechwriter for former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-ILL).

So nice try Right Wingers. It is time to torpedo this swiftboat before it really leaves the dock. This phony outrage is just that, phony and intentionally lying for partisan political reasons completely dishonors your service to this country. I honor your service but I have lost all respect for everyone of of you as people.

http://www.examiner.com/article/opsec-education-fund-inc-from-heroes-to-liars-swiftboating-a-president

kentuck

(111,104 posts)

3. Repubs know this is Obama's strongpoint...

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:03 PM

Aug 2012

And they are paying these people under the table to try and tear down Obama's foreign policy credentials.

SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts)

4. On "Ben Smith" FB page he said he was only paid

Reply to kentuck (Reply #3)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:13 PM

Aug 2012

travel cost "I have made only travel cost to DC and back" uh yeah right.

AnotherMcIntosh

(11,064 posts)

5. If the Bush II Administration would have done its job when bin Laden was surrounded in Tora Bora,

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:19 PM

Aug 2012

bin Laden would have been captured or killed in 2001.

According to a Senate Report:

The decision not to deploy American forces to go after bin Laden or block his escape was made by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his top commander, Gen. Tommy Franks, the architects of the unconventional Afghan battle plan known as Operation Enduring Freedom. Rumsfeld said at the time that he was concerned that too many U.S. troops in Afghanistan would create an anti-American backlash and fuel a widespread insurgency. Reversing the recent American military orthodoxy known as the Powell doctrine, the Afghan model emphasized minimizing the U.S. presence by relying on small, highly mobile teams of special operations troops and CIA paramilitary operatives working with the Afghan opposition. Even when his own commanders and senior intelligence officials in Afghanistan and Washington argued for dispatching more U.S. troops, Franks refused to deviate from the plan.

There were enough U.S. troops in or near Afghanistan to execute the classic sweep-and-block maneuver required to attack bin Laden and try to prevent his escape.

http://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Tora_Bora_Report.pdf

Gus2525

(68 posts)

6. Obama team needs to remind all that Bush/Cheney shut down OBL unit

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:39 PM

Aug 2012

in 2005. This fact seems the easy way to rebut the lies and swiftboat distortions. Without Pres. Obama's decision to reconstitute CIA efforts and this goal, OBL is still in Pakistan watching the Olympics on his black and white 15" television. This needs to be made into an ad.

SunsetDreams

(8,571 posts)

7. "In the style of the Immortal Andrew Breitbart I will be posting the hate mail that I get"

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 03:55 PM

Aug 2012

Breitbart is immortal? this dude is crazy "Former Navy SEAL Benjamin Smith", The Tea Party, Former Breitbart Body Guard, who participated in this RW BS of a video. He posted that on his FB page.

AnnieBW

(10,429 posts)

8. Taking Down OBL Was A Group Effort

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 09:28 PM

Aug 2012

They're right - Obama didn't pull the trigger on OBL, SEAL Team 6 did. A whole lot of people, both military and civilian, got them to that point. From the intelligence analysts that never gave up on their search for OBL, to the people that collected the go-between's cell phone calls, to the system administrators and computer security people who kept the network secure, to the guys that maintained the helicopters that the SEALS use, to the people that trained the military dogs, to the Navy guys that drove the boat that they tossed OBL's useless corpse off of. And if Obama wants to take a "victory lap" on behalf of all of those people, that's just fine with me.

riverbendviewgal

(4,253 posts)

9. I just read this and find it a great read

Reply to SunsetDreams (Original post)

Sun Aug 19, 2012, 09:35 PM

Aug 2012

I cannot understand how DU has ignored it.

I am so disgusted with the same people who swift boating Kerry doing this on this movie.

AND I find the other RW movies disgusting....remake of RED DAWN

and the documentary - 2016: Obama's America

and most recently the book DREAMS FROM MY REAL FATHER
with its ugly fake video trying to portray Obama's mom as a porn star

It is true the republicans are running scared to put this all out...but my fear is there are a lot of stupid and ignorant people who believe this crap.

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