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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Soul Crusher on April 30, 2012, 06:51:24 PM
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SEALs slam Obama for using them as 'ammunition' in bid to take credit for bin Laden killing
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137636/SEALs-slam-Obama-using-ammunition-bid-credit-bin-Laden-killing-election-campaign.html
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Posted on April 30, 2012 8:36:42 PM EDT by dewawi
Red siren at Drudge on this.
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240: "What do SEALs know about the gutsy call Obama made? They're just clueless haters."
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Wow. The left is so pathetic. Do they have no shame? Obama at this point has become a joke.
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President Obama, you have shamed the Military. You think your puny no brainer of a decision was tough? Put yourself in then General Eisenhower's place the day before D-Day. General Eisenhower had the guts to meet up with the 101st Airborne thinking that 80% of these men would be dead within the next 48 hours. Yet he spent time with them despite his breaking heart. Then on his drive back he penned a note that said the following:
“Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
Compare those heroic words to ghetto street thug Obama
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These SEALs are fucking scumbags. How dare they insult the God-King. Do you know how hard it was for him to sit in that room after spending the day relaxing? Hahaha, what do SEALs know about daring combat missions and gutsy calls?
- 240 is Back
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I'm disgusted that some noname SEALs, who wouldn't know a damn thing about courage or gutsy calls, have the audacity to attack the POTUS during an election year. I find it nothing short of ridiculous that these losers are trying to politicize Obama's single-handily killing OBL. It's only fair that Obama speak about it as he was the one who did everything so the glory belongs to him.
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Obama is not my president. He is a malevolent wannabe Mugabe Chavez Papa Doc dictator.
He makes me sick to my stomach as do his drones and cult followers.
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Obama's taking credit for "giving the order'...I ordered some lasagna yesterday, does that make me Chef Boyardee?
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Obama's taking credit for "giving the order'...I ordered some lasagna yesterday, does that make me Chef Boyardee?
;D
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I was the FIRST getbigger to call bullshit on obama's account of the bin laden shooting.
I said he was hamming it up in those initial reports, and i was right.
seals are heros. obama kept changing the story. shameful.
i remember getbiggers saying "dude, youre an asshole for doubting the official account of events" like I was hating on seals. Heck, I bet the seals were more mad than anyone, that smug ass obama was continually changing the story.
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I was the FIRST getbigger to call bullshit on obama's account of the bin laden shooting.
I said he was hamming it up in those initial reports, and i was right.
seals are heros. obama kept changing the story. shameful.
i remember getbiggers saying "dude, youre an asshole for doubting the official account of events" like I was hating on seals. Heck, I bet the seals were more mad than anyone, that smug ass obama was continually changing the story.
Did you see Act of Valor?
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Did you see Act of Valor?
nope.
you know my position. seals are heros and need their paychecks doubled.
but OBAMA has twisted that story from minute one. Remember when it kept changing? that was terrible.
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Did you see Act of Valor?
Loved it. 8)
Those HALO jumps are pretty crazy.
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Loved it. 8)
Those HALO jumps are pretty crazy.
Movie was awesome. Saw it w my GF who loved it as well.
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The douchbag in chief continues his disgraceful run. I'm waiting for him to show up her for his first in 3 year photo op...he sucks.
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Movie was awesome. Saw it w my GF who loved it as well.
::)
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Sure thing queerbear.....
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Sure thing queerbear.....
Do you believe that he's a lawyer and has a girlfriend?
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Loved it. 8)
Those HALO jumps are pretty crazy.
X2, great movie.
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Do you believe that he's a lawyer and has a girlfriend?
Why do you even care? Why do you make so many posts about it?
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SEALs slam Obama for using them as 'ammunition' in bid to take credit for bin Laden killing
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137636/SEALs-slam-Obama-using-ammunition-bid-credit-bin-Laden-killing-election-campaign.html
^
Posted on April 30, 2012 8:36:42 PM EDT by dewawi
Red siren at Drudge on this.
Any president would have given the order its a-no-brainer
But it happens to be Obama who gave the order soo....
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Any president would have given the order its a-no-brainer
But it happens to be Obama who gave the order soo....
Sooo, if any president would have given the order, why is he acting as if what he did was so special?
And please, lay off the idea that it took great guts to make that decision since ANY PRESIDENT would have given the order.
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Sooo, if any president would have given the order, why is he acting as if what he did was so special?
And please, lay off the idea that it took great guts to make that decision since ANY PRESIDENT would have given the order.
To be president is like being a coach for a football team. The shit that happens on your watch (win/lose) is on your head.
Its the same thing with the economy. Im not saying its fair but its how it is.
Where did i say it took great guts?
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Wow. The left is so pathetic.
Shittin me right...
Are you suggesting that the Right is filled with rational and logical people? Thats rich.. Coming from the side that cried out loud when someone said the word "retarded"
Or the group that threw a bitch fit because of someone saying an uber rich person never worked... I mean... get the fuck out of here...
Both sides are fucking retarded...
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SEALs slam Obama for using them as 'ammunition' in bid to take credit for bin Laden killing
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137636/SEALs-slam-Obama-using-ammunition-bid-credit-bin-Laden-killing-election-campaign.html
^
Posted on April 30, 2012 8:36:42 PM EDT by dewawi
Red siren at Drudge on this.
It was one former Navy SEAL commander. He doesn't speak for every Navy SEAL..... ::)
In any event, I don't think the ad will make much of a difference. People are more focused on jobs, the housing market gas prices, and their finances rather than Bin Laden.
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Obama is not my president. He is a malevolent wannabe Mugabe Chavez Papa Doc dictator.
He makes me sick to my stomach as do his drones and cult followers.
lol.. shut up chump.. you sound like a little bitch
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lol.. shut up chump.. you sound like a little bitch
::)
hope and change
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Wow. The left is so pathetic. Do they have no shame? Obama at this point has become a joke.
You should watch a football match instead and leave politics to grown people
What you really want is a team to cheer, to make your life meaningful. Go watch a football game
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Navy SEALs Are Hammering Obama For Taking Credit For Their Work
Brett LoGiurato|May 1, 2012, 9:20 AM|4,095|46
US Navy
It's been a year to the day since President Obama announced the heroic mission of the Navy SEAL Team Six that killed Osama bin Laden. But Navy SEALs aren't taking too kindly to Obama reminding everyone about it in the past few days.
Surprise, surprise: Today is all about politics.
Current serving and ex-Navy SEALs spoke with The Daily Mail for a story published last night, and boy did they have a lot to say. A sampling: Some said the mission was a no-brainer for any president. Some accused Obama of taking credit for their work. Some said it was an attempt to use them as "ammunition" for his re-election campaign.
Here's Ryan Zinke, a former 23-year SEAL that is now a Republican state Senator from Montana:
"The decision was a no brainer. I applaud him for making it but I would not overly pat myself on the back for making the right call. I think every president would have done the same. He is justified in saying it was his decision but the preparation, the sacrifice — it was a broader team effort."
For someone not currently engulfed in politics on the other side, let's go to Clint Bruce, who "gave up the chance of an NFL career to serve as a SEAL officer," according to the Mail:
"We were extremely surprised and discouraged by the publicity because it compromises the ability of those guys to operate. It’s a waste of time to speculate about who would and wouldn’t have made that decision. It was a symphony of opportunity and intelligence that allowed this administration to give the green light. We want to acknowledge that they made that decision.
"Politicians should let the public know where they stand on national security but not in the play-by-play, detailed way that has been done recently. The intricacies of national security should not become part of stump speeches."
The debate continues to rage over Obama's campaign ad, in which Bill Clinton voices over the narrative that Obama made the tough decision that led to the death of the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Here is the mistake Obama made, though, which makes it so controversial and ripe for attack: The speculation over whether Mitt Romney would have made the same call.
It's a delicate balance: On one hand, Romney is on record saying that it was not “worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.” On the other, how much credit does a politician — even a President — get for the operation?
Romney, for his part, said yesterday that "any thinking American" would have ordered the killing. Today, he issued a statement:
“Today marks the one year anniversary of the mission that brought Osama bin Laden to justice. That mission was the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work and sacrifice by our men and women in the military and intelligence communities. I commend all those who planned and conducted the bin Laden raid, and I applaud President Obama for giving the go ahead for the mission.
Expect this political back-and-forth to continue as part of the foreign policy debate up through the final days leading up to the election.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seals-hammer-obama-on-osama-bin-laden-ad-2012-5#ixzz1tdDZ5xSj
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It was one former Navy SEAL commander. He doesn't speak for every Navy SEAL..... ::)
In any event, I don't think the ad will make much of a difference. People are more focused on jobs, the housing market gas prices, and their finances rather than Bin Laden.
nah this is the absolute truth, it goes against obama so the right will harp on it and will run with it. Whats that a negroid is killed? the liberal media and leftists morons will run with that. The only sane people here are the ones who can critically think about each decision without the words liberal or conservative floating around in there heads.
the US is like nazi germany, no seriously, the propaganda that is going on is laughable. Both sides are just lying and fucking with you and this is what people are concerned with.
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To be president is like being a coach for a football team. The shit that happens on your watch (win/lose) is on your head.
Its the same thing with the economy. Im not saying its fair but its how it is.
Where did i say it took great guts?
That still doesn't give him the right to politicize it. NONE. He is acting as if it was the hardest thing in the world. Especially, when he could fall back and blame any of the military leaders.
You didn't say it took guts. I just made that statement just in case you tried to present it as an argument.
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nah this is the absolute truth, it goes against obama so the right will harp on it and will run with it. Whats that a negroid is killed? the liberal media and leftists morons will run with that. The only sane people here are the ones who can critically think about each decision without the words liberal or conservative floating around in there heads.
the US is like nazi germany, no seriously, the propaganda that is going on is laughable. Both sides are just lying and fucking with you and this is what people are concerned with.
Ironically, I agree with most of this.
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You should watch a football match instead and leave politics to grown people
What you really want is a team to cheer, to make your life meaningful. Go watch a football game
Coming from blacken, this quote is incredibly ironic. You're autistic and a parasitic benefit leech. Go bag groceries or something.
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Obama's taking credit for "giving the order'...I ordered some lasagna yesterday, does that make me Chef Boyardee?
lol
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"You know the thing about heroes? They don't brag." Sen. John McCain.
Well said.
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I also remember mccain saying:
KING: If you were president and knew that bin Laden was in Pakistan, you know where, would you have U.S. forces go in after him?
MCCAIN: Larry, I'm not going to go there and here's why, because Pakistan is a sovereign nation. I think the Pakistanis would want bin Laden out of their hair and out of their country and it's causing great difficulties in Pakistan itself.
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Bush passed on the decision. "I'm the decider" must have taken the week off.
2005 - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld who cancelled the U.S. special forces operation designed to "snatch and grab" Ayman Al Zawahiri and other senior Al Qaeda leaders. The story, following July 2006 revelations that the CIA had previously disbanded its Bin Laden unit, gives lie to one of the central tenets of the so-called Bush Doctrine: no safe havens for terrorists. As the New York Times reported in July 2007, Rumsfeld ran roughshod over then CIA Director Porter Goss, scuttling the mission at the last moment even as the U.S. forces were boarding planes for the assault:
But the mission was called off after Donald H. Rumsfeld, then the defense secretary, rejected an 11th-hour appeal by Porter J. Goss, then the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, officials said. Members of a Navy Seals unit in parachute gear had already boarded C-130 cargo planes in Afghanistan when the mission was canceled, said a former senior intelligence official involved in the planning.
Mr. Rumsfeld decided that the operation, which had ballooned from a small number of military personnel and C.I.A. operatives to several hundred, was cumbersome and put too many American lives at risk, the current and former officials said. He was also concerned that it could cause a rift with Pakistan, an often reluctant ally that has barred the American military from operating in its tribal areas, the officials said.
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Obama lands in Afghanistan in surprise visit
President Obama to make a televised address from Afghanistan
Author: By the CNN Wire Staff
Published On: May 01 2012 03:03:21 PM EDT Updated On: May 01 2012 04:00:46 PM EDT
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
President Barack Obama shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker upon his arrival at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan.
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -
President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, the first anniversary of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan.
On his third trip to Afghanistan since taking office, Obama met with President Hamid Karzai and will make a televised address at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Tuesday's visit comes at a particularly delicate time in relations between the United States and Afghanistan, as plans to withdraw U.S.-led international forces proceed.
The countries have been negotiating a strategic agreement that would outline the basis for U.S.-Afghan cooperation after most U.S. and allied troops withdraw in 2014. Obama and Karzai are expected to sign the agreement on Tuesday, according to the senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the flight.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement provides a framework for the U.S.-Afghanistan partnership for the decade following the U.S. and allied troop withdrawal, the officials said on condition of not being identified.
Specific levels of U.S. forces and funding are not set in the agreement and will be determined by the United States in consulation with alllies, the officials said.
Noting the anniversary of the bin Laden mission, the officials called it a resonant day for the Afghan and American people.
More than 130,000 troops from 50 countries serve in Afghanistan, according to the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force. The United States is the biggest contributor, providing around 90,000 troops, followed by the United Kingdom (9,500), Germany (4,800) and France (3,600).
The war that began in 2001 is increasingly unpopular in the United States, with the latest CNN/ORC International poll in late March showing 25% of respondents supporting it while 72% opposed it.
More than 2,700 troops from the United States and its partners have died in the war, the majority of them American.
In 2011, the United States outlined its plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The move was followed by withdrawal announcements by most of the NATO nations.
Last week, Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Daftar Spanta and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker initialed a text that outlined the kind of relationship the two countries want in the decade following the NATO withdrawal.
The deal had been long expected after Washington and Kabul found compromises over the thorny issues of "night raids" by U.S. forces on Afghan homes and the transfer of U.S. detainees to Afghan custody.
It seeks to create an enduring partnership that prevents the Taliban from waiting until the U.S. withdrawal to try to regain power, the senior administration officials said.
Obama previously visited Afghanistan in March 2010 and returned in December of the same year. He also visited Afghanistan in 2008 as a presidential candidate.
A new report issued Tuesday by the Pentagon said that sanctuaries for insurgents in neighboring Pakistan continue to be a problem for the coalition forces and Afghan government.
"The Taliban-led insurgency and its al Qaeda affiliates still operate with impunity from sanctuaries in Pakistan," the semi-annual report said, adding that "the insurgency's safe haven in Pakistan, as well as the limited capacity of the Afghan government, remain the biggest risks to the process of turning security gains into a durable and sustainable Afghanistan."
While the coalition is on track to turn security fully over to Afghan control, the insurgency "remains a resilient and determined enemy and will likely attempt to regain lost ground and influence this spring and summer through assassinations, intimidation, high-profile attacks and emplacement of improvised explosive devices," according to the report.
The report covers security developments in Afghanistan from October through March. It noted several "significant shocks" during that period, including release of a video of U.S. Marines urinating on corpses, the inadvertent burning of religious materials by U.S. personnel, several "green on blue" incidents in which coalition forces were killed or wounded by Afghan troops, and the alleged killing of 17 civilians by a lone U.S. soldier.
However, the report also noted that the insurgency has been "severely degraded" by Afghan and NATO combat operations, noting the "most significant security-related development" during the reporting period was the continuing decline in violence.
After five consecutive years in which enemy attacks had increased, they decreased by 9% in 2011 and by 16% so far in 2012.
The report attributed the improvement to the expansion and improved training of Afghan security forces. Afghans partner with coalition forces on 90% of coalition operations, taking the lead on about 40% of them, according to the military.
Along with the insurgent sanctuaries in Pakistan, the report noted that Iran is trying to ensure a "dominant, long-term role" for itself in Afghanistan along with the permanent withdrawal of foreign forces.
While much of Iran's activity involves openly reaching out with economic and cultural support, the report said there also is "covert support, including the provision of weapons and training for various insurgent and political opposition groups," including the Taliban.
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
.
© 2012 © 2011
Oh great - another speech to glorify himself. What a disaster this admn is.
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I also remember mccain saying:
KING: If you were president and knew that bin Laden was in Pakistan, you know where, would you have U.S. forces go in after him?
MCCAIN: Larry, I'm not going to go there and here's why, because Pakistan is a sovereign nation. I think the Pakistanis would want bin Laden out of their hair and out of their country and it's causing great difficulties in Pakistan itself.
Oh look. It's an excerpt posted on the Daily Kos. ::)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/02/972229/-John-McCain-said-he-wouldn-t-go-after-Bin-Laden-in-Pakistan
And the rest of his comment:
"But I want to assure you I will get Osama bin Laden as president of the United States and I will bring him to justice no matter what it takes."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0807/28/lkl.01.html
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Obama lands in Afghanistan in surprise visit
President Obama to make a televised address from Afghanistan
Author: By the CNN Wire Staff
Published On: May 01 2012 03:03:21 PM EDT Updated On: May 01 2012 04:00:46 PM EDT
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
President Barack Obama shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker upon his arrival at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan.
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -
President Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, the first anniversary of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in neighboring Pakistan.
On his third trip to Afghanistan since taking office, Obama met with President Hamid Karzai and will make a televised address at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Tuesday's visit comes at a particularly delicate time in relations between the United States and Afghanistan, as plans to withdraw U.S.-led international forces proceed.
The countries have been negotiating a strategic agreement that would outline the basis for U.S.-Afghan cooperation after most U.S. and allied troops withdraw in 2014. Obama and Karzai are expected to sign the agreement on Tuesday, according to the senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the flight.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement provides a framework for the U.S.-Afghanistan partnership for the decade following the U.S. and allied troop withdrawal, the officials said on condition of not being identified.
Specific levels of U.S. forces and funding are not set in the agreement and will be determined by the United States in consulation with alllies, the officials said.
Noting the anniversary of the bin Laden mission, the officials called it a resonant day for the Afghan and American people.
More than 130,000 troops from 50 countries serve in Afghanistan, according to the NATO-led International Security and Assistance Force. The United States is the biggest contributor, providing around 90,000 troops, followed by the United Kingdom (9,500), Germany (4,800) and France (3,600).
The war that began in 2001 is increasingly unpopular in the United States, with the latest CNN/ORC International poll in late March showing 25% of respondents supporting it while 72% opposed it.
More than 2,700 troops from the United States and its partners have died in the war, the majority of them American.
In 2011, the United States outlined its plan to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The move was followed by withdrawal announcements by most of the NATO nations.
Last week, Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Daftar Spanta and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker initialed a text that outlined the kind of relationship the two countries want in the decade following the NATO withdrawal.
The deal had been long expected after Washington and Kabul found compromises over the thorny issues of "night raids" by U.S. forces on Afghan homes and the transfer of U.S. detainees to Afghan custody.
It seeks to create an enduring partnership that prevents the Taliban from waiting until the U.S. withdrawal to try to regain power, the senior administration officials said.
Obama previously visited Afghanistan in March 2010 and returned in December of the same year. He also visited Afghanistan in 2008 as a presidential candidate.
A new report issued Tuesday by the Pentagon said that sanctuaries for insurgents in neighboring Pakistan continue to be a problem for the coalition forces and Afghan government.
"The Taliban-led insurgency and its al Qaeda affiliates still operate with impunity from sanctuaries in Pakistan," the semi-annual report said, adding that "the insurgency's safe haven in Pakistan, as well as the limited capacity of the Afghan government, remain the biggest risks to the process of turning security gains into a durable and sustainable Afghanistan."
While the coalition is on track to turn security fully over to Afghan control, the insurgency "remains a resilient and determined enemy and will likely attempt to regain lost ground and influence this spring and summer through assassinations, intimidation, high-profile attacks and emplacement of improvised explosive devices," according to the report.
The report covers security developments in Afghanistan from October through March. It noted several "significant shocks" during that period, including release of a video of U.S. Marines urinating on corpses, the inadvertent burning of religious materials by U.S. personnel, several "green on blue" incidents in which coalition forces were killed or wounded by Afghan troops, and the alleged killing of 17 civilians by a lone U.S. soldier.
However, the report also noted that the insurgency has been "severely degraded" by Afghan and NATO combat operations, noting the "most significant security-related development" during the reporting period was the continuing decline in violence.
After five consecutive years in which enemy attacks had increased, they decreased by 9% in 2011 and by 16% so far in 2012.
The report attributed the improvement to the expansion and improved training of Afghan security forces. Afghans partner with coalition forces on 90% of coalition operations, taking the lead on about 40% of them, according to the military.
Along with the insurgent sanctuaries in Pakistan, the report noted that Iran is trying to ensure a "dominant, long-term role" for itself in Afghanistan along with the permanent withdrawal of foreign forces.
While much of Iran's activity involves openly reaching out with economic and cultural support, the report said there also is "covert support, including the provision of weapons and training for various insurgent and political opposition groups," including the Taliban.
Copyright 2012 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
.
© 2012 © 2011
Oh great - another speech to glorify himself. What a disaster this admn is.
He should have gone there over during the holidays instead of calling them from a Kailua beach house on Christmas.
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LOL!
Obama upstages Mittens sucking up to rudy in NYC by spiking the football in afghanistan on this anniversary.
ouch. gonna be an ugly campaign. obama is quite a dick!
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LOL!
Obama upstages Mittens sucking up to rudy in NYC by spiking the football in afghanistan on this anniversary.
ouch. gonna be an ugly campaign. obama is quite a dick!
Obama is the most divisive dishonest piece of trash i have ever witnessed in this country.
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Obama is the most divisive dishonest piece of trash i have ever witnessed in this country.
go to mirror... that guy is a fuckin retard
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go to mirror... that guy is a fuckin retard
LOL - I am not potus. Even Dana Milbank and arriana slammed obama today over his divisive and burn your bridges campaign tactics.
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WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: Obama Hesitated – Panetta Issued Order to Kill Osama Bin Laden
by Ulsterman on April 30, 2012 with 26 Comments in News
“What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound.”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 3RD, 2011
Note: This update comes some 24 hours after our longtime Washington D.C. Insider first outlined shocking details of an Obama administration having been “overruled” by senior military and intelligence officials leading up to the successful attack against terrorist Osama Bin Laden. What follows is further clarification of Insider’s insights surrounding that event.
______________________
Q: You stated that President Obama was “overruled” by military/intelligence officials regarding the decision to send in military specialists into the Osama Bin Laden compound. Was that accurate?
A: I was told – in these exact terms, “we overruled him.” (Obama) I have since followed up and received further details on exactly what that meant, as well as the specifics of how Leon Panetta worked around the president’s “persistent hesitation to act.” There appears NOT to have been an outright overruling of any specific position by President Obama, simply because there was no specific position from the president to do so. President Obama was, in this case, as in all others, working as an absentee president.
Read more in News
« Obama Lies – Mitt Romney Never Said He Wouldn’t Go After Osama Bin Laden
NAVY SEALS TELL OBAMA TO STOP USING THEM FOR POLITICS »
I was correct in stating there had been a push to invade the compound for several weeks if not months, primarily led by Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, David Petraeus, and Jim Clapper. The primary opposition to this plan originated from Valerie Jarrett, and it was her opposition that was enough to create uncertainty within President Obama. Obama would meet with various components of the pro-invasion faction, almost always with Jarrett present, and then often fail to indicate his position. This situation continued for some time, though the division between Jarrett/Obama and the rest intensified more recently, most notably from Hillary Clinton. She was livid over the president’s failure to act, and her office began a campaign of anonymous leaks to the media indicating such. As for Jarrett, her concern rested on two primary fronts. One, that the military action could fail and harm the president’s already weakened standing with both the American public and the world. Second, that the attack would be viewed as an act of aggression against Muslims, and further destabilize conditions in the Middle East.
Q: What changed the president’s position and enabled the attack against Osama Bin Laden to proceed?
A: Nothing changed with the president’s opinion – he continued to avoid having one. Every time military and intelligence officials appeared to make progress in forming a position, Jarrett would intervene and the stalling would begin again. Hillary started the ball really rolling as far as pressuring Obama began, but it was Panetta and Petraeus who ultimately pushed Obama to finally act – sort of. Panetta was receiving significant reports from both his direct CIA sources, as well as Petraeus-originating Intel. Petraeus was threatening to act on his own via a bombing attack. Panetta reported back to the president that a bombing of the compound would result in successful killing of Osama Bin Laden, and little risk to American lives. Initially, as he had done before, the president indicated a willingness to act. But once again, Jarrett intervened, convincing the president that innocent Pakistani lives could be lost in such a bombing attack, and Obama would be left attempting to explain Panetta’s failed policy. Again Obama hesitated – this time openly delaying further meetings to discuss the issue with Panetta. A brief meeting was held at this time with other officials, including Secretary Gates and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but Gates, like Panetta, was unable to push the president to act. It was at this time that Gates indicated to certain Pentagon officials that he may resign earlier than originally indicated – he was that frustrated. Both Panetta and Clinton convinced him to stay on and see the operation through.
What happened from there is what was described by me as a “masterful manipulation” by Leon Panetta. Panetta indicated to Obama that leaks regarding knowledge of Osama Bin Laden’s location were certain to get out sooner rather than later, and action must be taken by the administration or the public backlash to the president’s inaction would be “…significant to the point of political debilitation.” It was at that time that Obama stated an on-ground campaign would be far more acceptable to him than a bombing raid. This was intended as a stalling tactic, and it had originated from Jarrett. Such a campaign would take both time, and present a far greater risk of failure. The president had been instructed by Jarrett to inform Mr., Panetta that he would have sole discretion to act against the Osama Bin Laden compound. Jarrett believed this would further delay Panetta from acting, as the responsibility for failure would then fall almost entirely on him. What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound. Basically, the whole damn operation was already ready to go – including the specific team support Intel necessary to engage the enemy within hours of being given notice. Panetta then made plans to proceed with an on-ground assault. This information reached either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates first (likely via militarycontacts directly associated with the impending mission) who then informed the other. Those two then met with Panetta, who informed each of them he had been given the authority by the president to proceed with a mission if the opportunity presented itself. Both Gates and Clinton warned Panetta of the implications of that authority – namely he was possibly being made into a scapegoat. Panetta admitted that possibility, but felt the opportunity to get Bin Laden outweighed that risk. During that meeting, Hillary Clinton was first to pledge her full support for Panetta, indicating she would defend him if necessary. Similar support was then followed by Gates. The following day, and with Panetta’s permission, Clinton met in private with Bill Daley and urged him to get the president’s full and open approval of the Panetta plan. Daley agreed such approval would be of great benefit to the action, and instructed Clinton to delay proceeding until he had secured that approval. Daley contacted Clinton within hours of their meeting indicating Jarrett refused to allow the president to give that approval. Daley then informed Clinton that he too would fully support Panetta in his actions, even if it meant disclosing the president’s indecision to the American public should that action fail to produce a successful conclusion. Clinton took that message back to Panetta and the CIA director initiated the 48 hour engagement order. At this point, the President of the United States was not informed of the engagement order – it did not originate from him, and for several hours after the order had been given and the special ops forces were preparing for action into Pakistan from their position in Afghanistan, Daley successfully kept Obama and Jarrett insulated from that order.
This insulation ended at some point with an abort order that I believe originated from Valerie Jarrett’s office, and was then followed up by President Obama. This abort order was later explained as a delay due to weather conditions, but the actual conditions at that time would have been acceptable for the mission. A storm system had been in the area earlier, but was no longer an issue. Check the data yourself to confirm. Jarrett, having been caught off guard, was now scrambling to determine who had initiated the plan. She was furious, repeating the acronym “CoC” and saying it was not being followed. This is where Bill Daley intervened directly. The particulars of that intervention are not clear to me beyond knowing he did meet with Jarrett in his office and following that meeting, Valerie Jarrett was not seen in the West Wing for some time, and apparently no longer offered up any resistance to the Osama Bin Laden mission. What did follow from there was one or more brief meetings between Bill Daley, Hillary Clinton, a representative from Robert Gates’ office, a representative from Leon Panetta’s office, and a representative from Jim Clapper’soffice. I have to assume that these meetings were in essence, detailing the move to proceed with the operation against the Osama Bin Laden compound. I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.
At the conclusion of the mission, after it had been repeatedly confirmed a success, President Obama was once again briefed behind closed doors. The only ones who went in that room besides the president were Bill Daley. John Brennan, and a third individual whose identity remains unknown to me. When leaving this briefing, the president came out of it “…much more confident. Much more certain of himself.” He was also carrying papers in his hand that quite possibly was the address to the nation given later that evening on the Bin Laden mission. The president did not have those papers with him prior to that briefing. The president then returned to the war room, where by this time, Leon Panetta had personally arrived and was receiving congratulations from all who were present.
In my initial communication to you of these events I described what unfolded as a temporary Coup initiated by high ranking intelligence and military officials. I stand by that term. These figures worked around the uncertainty of President Obama and the repeated resistance of Valerie Jarrett. If they had not been willing to do so, I am certain Osama Bin Laden would still be alive today. There will be no punishment to those who acted outside the authority of the president’s office. The president cannot afford to admit such a fact. What will be most interesting from here is to now see what becomes of Valerie Jarrett. One source indicated she is threatening resignation. I find that unlikely given my strong belief she needs the protection afforded her by the Oval Office and its immense powers to delay and eventually terminate investigations back in Chicago, but we shall see.
Stay safe.
______________________
UPDATE 1: WHITE HOUSE INSIDER NEWS – New Information Confirms Bin Laden Report From 2011
UPDATE 2 The following is a direct quote from Rush Limbaugh during his April 30th, 2012 radio program:
Uh, I wish I could cite my source for you. I can’t. I’m sworn to secrecy. But I’m just gonna tell you: They had to go call the president off the golf course and get him into that Situation Room an hour and a half before the attack so he was there for the photo-op. LINK
______________________
MAY 2011 ORIGINAL BIN LADEN STORY
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Will The Navy SEALs Swift Boat Obama?
BuzzFeed ^ | 5/1/2012 | Michael Hastings
Posted on May 1, 2012 10:04:55 PM EDT by Signalman
Almost eight years ago, presidential candidate John Kerry accepted the Democratic nomination with the infamous line: “I’m John Kerry, and I’m reporting for duty.” His military service, in a war three decades old, became the centerpiece of his campaign.
Within weeks, the Republicans had turned what was seen as one of Kerry’s strongest assets against him. Swift Boats Veterans for Truth—which included over 200 Vietnam veterans, most who hadn’t even served with Kerry—succeeded in raising doubts about the heroic narrative Kerry was selling. What seemingly started as a scratch turned into a sucking chest wound for his campaign.
Yesterday, the Obama campaign got clawed.
Drudge blasted the headline from London's Daily Mail: SEALS SLAM OBAMA FOR MAKING IT POLITICAL.
What was supposed to be an easy win—a victory lap on the anniversary of Bin Laden’s death, trumping up the president’s most militant moment—appeared to be slipping away.
The frustration—or, even anger—within the SEAL community is real, and has been brewing for months, particularly among a politically conservative core of operators. It started immediately after the raid, with questions among the Special Forces and intelligence community of whether the president should have waited to announce the kill to exploit the intelligence cache at Osama’s compound. It simmered after a Chinook helicopter was shot down, killing 30 Americans, 22 of them Navy SEALs from Team Six.
Was it a coincidence, SEALs asked themselves, catastrophe hit Team Six so soon after being named as the team responsible for the killing?
The White House narrative on the Geronimo mission would soon come under scrutiny as well, after Chuck Pfarrer, a former member of Seal Team Six, published a book length account questioning the official version of the story. The controversial book was viciously attacked—a JSOC spokesperson called it a “fabrication”—and it was widely dismissed by the press.
What the pushback revealed, however, was an extreme sensitivity in the White House as to who would have the privilege to tell the Bin Laden story, best expressed in a compelling, if well stage-managed, story in the New Yorker. The piece recounted the Abbottabad raid based on interviews with senior administration and military officials, while imbuing the story with the drama of a SEAL’s eye view. Yet the author conceded he had not actually interviewed the men who did the shooting.
Over the past few days, I’ve reached out to a number of SEALs, both active duty and former. Most active duty SEALs were reluctant to go on the record venting or praising their boss, but one of the most interesting responses I received from an operator was to direct me to Leif Babin, a SEAL who left active duty last year.
Babin, who runs the consulting firm Echelon Front, wrote a little noticed op-ed in Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal four months ago. The headline: OBAMA EXPLOITS THE NAVY SEALS. Babin took aim at “the president and his advisors, writing: “It is infuriating to see political gain put above the safety and security of our brave warriors and our long-term strategic goals.”
Obama campaign officials say the decision to put the Bin Laden hit at the centerpiece of the re-elect effort is a no brainer. (It has featurd in the new "Forward" ad; Vice President Biden’s speech last week; and a Davis Guggenheim documentary narrated by Tom Hanks.) The raid dispels the archetype of the supposedly weak Democrat; it’s reveals a moment of presidential decisiveness; and the successful killing of the aging terrorist in his Pakistani hideout, ten years after 9-11, a clear cut national triumph. It's a topic the Obama camp is all too happy to discuss, at any length.
But as the stagey outrage over the politicization of foreign policy from Mitt Romney and his Republican allies gained momentum over this past weekend, White House officials started to have their doubts. Was spiking the football, again, and again, and again, in a public such a good idea? Was it necessary? Was the campaign in Chicago, White House officials wondered, going too far?
Like Kerry’s war record, the vulnerability to the president’s Bin Laden story isn’t so much from the other side, as it from those who can claim the mantle of veteran. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the website: navysealsagainstobama.co m sprout up soon. Sure, military servicemen are accustomed to being exploited by both the left and the right. But that strategy can have its weaknesses, too. If the assault on the Bin Laden narrative continues, and if the anger expressed in private by the SEALs remains very public, the campaign might be forced to retreat.
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MORE BLOWBACK AGAINST OUR WHINEY, IMMODEST, AND SHAMELESSLY SELF-PROMOTING PRESIDENT
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/05/more-blowback-against-our-whiney-immodest-and-shamelessly-self-promoting-president.php ^
Posted on May 1, 2012 9:13:12 PM EDT by chessplayer
The blowback continues from President Obama’s overreaching attempt to turn the killing of Osama bin Laden into a weapon with which directly to attack Mitt Romney. First, some Navy SEALS, the outfit whose members risked their lives to kill bin Laden, took exception. Then, a key operative at the CIA, who helped secure intelligence that led us to bin Laden using practices opposed by Obama, balked.
"A recently disclosed memorandum from then-CIA Director Leon Panetta shows that the president’s celebrated derring-do in authorizing the operation included a responsibility-escape clause: “The timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven’s hands. The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the President. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the President for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and if he is not there, to get out.” Which is to say, if the mission went wrong, the fault would be Adm. McRaven’s, not the president’s."
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Get owned much?
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-may-1-2012-david-barton
Look at the first segment... and PAY ATTENTION TO THE VIDEOS...AGAIN......THE VIDEOS....PLEASE, LOOK AT THE VIDEO CLIPS...
I gurantee fury or 333 will be atop the leader board..."but but but... its on a comedy show...."
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Get owned much?
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-may-1-2012-david-barton
Look at the first segment... and PAY ATTENTION TO THE VIDEOS...AGAIN......THE VIDEOS....PLEASE, LOOK AT THE VIDEO CLIPS...
I gurantee fury or 333 will be atop the leader board..."but but but... its on a comedy show...."
I'm not even going to bother watching it, regardless of the fact that it's on the Daily Show. I can't think of the last time I watched a single clip posted on this board. Youtube, MSM "journalism" and satirical comedy shows are the equivalent of Wikipedia.
I think I'll side with the SEALs, including a former commander of ST6, who called out Obama on this. You can feel free to side with your comedian, though. ;D
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Get owned much?
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/tue-may-1-2012-david-barton
Look at the first segment... and PAY ATTENTION TO THE VIDEOS...AGAIN......THE VIDEOS....PLEASE, LOOK AT THE VIDEO CLIPS...
I gurantee fury or 333 will be atop the leader board..."but but but... its on a comedy show...."
Don't you leftist drones realize who childish and ridiculous bringing up Bush is? You guys considered him the worst president of all time remember?
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i swear im a fucking psychic
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Don't you leftist drones realize who childish and ridiculous bringing up Bush is? You guys considered him the worst president of all time remember?
Is that what that clip is about? It never gets old watching them use the "worst president of all time" as their measuring stick for the Usurper's level of incompetence.
i swear im a fucking psychic
Not really. I gave you the exact type of response you were looking for. I could have really surprised you by wasting however many minutes of my life watching it but I decided to pass.
It appears that 333 watched it, however.
Like I said, you side with the satirical comedian and I'll throw my lot in with a former commander of ST6 and the other SEALs criticizing the football-spiking retard occupying the oval office.
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President Obama: Bin Laden raid is 'most important single day of my presidency'
MSNBC website ^ | Wed May 2, 2012 7:00 AM EDT | By Jessica Hopper, Subrata De and Tim Uehlinger
President Barack Obama describes the killing of Osama bin Laden as the “most important single day” of his presidency and said that the decision to carry out the raid was one that he had to ultimately make alone.
“I did choose the risk,” the president said in an exclusive interview with Rock Center Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams. “The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden rather than to take some other options was ultimately because I had 100 percent faith in the Navy SEALs themselves.”
A year after the May 1, 2011, raid on bin Laden’s compound, Obama and several of the advisers who helped plan the operation, known as “Operation Neptune’s Spear,” spoke exclusively to NBC News, reflecting on the tense months spent planning and debating the feasibility of this daring raid. The interviews occurred before the president made an unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday, where he and President Hamid Karzai signed an agreement on the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
“This had to be such a close-held operation,” the president said in the interview airing tonight at 9pm/8c on NBC. “There were only a handful of staff in the White House who knew about this.”
(Excerpt) Read more at rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com ...
::) ::) ::) ::)
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Is that what that clip is about? It never gets old watching them use the "worst president of all time" as their measuring stick for the Usurper's level of incompetence.
Not really. I gave you the exact type of response you were looking for. I could have really surprised you by wasting however many minutes of my life watching it but I decided to pass.
It appears that 333 watched it, however.
Like I said, you side with the satirical comedian and I'll throw my lot in with a former commander of ST6 and the other SEALs criticizing the football-spiking retard occupying the oval office.
lol... its not a comedian....its the clips... the direct contradiction of the same people who are "outraged" right now
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lol... its not a comedian....its the clips... the direct contradiction of the same people who are "outraged" right now
Funny he didnt include Arriana Huffington in that clip.
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Funny he didnt include Arriana Huffington in that clip.
How about Dana Milbank?
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this shit is funny... you twos are hilarious..
"but but but... huffington.."
Give me a break
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Every time Obama tries to take personal credit for this it seems to backfire - so my opinion, is to let the dumbfuck do it.
The SEAL's will retaliate (as they already have started to), he'll back himself further into a hole trying to defend his statements and come out looking like the fool we all know he is.
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this shit is funny... you twos are hilarious..
"but but but... huffington.."
Give me a break
Funny obama did not mark the anniversay of obamacare, dodd frank, the stim bill, with such fanfare.
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this shit is funny... you twos are hilarious..
"but but but... huffington.."
Give me a break
It's hilarious how you claim to be all for Ron Paul yet you defend the Usurper at every opportunity.
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It's hilarious how you claim to be all for Ron Paul yet you defend the Usurper at every opportunity.
Im not defending Obama.. not one bit.. Im laughing at how you are all outraged now about "spiking the ball", but you werent saying shit when others did it.
I think its fucking retarded when both sides do it... Look BF.. youre smarter than that... dont take my distain for 1 party as approval for the other...
thats just fucking retarded...it just is.. "us vs them" = dumb as shit
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Im not defending Obama.. not one bit.. Im laughing at how you are all outraged now about "spiking the ball", but you werent saying shit when others did it.
I think its fucking retarded when both sides do it... Look BF.. youre smarter than that... dont take my distain for 1 party as approval for the other...
thats just fucking retarded...it just is.. "us vs them" = dumb as shit
Bush was mocked at the time and it was used to attack him at every single juncture by the media.
Funny how clowns like Stewart left that out, but i guess he knows it works well with his drone and sucker audience.
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Bush was mocked at the time and it was used to attack him at every single juncture by the media.
Funny how clowns like Stewart left that out, but i guess he knows it works well with his drone and sucker audience.
Where was your outrage?
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Where was your outrage?
I left the RNC in 2005. I hated Bushs' second term. Funny too how the best you obama drones can do is compare him to someone you guys claim was the worst potus ever.
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I left the RNC in 2005. I hated Bushs' second term. Funny too how the best you obama drones can do is compare him to someone you guys claim was the worst potus ever.
Youre totally missing the point
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Youre totally missing the point
The mission accomplished was for major combat ops vs saddam's army. The insurgency was something completely diferent. Yes bush was goofy for doing what he did, but look at in context, not that the obamabots give a damn.
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Flashback: Obama In 2006 Says, “I’ve Had Enough of Using Terrorism As a Wedge Issue”
Weasel Zippers ^ | 5/2/12 | zip
Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 3:44:00 PM by Nachum
Yeah, but that was before he personally swooped in and took out Osama bin Laden with his bare hands.
(CNSNews.com) – Speaking in Iowa in 2006, Sen. Barack Obama said, “I’ve had enough of using terrorism as a wedge issue in our politics.” He said the war on terrorism “isn’t supposed to crop up between September and November of even-numbered years.”
But as president, Obama and his reelection campaign have consistently raised the issue — repeatedly referring to a 2007 comment by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to suggest that Romney would not have ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden as Obama did one year ago.
On Sept. 17, 2006, Obama spoke at Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry in Indianola, Iowa.
“And let me tell you something else I’ve had enough of: I’ve had enough of using terrorism as a wedge issue in our politics,” Obama told the crowd. “I’ve had enough of that. I’ve had enough of that. You know, I – I don’t know about you, but I think the war against terrorism isn’t supposed to crop up between September and November of even numbered years, and yet that seems to be the pattern. There is a sudden burst of activity, a sudden urgency about this whole thing three months before an election every other year.”
(Excerpt) Read more at weaselzippers.us ...
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Im not talking about Bush or Obama right now. I just said its funny that the same people "outraged by politicizing bin laden raid" are the ones ...the EXACT ones who did the same thing 8 years ago.. the same EXACT thing
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Im not talking about Bush or Obama right now. I just said its funny that the same people "outraged by politicizing bin laden raid" are the ones ...the EXACT ones who did the same thing 8 years ago.. the same EXACT thing
Correct - the same peopel who trashed bush 24/7 are now applauding baby doc barack for doing things they would have been in the streets over 4 years ago if bush did it.
Liberals are flaming hypocrites and liars. Confirmed
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Correct - the same peopel who trashed bush 24/7 are now applauding baby doc barack for doing things they would have been in the streets over 4 years ago if bush did it.
Liberals are flaming hypocrites and liars. Confirmed
And the Conservatives who are bashing Obama now did the same thing when Bush was in office... Correct.. I knew you'd see it my way
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And the Conservatives who are bashing Obama now did the same thing when Bush was in office... Correct.. I knew you'd see it my way
Yep conservatives are brain washed morons
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HHEHEHEHE!!!
Look at this moron said then and compare it to what he is doing now:
Speaking in Iowa in 2006, Sen. Barack Obama said, “I’ve had enough of using terrorism as a wedge issue in our politics.” He said the war on terrorism “isn’t supposed to crop up between September and November of even-numbered years.”
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Yep conservatives are brain washed morons
And liberals are brain dead.
Obama preached CHANGE which means he was going to be DIFFERENT. He was going to be ANTI-BUSH. Why are idiots on this board trying to justify Obama by pointing out that Bush did the same thing?
HEHEHEHE!! I bet that went right over your heads, right?
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And liberals are brain dead.
Obama preached CHANGE which means he was going to be DIFFERENT. He was going to be ANTI-BUSH. Why are idiots on this board trying to justify Obama by pointing out that Bush did the same thing?
HEHEHEHE!! I bet that went right over your heads, right?
Exactly
Conservatives & Liberals are engaged in a phony battle
Politicians play to our feelings like we were cheering for a football team
So it seems we have a choise
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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE MISSION TO KILL OSAMA BIN LADEN
From this chain of events, it is obvious that the mission to capture Osama Bin Laden was a years long effort requiring commander in chief approvals and a lot of coordination, work and oversigth by the CIA, NSA, and our armed forces.
The key elements that allowed for the mission to come together...to find and then kill Bin Laden...were the fact that the Bush administration set up a very comprehensive intelligence apparatus, got legal approval for establishing enhanced interogation techniques (water boarding, sleep deprivation, nutrition modification, contant music playing, and phsycological methods) to glean the intel from the captured terrorist leaders. In addition, he established off-shore places to hold these prisoners were their security could be maintained, and where no calls to try and extend these enemy combatants (who according to the rules of war in the geneva convention could have been summarily executed) US legal protection. Barack Hussein Obama and the DNC leadership vocally and directly opposed all of this, both as a Senator and then later when running for President, where he vowed to end it. After being elected, he did end most of it, but was never able to close down GITMO because he had no better alternative acceptable to the American people.
But, luckily, by that time the military, the CIA, and the NSA already had gleaned the essential intelligence and they followed it and ultimately used it to find Osama bin Laden hiding in Pakistan. Once it was known, and an operation was planned, it was put off for several months by the Obama administration. We do not know exactly why, but the longer it was put off, the more likely it was for bin Laden to either find out, or move somewhere else. Could it be possible Obama was waiting for the best opportunity to gain political capital before making the call? You be the judge.
Ultimately the call was made and the armed forces of this nation, assisted by the CIA and NSA, pulled off the mission to a tee and assaulted and killed bin Laden and then got everyone out of the situation safey. For the decision to make the call...to say, "Yes, do it," the credit goes to Obama. But, given the same circumstances with the avowed leader of the terrorists who killed over 3,000 Americans on 911, who would not have made that call? The answer to that is clear...but also not without controversy as we shall see.
The credit for getting us to that point, for the hard decisions and then the discipline to stick with it, goes to others, notably the Bush administration and the intelligence, clandestine, special forces, and regular forces of the US Military.
At the time, Obama, although identifying the units involved and how they went about it (which was a horrible mistake from an intelligence and special forces standpoint, they would have rather the details not been made public), Obama indicated that there should be and would be no chest thumping or spiking the football regarding this operation. That was a correct course of action.
However, now several moths before his re-election bid, Obama, on the 1st anniversary of the event, flew to Afghanistan and made a big show of taking credit for the operation, saying "I did", and "my decision," and "me," over and over, and rarely or not at all mentioning the other critical players who made this possible.. You would have thought he himself caught the terrorists, detained them, interrogated them, analyzed and follow-ed up on the info, found the courier, tracked him to Pakistan, planned the mission, made the call, and went in himself to shoot bin Laden.
It was as brazen a politicization and "spiking the football" display as can be imagined. In short, it was dispicable. He even went so far as to indicate that his challenger, Mitt Romney, if he had been President, would not have made the same call, thus trying to use a critical national event, that should uniyte us, to divide us and cast disperison on his opponent.
A sad spectacle for the office of the Presidency.
The fact is this, had Obama relly been in charge the whole time, we never would have captured the other terroorists, never would have gottent he specific information, and never would have been able to conduct the mission into Pakistan to get Osama. The least Obama could do is to admit this, graciously, and give that credit where it is due, along with the high prasie of the military personnel who risked their lifes for years to make this a reality, and ultimately risked their lifes going in to get bin LAden.
Clinton, in suppoorting Obama talked about how tough a call it was and what a "terrible risk," Obama took should those troops have been captured, tortured or killed. Really, Bill? Obama was taking the risk? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?
What a sad day that this administration and its supporters would be so callous about the lifes of our service personnel and so anxious and selfish to try and bolster their political careers on a mission like this which was for the good of all Americans.
But this is the truth of the matter and something every American should consider when voting this fall, in November 2012.
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did you write this ::) ::)
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did you write this ::) ::)
no.
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where's the link, i want to see what right wing rag you got it from ;D
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where's the link, i want to see what right wing rag you got it from ;D
FR
Why not dispute the evidence instead?
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most of your shit is not even credible, ::)
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i love it how only blogs with authors like "anarchytimeforUSA" know THE TRUTH about major events of our time.
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i love it how only blogs with authors like "anarchytimeforUSA" know THE TRUTH about major events of our time.
I love it how you, from your trailer, know THE TRUTH about everything that happened in the Zimmerman case.
More Navy SEALs Coming Forward To Criticize Obama For Spiking Bin Laden Raid Football
In the wake of a warm conservative reception for a web video trashing the president for “spiking the football” on the anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death, the conservative group Veterans for a Strong America plans to gather Navy SEALs and Special Forces operators to criticize the White House during the 2012 campaign.
“We’re looking to [put together] a coalition, to field SEALs and operators that want to come out publicly,” executive director of Veterans for a Strong America, Joel Arends, tells BuzzFeed. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with former SEALs and current SEALs. I’ve been talking to operators in the community. There is palatable discontent.”
The video, which took about ten days to produce, went viral. The ad has had more than 250,000 views on YouTube and he’s received some 4,000 emails. Arends was featured on Fox News channel Thursday morning.
Karl Rove also tweeted his support of the ad.
Arends says the group is now looking at airing the advertisement on television in geographic areas with military communities. “Right now we’re going through the process analyzing where we think it would play best,” he says.
“They’re going to have the money” to air the spot, another Republican source told BuzzFeed.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mhastings/conservative-activist-more-navy-seals-to-attack-o
240 last seen saying that SEALs don't know shit and are a bunch of pussies who don't know how hard it is to make daring, on-the-spot decisions.
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i was probably the first getbigger saying the SEALS are heroes and that obama lied thru his teeth with this ever-evolving white house briefings.
and you know this.
you've continually tried to mix it up, saying "i won't allow you to dishonor the seals like that" when all I've said from minute one is "obama got all the info from the seals - video on every single man in there - and had the right information. He just released it wrongly intentionally to have the most hollywood ending possible.
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I love it how you, from your trailer, know THE TRUTH about everything that happened in the Zimmerman case.
More Navy SEALs Coming Forward To Criticize Obama For Spiking Bin Laden Raid Football
In the wake of a warm conservative reception for a web video trashing the president for “spiking the football” on the anniversary of Osama Bin Laden’s death, the conservative group Veterans for a Strong America plans to gather Navy SEALs and Special Forces operators to criticize the White House during the 2012 campaign.
“We’re looking to [put together] a coalition, to field SEALs and operators that want to come out publicly,” executive director of Veterans for a Strong America, Joel Arends, tells BuzzFeed. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with former SEALs and current SEALs. I’ve been talking to operators in the community. There is palatable discontent.”
The video, which took about ten days to produce, went viral. The ad has had more than 250,000 views on YouTube and he’s received some 4,000 emails. Arends was featured on Fox News channel Thursday morning.
Karl Rove also tweeted his support of the ad.
Arends says the group is now looking at airing the advertisement on television in geographic areas with military communities. “Right now we’re going through the process analyzing where we think it would play best,” he says.
“They’re going to have the money” to air the spot, another Republican source told BuzzFeed.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mhastings/conservative-activist-more-navy-seals-to-attack-o
240 last seen saying that SEALs don't know shit and are a bunch of pussies who don't know how hard it is to make daring, on-the-spot decisions.
The Swiftboat route won't work with Obama. The Obama Campaign already has a counter ad with Navy Seals and service men in it thanking Obama for his work. The media blackout would take care of the rest as it will never see the light of day outside Fox News.
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The Swiftboat route won't work with Obama. The Obama Campaign already has a counter ad with Navy Seals and service men in it thanking Obama for his work. The media blackout would take care of the rest as it will never see the light of day outside Fox News.
Obamas disastrous record on the economy is what will oust him from an office he NEVEr should have been in in the first place.
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i was probably the first getbigger saying the SEALS are heroes and that obama lied thru his teeth with this ever-evolving white house briefings.
and you know this.
you've continually tried to mix it up, saying "i won't allow you to dishonor the seals like that" when all I've said from minute one is "obama got all the info from the seals - video on every single man in there - and had the right information. He just released it wrongly intentionally to have the most hollywood ending possible.
lol...now that's the definition of revisionist history.
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Obama’s deal with Karzai bans raids on al-Qaida bases in Pakistan
Daily Caller ^ | 5/4/12 | Neil Munro
President Barack Obama has promised not to attack Pakistan-based al-Qaida leaders or fighters from bases inside Afghanistan.
The surprising commitment effectively bars Obama and his successors from launching another nighttime helicopter raid like the one that that killed Osama bin Laden. That raid has proven to be Obama’s primary foreign-policy success because it killed bin Laden, scooped up much intelligence data and shocked Pakistan.
Obama’s commitment will also end the use of secretive drone-attacks from Afghanistan. Those attacks have killed hundreds of al-Qaida leaders since the mid-2000s. They’ve also been very popular with U.S voters, and usually have had tacit Pakistan approval.
The unadvertised provision is buried in the deal that Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Obama signed with much campaign-style fanfare May 1 in Kabul. It could provide a legal shield for Pakistani-based al-Qaida’s leaders, front-line fighters, terrorism-planners, allied terror-leaders, funders, terror bases and terror training-grounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
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Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, May 4, 2012, 12:19 PM
Even when he visits American troops serving in harm’s way it’s still all about him.
Barack Obama gave a shout-out to himself while speaking to US troops in Afghanistan this week.
“We got me in the house!”
Oh, yippie.
The Free Beacon reported:
The Beacon reported:
President Obama gave a shout-out to President Obama during a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Speaking to American troops gathered at Bagram Air Base, the president called out the names of several military units “in the house”—who cheered upon hearing their name—before adding: “And we’ve got me in the house.”
WTF!!!
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TV future planned for video slamming Obama’s credit-grab on bin Laden kill
Daily Caller ^ | 05/05/2012 | Neil Munro
Posted on May 5, 2012 7:26:42 AM EDT by Daffynition
Veterans for a Strong America is looking for a place to run its hit online video — on television.
The ad praises the quiet heroism of the military personnel who killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011, and portrays President Barack Obama as a glory-hound eager to hog the credit.
With dramatic background images and a banner reading “Heroes don’t seek credit,” the ad shows a catalog of Obama’s statements describing his own responsibility for the mission: “I can report … I directed Leon Panetta … I was briefed … I met repeatedly … At my direction …”
“We’re at a point where we have no choice but to run that ad on TV,” Veterans for a Strong America director Joel Arends told The Daily Caller.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
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Spiking the Ball
Townhall.com ^ | May 5, 2012 | Bob Beauprez
Posted on May 5, 2012 7:05:43 AM EDT by Kaslin
Barack Obama's bragging about taking out Osama bin Laden has blown up in his face. The recently released campaign video that includes a lengthy adulation of the President by Bill Clinton for choosing "the harder and more honorable path" – and suggesting Mitt Romney wouldn't have made the call - has drawn heavy criticism even from die-hard liberals.
Arianna Huffington told CBS the "campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do."
Dan Turner, editorial writer for the Los Angeles Times called it "a low blow."
But, the harshest criticism has come from current and former Navy SEALs. It was SEAL Team Six that pulled off the mission in Pakistan one year ago.
Defying the normal silent deference regarding the Commander-in-Chief, the Daily Mail published a lengthy feature on Monday, April 30 quoting numerous former as well as current SEALs who are not at all happy with the President's "spiking the ball" for campaign benefits.
Following are some excerpts:
A serving SEAL Team member said: ‘Obama wasn’t in the field, at risk, carrying a gun. As president, at every turn he should be thanking the guys who put their lives on the line to do this. He does so in his official speeches because he speechwriters are smart.
‘But the more he tries to take the credit for it, the more the ground operators are saying, “Come on, man!” It really didn’t matter who was president. At the end of the day, they were going to go.’…
Chris Kyle, a former SEAL sniper with 160 confirmed and another 95 unconfirmed kills to his credit, said: ‘The operation itself was great and the nation felt immense pride. It was great that we did it.
‘But bin Laden was just a figurehead. The war on terror continues. Taking him out didn’t really change anything as far as the war on terror is concerned and using it as a political attack is a cheap shot."
‘In years to come there is going to be information that will come out that Obama was not the man who made the call. He can say he did and the people who really know what happened are inside the Pentagon, are in the military and the military isn’t allowed to speak out against the commander- in-chief so his secret is safe.’
Senior military figures have said that Admiral William McRaven, a former SEAL who was then head of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made the decision to take bin Laden out. Tactical decisions were delegated even further down the chain of command….
A former intelligence official who was serving in the US government when bin Laden was killed said that the Obama administration knew about the al-Qaeda leader’s whereabouts in October 2010 but delayed taking action and risked letting him escape….
Brandon Webb, a former SEAL who spent 13 years on active duty and served in Iraq and Afghanistan said…that many SEALs were dismayed about the amount of publicity the Obama administration had generated about SEAL Team Six, the very existence of which is highly classified.
‘The majority of the SEALs I know are really proud of the operation but it does become “OK, enough is enough – we’re ready to get back to work and step out of the limelight.” They don’t want to be continuously paraded around a global audience like a show dog.
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http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/05/devastating-obama-knew-about-obls-hideout-in-abbottabad-since-summer-of-2010-refused-to-act-video/
Bbbooommmm. This general confirms Obama is totally fos.
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is there a solid republican position on afghanistan? what's mitt's position?
obviously "obama is doing it all wrong"
but has he said anything about being there another 12 years? support/don't support?
What about the afghan surge? we lost a lot of soldiers in iraq but it worked. now repubs are upset about obama doing a surge in afghanistn - what's mitt saying?
OR
is mitt just being quiet until he sees the outcome, THEN doing the criticizing? ;)
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http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/05/devastating-obama-knew-about-obls-hideout-in-abbottabad-since-summer-of-2010-refused-to-act-video/
Bbbooommmm. This general confirms Obama is totally fos.
Figures. Not surprised at all.
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is there a solid republican position on afghanistan? what's mitt's position?
obviously "obama is doing it all wrong"
but has he said anything about being there another 12 years? support/don't support?
What about the afghan surge? we lost a lot of soldiers in iraq but it worked. now repubs are upset about obama doing a surge in afghanistn - what's mitt saying?
OR
is mitt just being quiet until he sees the outcome, THEN doing the criticizing? ;)
Exactly the GOP lacks balls and leadership
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FORMER NAVY SEAL REBUKES OBAMA
By Benjamin Smith
http://radiopatriot.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/navy-seal-hands-obama-his-arse
President Barack Hussein Obama – STOP using the Navy SEALS as a campaign ploy. Because with all due respect, (what little I have for you), you do NOT speak for me.
You have a movie about SEALS within the past year trying to identify with me, with the navy SEALS, and with anything that might improve your polling numbers…and yet it is all a sham to hide a weak un-American man desperate to claim the victories of others for his own.
You Sir are trying to take the credit for what the American People have achieved in killing Bin Laden. Your use of the SEALs accomplishment as a campaign slogan is nothing less than despicable. I, as a former Navy SEAL do not accept your taking credit for Osama Bin Laden’s death. The American Military accomplished that feat.
Yet now that it is useful, you Mr. President, continue to refer to the event as if it were YOU and you alone which accomplished the worthy task of slaying one of America’s greatest enemies. You say “I directed”, “I Continued”, “My Intelligence Community”, “My national security team”, “I determined that I had enough….”, “My direction…”
Yet reliable sources continue to report that not only did you attempt to stop or delay Bin Laden’s demise, you did not even leave the golf course for the situation room until 20 minutes before SEAL Team 6 took out Osama Bin Laden. Even the clothes you wore in the situation room betray this fact. This is a Commander in Chief? A man who takes credit for actions largely taken while he was out golfing?
We men who have taken the oath, say ENOUGH. You do not speak for me, a former Navy SEAL, or any one of the league of men whom I have earned the right to be among. You are simply a man running for an office. Yet you behave as a glory-hoarding ruler. You campaign to be our leader, yet in reality you wish to be our Master.
The American people are the ones who got Bin Laden… You did Not! We have fought wars and slugged it with Vast Terror Organizations to get to the man you say YOU killed. The United Sates of America has won you a title sir and you have spent the last three years trying to beg, borrow and bow as you GIVE IT ALL AWAY. You just happened to be president of the USA when WE THE PEOPLE got Osama Bin Laden. We do not see you as heroic or stoic, we see you as the guy who let America Go. We got fat and weak and you gave it all away. That is your credit – you bow to foreign leaders and pander to the press. You do not represent me as a Military Man. You do not represent me as a SEAL. You do not represent me as an AMERICAN!
You do not speak for me or any American military man because though you may now be Commander in Chief, you are not the man to whom we can point our sons and say “This is the American dream, this is American exceptionalism, this is what I wish for your future”, because you Sir are NONE of these things. You Sir, are the antithesis of American Exceptionalism. Your idols are Saul Alinksi and Karl Marx and your revolutionary dreams and anti-American ideals poison your every policy. Your every action betrays the fact that in your soul you do not understand what it is to be an American, not what America truly is. Your agenda from the beginning has been to get rid of and kill everything that is and ever was American. You who so easily dismisses America’s greatness and bows to foreigners… YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR ME. YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE NAVY SEALS. YOU DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE MILITARY MAN AND you SHALL NOT claim as your prize that which you have not earned. The Navy SEALS are NOT a campaign slogan to be bantered about for play. Nor are our accomplishments, including the demise of Osama Bin Laden, yours to claim.
So you DO NOT speak for me. And I will not stand for your use and abuse of my brethren the SEALS.
For Liberty,
Benjamin Smith
________________________ ________________________ _____
BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO!!!!!!!
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Former AG Michael Mukasey: Obama Officials Drafted Memo to Blame Military If OBL Mission Failed (Video)
Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, May 4, 2012, 10:39 PM
Leadership: Obama Administration Drafted Memo to Blame Military if OBL Mission Failed
Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told Sean Hannity tonight that the Obama Administration drafted a memo to protect the president from blame if the mission to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden would have failed. That way Obama could blame the general instead of taking the blame himself. Mukasey wrote about it this week in The Wall Street Journal.
“That was a highly lawyered memo (designed to protect the president politically)… I think there’s going to be more that’s going to be tumbling out about that escapade but so far that memo is enough.“
And, of course, this surprises no one who is familiar with Obama’s leadership style.
Mukasey also contrasted Obama’s leadership style tonight to Lincoln and Eisenhower as he did in his WSJ Opinion piece earlier in the week.
Lincoln took responsibility in August 1862 for failures that had been attributed to General George McClellan—eventually sacked for incompetence—and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Lincoln told a crowd that McClellan was not at fault for seeking more than Stanton could give, and “I stand here, as justice requires me to do, to take upon myself what has been charged upon the Secretary of War.”
Dwight Eisenhower is famous for having penned a statement to be issued in anticipation of the failure of the Normandy invasion that reads in relevant part: “My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
A week later, when the success of the invasion was apparent, Eisenhower saluted the Allied Expeditionary Forces: “One week ago this morning there was established through your coordinated efforts our first foothold in northwestern Europe. High as was my preinvasion confidence in your courage, skill and effectiveness . . . your accomplishments . . . have exceeded my brightest hopes.
Eisenhower did mention himself at the end: “I truly congratulate you upon a brilliantly successful beginning. . . . Liberty loving people everywhere would today like to join me in saying to you, ‘I am proud of you.’”
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Admin drafted memo to shield Obama if OBL raid failed
BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff - May 7, 2012 12:45 pm
The Obama Administration drafted a “highly lawyered” memo to shield the president from blame if the mission to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden failed, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told Sean Hannity of Fox News Monday.
According to Mukasey, the memo would have pinned the blame on Navy Admiral William McRaven, who was commander of Joint Special Operations Command at the time of the raid.
TRANSCRIPT:
MICHAEL MUKASEY, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL: That memo was significant.
HANNITY: Explain this.
MUKASEY: There was a memo from Leon Panetta that described the authority that was given to McRaven and it was to proceed according to the risks, only according to the risks that had been outline to the president.
And if he encountered anything else, he had to check back. You better believe if anything else had been encountered and the mission had failed, then the blame would have fallen on McRaven. That’s what that is about.
HANNITY: So in other words, here, the approximate president’s now, everything worked out in this case. But he had put in place a CYA that if it went wrong, McRaven would have been the fall guy.
MUKASEY: That was a highly lawyered memo.
HANNITY: Wow. So you are saying this was designed to protect the president politically.
MUKASEY: I think there is going to be more that comes tumbling out about that escapade. But so far that, memo is enough.
HANNITY: You went through a little bit of history here. You talked about General Eisenhower and you talked about Abraham Lincoln and you talked about–their handling of very delicate military situations that they faced.
MUKASEY: Well, I chose Abraham Lincoln, not on my own but because president Obama said that was the person he wanted to emulate. So I figured it was reasonably just to go to Abraham Lincoln.
The night after Lee surrendered, Lincoln delivered what turned out to his last speech from the window of the White House. He rejected taking any credit for it. Put it on General Grant and the troops and then talked mostly about the problems of reconstruction and in favor of black suffrage –
HANNITY: He actually did the opposite. He stood up for General George McClellan.
MUKASEY: Earlier in his career, he stood up for McClellan and for his defense secretary, who were being blamed. He said, no, no. The blame should be mine. The definition of a — one definition of a great leader is somebody who takes less credit than he should and takes more blame than he should. That’s not what we have now.
HANNITY: You also talked about Dwight Eisenhower.
MUKASEY: Dwight Eisenhower before the Normandy invasion wrote out a message to be given in the event the invasion failed and in the event that Germans threw us off the beaches. What it said was, I picked the place where we landed. The troops, the Navy, the airmen did their best and are most valorous. If anybody deserves blame, it’s me.
HANNITY: How many troops did we lose — what 7,000 or 8,000 men when they slammed the beaches of Normandy?
MUKASEY: Right.
HANNITY: A lot of people. A lot of loss. He prepared to actually take the blame, not –
MUKASEY: Correct.
HANNITY: Then he gave praise after.
MUKASEY: A week later when it became clear that it was a success. He wrote another message, giving all the credit to the troops. The only time he mentioned himself was at the end when he said, I’m proud of you.
HANNITY: What about your time as attorney general and U.S. district court judge, your opinions — because obviously, Mr. Rodriguez would not have been able to engage in enhanced interrogation without the approval of the Justice Department, the White House, the president, et cetera, on down. Your thoughts as you hear President Obama refer to this as torture?
MUKASEY: He — coming from somebody who is a lawyer, it blows my mind because torture is not a figure of speech. It is not a cocktail party expression. There is a torture statute that defines torture as severe physical or mental pain or suffering, severe mental pain or suffering is defined in durational terms, it has to last a language time.
And the physical pain has to be severe. OLC memo that Rodriguez mentioned describe in detail why waterboarding and all the other techniques are not torture –
HANNITY: Does he say this for political reasons in your view?
MUKASEY: I am not a mind reader. I don’t know whether he says it for aesthetic reasons or to make other people feel good or to enhance his own state of mind. You have to ask him that. All I know is he’s wrong?
HANNITY: I would like to, but he won’t come on this program, which I cannot understand for the life of me. All right, well, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate it. Great piece in the journal.
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:D
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;D
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Looks like the criticism was well placed as the new Obama campaign ads have replaced "I" with "we". For supposedly being the "smartest people on the planet" these guys love sticking their feet in their mouths.
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I think this says it all
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-may-1-2012/victory-lapse---the-anniversary-of-osama-bin-laden-s-death
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:D. More comedians.
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:D. More comedians.
Yup but they arent biased corrup creeps like those you rely on for "news"
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Victor Davis Hanson: Presidential Narcissism
National Review Online ^ | May 9, 2012 | Victor Davis Hanson:
Former president Bill Clinton just appeared in a reelection television commercial for President Barack Obama. At one point, Clinton weighs in on the potential consequences of Obama’s decision to go ahead with the planned assassination of Osama bin Laden. He smiles and then pontificates, “Suppose the Navy SEALs had gone in there . . . suppose they had been captured or killed. The downside would have been horrible for him [Obama].”
There is a lot that is disturbing about Clinton’s commentary — and about the fact that such an embarrassment was not deleted by the Obama campaign. Clinton offers unintended self-incrimination as to why in the 1990s he did not order the capture of bin Laden when it might well have been in his power to do so — was it fear of something “horrible” that might have happened to his fortunes rather than to our troops? And, of course, such crass politicization of national security and the war on terror is exactly what Barack Obama accused the two Clintons of in the 2008 Democratic primaries. We also remember that Obama on several occasions chastised George W. Bush for supposedly making reference to the war on terror for political advantage, though he never did so in as creepy a fashion as Clinton. And aside from the fact that Barack Obama promised never to “spike the football” by using the SEAL mission to score campaign points, only a narcissistic Bill Clinton could have envisioned the death or capture of Navy SEALs not in terms of those men’s own horrible fates, but only as political “downside” for an equally narcissistic Barack Obama.
In Clinton’s defense, he spoke not just from his own selfish instinct to see presidential survival as more important than the fates of those who actually took the physical risk. Rather, a year ago Obama himself had already hijacked the mission with a flurry of self-referential pronouns: “Tonight, I can report . . . And so, shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta . . . I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . . I’ve made clear . . . Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear . . . Tonight, I called President Zardari . . . and my team has also spoken . . .These efforts weigh on me every time I, as commander-in-chief . . . Finally, let me say to the families . . . I know that it has, at times, frayed . . .”
As for the civilian responsibility for approving such hazardous missions for our intelligence and military communities, Obama has never confessed, then or now, that most of the anti-terrorism protocols that led to critical intelligence about the probable whereabouts of bin Laden had been strongly opposed by Obama himself. Indeed, almost every Bush-Cheney policy that President Obama eventually embraced — renditions, tribunals, Guantanamo, the Patriot Act — was opposed by Obama as a state legislator, a U.S. senator, and a presidential candidate. Apparently, there is no loudly announced “reset” when it comes to the war on terror.
The logic of the narcissistic mind in matters of the war on terror works out something like this:
The president will take credit for all the successes on his watch, without ever acknowledging reliance on the policies put in place during the eight years before he took office, much less admitting that he once did his best to undermine all of those inheritances that he eventually found so useful. And in matters concerning his predecessor, Obama will damn Bush for the bad economy that he left to his successor and yet ignore Bush for the successful anti-terrorism protocols that he passed on.
Unfortunately, the latest triumphalism is a continuance of a long line of self-adulation that we have grown accustomed to in Barack Obama since he came to the public’s attention — the professor’s two memoirs without a single commensurate scholarly publication; the Latinate motto; the faux-Greek columns; the biblical quelling of the rising seas and cooling of the planet; the fallback retreat to the Victory Column when questions were raised about the appropriateness of the Brandenburg Gate as a venue for his speech; and so on. The common characteristics in Obama’s I/me/my career have been such rhetorical, visual, and symbolic efforts to mask an absence of accomplishment (e.g., why not even one Harvard Law Review article, or perhaps a single publication as a University of Chicago lecturer, or a successful program as a Chicago community organizer, or a signature piece of legislation as an Illinois legislator, or an acknowledged legislative record as a U.S. senator?).
In the world of a narcissistic Barack Obama, rhetoric need not translate into reality. The more emphatic and emotive the pledges to shut down Guantanamo, the more readily all such serial assurances could be ignored. The more idealistic support is expressed for public campaign financing and scorn for bundling, fundraisers, super PACs, Wall Street mega-donors, the revolving door, and lobbyists, all the easier it is to shun the former and embrace the latter.
The Obama way is to offer the boilerplate “I/me/mine/my team” speech, and then simply let events follow their own course — as if the fact that Obama weighed in rhetorically on a topic was ipso facto enough. “Make no mistake about it,” “I” have dealt with the jobs, deficit, debt, and sluggish-growth problems. Ergo, they no longer exist.
So “reset” is grandly proclaimed for Russia — with no acknowledgment that relations have so soured with Putin’s thugocracy that Moscow now threatens to take out proposed anti-missile sites in Eastern Europe. Libya is such a strong blueprint of Obama’s competent and moral “lead from behind” strategy in the Middle East that who cares that such a model will never be applied to an equally disintegrating Syria? That Obama gave the Iranians five deadlines to desist from nuclear acquisition should have been enough for them to desist: So it’s their problem, not ours. North Korea has been addressed, as if the rhetorical and the concrete definitions of that word were synonymous.
So what is the problem with a charismatic, narcissistic president? After all, most presidents by definition must be somewhat self-absorbed. Yet the rub is that the world has tuned Obama out. All his prime-time rhetoric from Afghanistan, the cool multicultural accentuation of Pakîstan and the Talîban, the photo-op reminders that it was Obama who ordered the mission that took out bin Laden — all this meant nothing to the Taliban, who will now patiently wait us out, unleash a North Vietnamese–like offensive very soon, and remind us that just because we don’t believe there are still things like victory and defeat in our messy wars, that does not mean there are not.
In other words, I worry that Vladimir Putin, the Iranian theocrats, the North Korean apparat, the Chinese central committee, the Muslim Brotherhood, and all the others who detest the United States have sized up Barack Obama. For 40 months they have acknowledged that his postracial image and his youthful charisma, as David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs rightly insisted, threw them for a loop — for a while. And that “for a while” is now ending, replaced with a new belief abroad that the more Obama talks about himself and his team, and the more emphatic he becomes with his “Make no mistake about it” and “Let me be perfectly clear” vacuities, the more he can at first safely be ignored, and then, quite soon, safely be taken advantage of.
The problem with a narcissistic president is not just that he sees the world as all about himself, but that the world soon sees that it is not about him at all.
— NRO contributor Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author most recently of The End of Sparta, a novel about ancient freedom.
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RIP - let the CT's begin.
How the F does something like this happen.
Seriouswly - this sounds like a JFK hit all the way
Oswald - ""im just the patsy