How leaders conduct themselves in a time of war and what they say about their military tells much about the character of the person.
One year ago Navy Seals entered the home of Osama bin Laden and killed him. During the past week Barack Obama has tried to politicize the killing of Osama bin Laden, giving himself credit for the success of the operation and stating bluntly his opinion that Mitt Romney would not have had the courage to do the same thing.
Obama has received criticism from both the Right and the Left for his unjustified attack on Romney. Obama’s own Vice President openly opposed capturing or killing Osama bin Laden. Arianna Huffington, Editor of the Huffington Post, called Obama’s actions “despicable,”
Arianna on Monday criticized the Obama campaign for questioning whether or not Mitt Romney would have killed Osama bin Laden in a recent attack ad.
Appearing on 'CBS This Morning', she said, "Using the Osama bin Laden assassination, killing, the great news that we had a year ago, in order to say basically that Obama did it and Romney might not have done it ... to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do."
She compared the ad to one that the Hillary Clinton campaign aired during the 2008 election.
"It's the same thing that Hillary Clinton did with the 3 A.M call, you know, 'you are not ready to be commander-in-chief'," she said.
Discussing the negative effects of such ads, Arianna said, "It's also what makes politicians and political leaders act irrationally when it comes to matter of war, because they're so afraid to be called wimps that they make decisions which are incredibly destructive to the country. I'm sure the president would not have escalated in Afghanistan if he was not as concerned as Democrats are that Republicans are going to use not escalating against them in a campaign."
Navy Seals have spoken out against Obama politicizing the killing of Osama bin Laden. Toby Harnden of the Daily Mail commented,
Ryan Zinke, a former Commander in the US Navy who spent 23 years as a SEAL and led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit, said: ‘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.’
Mr Zinke, who is now a Republican state senator in Montana, added that MR Obama was exploiting bin Laden’s death for his re-election bid. ‘The President and his administration are positioning him as a war president using the SEALs as ammunition. It was predictable.’
Jose A. Rodriguez Jr. commented on the killing of Osama bin Laden in The Washington Post, crediting the Bush Administration with doing the necessary work that made it possible to locate Osama bin Laden.
As we mark the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, President Obama deserves credit for making the right choice on taking out Public Enemy No. 1.
But his administration never would have had the opportunity to do the right thing had it not been for some extraordinary work during the George W. Bush administration. Much of that work has been denigrated by Obama as unproductive and contrary to American principles.
He is wrong on both counts.
Shortly after bin Laden met his maker last spring, courtesy of U.S. Special Forces and intelligence, the administration proudly announced that when Obama took office, getting bin Laden was made a top priority. Many of us who served in senior counterterrorism positions in the Bush administration were left muttering: “Gee, why didn’t we think of that?”
The truth is that getting bin Laden was the top counterterrorism objective for U.S. intelligence since well before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This administration built on work painstakingly pursued for many years before Obama was elected — and without this work, Obama administration officials never would have been in a position to authorize the strike on Abbottabad, Pakistan, that resulted in bin Laden’s overdue death.
War and other military actions should not be politicized, but this has not deterred Barack Obama from politicizing the killing of Osama bin Laden for Obama’s own political gain. Justin Sink reported in The Hill,
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said he worries "a great deal" that the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden will get "spun into election politics," joining a chorus of political and military leaders expressing reservations about the politicization of the raid.
"Well, I worry about it, just because it's the political season," Mullen told NBC News as part of an hour-long special on the raid set to air Tuesday. "And from my perspective, the president's support, the decision that he made, and obviously, the result stand alone in terms of the kind of call presidents have to make and he made it. I do worry a great deal that this time of year that somehow this gets spun into election politics. I can assure you that those individuals who risk their lives — the last thing in the world that they want is to be spun into that. So I'm hoping that that doesn't happen."
Character and integrity matter in our leaders. Unfortunately character and integrity do not seem to matter to Barack Obama and many who reside with him on the Progressive Left.
Comments (47)
Add comment@May The SEALS
May, do I have to remind you again? From yesterday a post I made on yesterday's blog:
May, the SEALs on active duty will face a court martial. It is against military regulations to publicly be involved in political activities.
Read this:
"Restrictions on Political Activities by Military Members
There are a number of restrictions on the political activities of US military service members. Some are based in federal law, others in military regulations.
The main purpose for these restrictions is to avoid the implication/inference that you, as a military member, represent some official point of view.
The major prohibition is against any type of partisan activities. A partisan activity is defined as "activity directed toward the success or failure of a [particular] political party or candidate for a partisan political office or partisan political group."
What part of that can you not comprehend?
@May "Mission accomplished"
May, how about George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" Speech on May 1, 2003?
"Mission Accomplished" refers to a banner titled "Mission Accomplished" that was displayed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during a televised address by United States President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003 and the controversy that followed." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_speech
Was that not political? And how many years after that did it take to win the war in Iraq?
What about Bush on Osama bin Laden?: "Remember, this is just SIX MONTHS after 9/11. In response to a reporters question, President Bush tells the world that he is "truly not that concerned" with catching the man who murdered 3,000 Americans just six months and two days earlier because "we've marginalized him." Hear it for yourself at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGmnz5Ow-o
So what we are seeing is the tactic from the cons, ex-cons to try to marginalize the sucessful efforts of the Obama Administration to eliminate Osama bin Laden, when the Bush Administration had given up.
Perhaps you should review the numerous times Obama spoke of this incident and congratulated the SEAL team that actually could say "Mission Accomplished."
You, the cons, ex-cons may believe all of this BS, but the American people are a lot smarter than that. They recognize what you, the cons, and ex-cons are trying to promote--pure BS.
Even Romney has fallen into this trap.
Obviousman: "May, do I have
Obviousman: "May, do I have to remind you again? From yesterday a post I made on yesterday's blog:
May, the SEALs on active duty will face a court martial. It is against military regulations to publicly be involved in political activities."
What are you trying to say? Did you read the article, Obviousman? They state in the article that they can’t speak out if on active duty. Btw, did you know that even Seal Team members leave the service? Did you know that just within the last week a USMC sergeant was just given a discharge for speaking out against Obama? Are you saying that the quoted retired Seal Team members are liars?
Don’t just throw out a regulation. Tell us what you are trying to say.
Btw, I thought it was nice of Obama to fly all the way out to Afghanistan to give a speech and have a photo op.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137636/Osama-bin-Laden-death-SEALs-slam-Obama-using-ammunition-bid-credit.html#ixzz1tgx4q11l
Since the beginning of politics in America
Conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats (and Whigs), and all others involved in the political process have used key events for political gain. To single out members of a specific group for doing this while ignoring that it is done by the opposite group is standard practice for those who are strongly partisan in their political beliefs.
Dr. May's blog is an excellent tool to use for individuals who want to research and analyze how this is done on a daily- or almost daily- basis. Every single thing that Dr. May has criticized Obama for has been practiced by a Republican President at some point or another. Although there are degrees of wrongdoing, they are minimal. Ronald Reagan was no more a patriotic American than Carter, nor was George W. Bush more of a patriot than Obama.
In order to understand this, one must be careful not to fall into the trap of being brainwashed by any one side. The next time someone bemoans the ugliness of the 2012 Presidential election, tell them to research the campaigns of the 1700s to realize how it was often even worse back then. The next time someone says how Obama is taking all the credit for the Bin Laden killing, show them the multiple clips in which Obama is effusive in his praise for the SEALS and the CIA. The next time someone decries Obama as a dictator, tell them to do some research on Bush and Reagan to see numerous parallels in this area.
The difficult part of all this is that it requires one to put aside brainwashed beliefs and conduct non-partisan, objective research/analysis. Many do not want to do this- that includes liberals as well as conservatives. Many simply choose to seek out those sources that support their already-held beliefs. Many on this blog do not want to engage the other side in meaningful discussions. And that all starts with Dr. May. Until he learns how to maintain a fair, balanced approach, he will live in the proverbial darkness, and that is unfortunate.
@Dorotik
"Since the Beginning of Politics in America"
Really nice piece of writing there. Wow!
Guess I have to repost this
It's a sad state of affirs in this country when it takes a humor magazine to point out the total failure of the mainstream news media to accurately report anything.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-ways-to-spot-b.s.-political-story-in-under-10-seconds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CrackedRSS+%28Cracked%3A+All+Posts%29
SEALS and Despicable
Speculation on what someone would or would not do is much like taking a shortcut through quicksand. Arianna Huffington chastised Barack Obama with one little word: despicable. To me the word doesn't fit. It is too much. One might say President Obama's use of speculation was rash but not despicable. This is politics, not someone saying your kid is ugly, which might be the truth.
Arianna Huffington oversteps her boundaries as well when she speculates at how politicians become irrational when it comes to war because they don't want to be considered wimps.
Then there is the case of Ryan Zinke, a former Commander in the US Navy who spent 23 years as a SEAL and led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit. He currently is a REPUBLICAN Montana state representative. The man has his own political agenda.
One more note while I think of it: Jose A. Rodriguez Jr. stating in the Washington Post that the Bush Administration set up all the groundwork to locate Osama bin Laden. George W. Bush became president on January 20, 2001. 9/11 happened 8 months later. Osama bin Laden was not captured during the TWO terms that George W. Bush was in office. Osama bin Laden was killed May 02, 2011, three years into President Obama's first term as president. Some might find the following timeline of great interest.
http://www.wanttoknow.info/9-11cover-up10pg
The link above belongs to Public Education and Empowerment Resource Service (PEERS), a California public benefit corporation. Their link is http://www.peerservice.org/ .
wise words
http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2012/05/01/a_cynical_process
Wing-nuts agree that President Obama's new slogan 'Forward'
has nefarious undertones, they just can't agree which end of the spectrum to assign it.
May will love this, in fact I may have scooped tomorrow's blog.
http://thinkprogress.org/special/2012/05/01/474507/right-wing-claims-obamas-new-campaign-slogan-reveals-his-secret-communist-andor-fascist-allegiances/
REVELATION:
"Character and integrity matter in our leaders."
So, that explains your embarrassing run for congress...we, the people have you pegged.
Thanks for clearing that up!
I hope that "Character and Integrity Matter" ANYTIME!!!!!!
not just "in a Time of War and a Time of Elections"!
@ rettch:
Well, when it comes to writing and/or publishing "community blogs", it is evident that character and integrity are NOT necessarily prerequisites.
Strider, the thing that upsets me most of all is the intense
personal animosity towards the president. I respect the fact that about 1/2 the population oppose his policies, no problem, but to claim, and apparently believe, that he is intent on destroying the country is lunacy.
I considered George W. Bush a weak president, I don't consider him an evil person. I admire him for riding through the canyon with the vets. I think he had about as much business being president as I would have. He was, in my opinion, totally in over his head, however, he did not seek to destroy the country.
Yes, I wonder about someone's character and integrity who have those feelings toward President Obama. Based on what? Rupert Murdock's news?
Does “Forward” make Obama a Socialist?
The Left are now claiming that the word “Forward” used by Obama is causing people to think Obama is borrowing from his Communist and Fascist predecessors. For example, Hitler Youth sang the song, “Vorwärts! Vorwärts!” (“Forward! Forward!”) and Mao Zedong had his “Great Leap Forward” campaign.
While there may be some merit in these claims coming from both the Right and the Left, Obama’s life-long actions confirm Obama as a Socialist with a strong Marxist foundation. Obama also demonstrates Fascist tendencies with his willingness to leave companies and property in private hands for the present so long as he can control what they do.
“Forward” for a backwards President,
“Forward” is a strange campaign slogan for a President who keeps looking backward to blame all misfortune on his predecessor.
“Mission Accomplished”
“Mission Accomplished” was posted on the USS Abraham Lincoln where President Bush landed on May 1, 2003. This aircraft carrier was returning from a 10-month combat deployment in the Persian Gulf, the longest US aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam War.
The “mission” of the carrier and its crew had been “accomplished” and they were returning home to the United States. The “Mission Accomplished” banner was still present when the carrier reached its homeport. The banner was a point of pride for the crew that created and posted the banner.
The Leftist attack of the “Mission Accomplished” banner of the crew of USS Abraham Lincoln is reflective of the ongoing hatred of the Left for our military.
The following is a CBS News quote:
After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the "Mission Accomplished" phrase referred to the carrier's crew completing their 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq.
"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said 'mission accomplished' for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday. "And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year."
After being landed on the deck of the carrier in an S-3B Viking 30 miles off the coast San Diego (Ari Fleischer said the president "could have helicoptered," but "he wanted to see a landing the way aviators see a landing"), Mr. Bush appeared in a flight suit to the cheers of the ship's personnel and the glare of television lights.
Later, he stood at a podium against a backdrop of an enormous banner reading "Mission Accomplished."
To the assembled audience and the world, Mr. Bush said, "Admiral Kelly, Captain Card, officers and sailors of the USS Abraham Lincoln, my fellow Americans: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country.
"In this battle, we have fought for the cause of liberty, and for the peace of the world. Our nation and our coalition are proud of this accomplishment - yet it is you, the members of the United States military, who achieved it. Your courage - your willingness to face danger for your country and for each other - made this day possible. Because of you, our nation is more secure. Because of you, the tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.
"Tonight, I have a special word for Secretary Rumsfeld, for General Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done."
The president himself never said "mission accomplished," but that often gets lost in the feelings over the continuing war, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante.
The Ronald W. Reagan Society has as its slogan:
"Reagan Forward" That along with his union activities should be a matter of concern. (May you're NUTS!)
http://reagan.eureka.edu/society/index.htm
@May Meanwhile
May, I am certain whatever "Forward" means to folks, the current Rasmussen poll shows Obama leading by +3 points.
I guess some folks just don't want to go "Backward" into the Dark Ages.
"And the regressive mind can not only create bad spirits in its own mind, will rather believe that there is a bad spirit." Anandmurti Gurumaa
Socialist Marxist Wisconsin
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Wisconsin/state-motto.html
Jumpin' Jiminy Jebus, some folks are dopes!
@May
"The Leftist attack of the “Mission Accomplished” banner of the crew of USS Abraham Lincoln is reflective of the ongoing hatred of the Left for our military."
How is that banner reflective of any hatred toward the military from the Left? Let it be known, I know of no hate the Left has for the military. Why would it have any? You're going to have to explain yourself on this one. You speak of character and integrity, and here I see none emanating from you. All I see is inflammatory rhetoric, yellow journalism, and flat-out lies.
Tea Party: We want our country BACK!
President Obama: We want to move the country FORWARD!
In my car: Forward=D Backward=R
@rettch
Boy, the car manufacturers really got that one right!
Ten facts that tell the true
Ten facts that tell the true story:
First, the Bush administration moved assets to Iraq away from the search for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Second, in 2006, the Bush administration closed the Bin Laden unit at the CIA in a reorganization.
Third, Bush changed his rhetoric from wanting Bin Laden “dead or alive” to publicly minimizing his importance. (Mitt Romney followed this pattern, saying in 2007, “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.”)
Fourth, in 2007, candidate Obama said he would send troops into Pakistan to get Bin Laden, unilaterally if necessary, and was criticized by leading Republicans (Romney included) for saying so.
Fifth, after he took office, Obama directed an increased priority be given to getting Bin Laden.
Sixth, the President personally participated in repeated high-level meetings on his aggressive new strategy for getting Al Qaeda and its leaders in Pakistan.
Seventh, Obama ordered a dramatic increase in drone attacks in Pakistan, wiping out Al Qaeda leaders and making it almost impossible for Bin Laden’s senior commanders to operate there.
Eighth, the President rejected cabinet members’ advice and ordered the raid that killed Bin Laden to go ahead.
Ninth, it was the commander-in-chief who ordered that additional helicopters be made part of the operation, a decision that turned out to be crucial.
Tenth, Bin Laden is dead.
@May "Mission Accomplished"
May, still doing re-runs, I see.
"Mission Accomplished" Submitted by may on June 9, 2011 - 9:55am. http://redraiders.com/interact/blog-post/may/2011-06-09/obama-phony-and-liar#.T6GE6FLLOSo
It's a nice revisionist history piece. Did you write that all by yourself?
Volunteers wanted......
Texas Republican Delwin Jones is running against Republican Charles Perry.
Need all the help we can get Saturday; block walking for Delwin Jones!
The time to meet will be from 9 to 09:30 am, at United Supermarket at 50th & Ave Q in the east side parking lot. If we can get enough volunteers, it shouldn't take us more than 3 to 3.5 hours for our area. That will be from 19th to 50th, between University & Indiana!
Perry must be replaced because of his dismal record in the Texas House of Representatives since 2010. He did little or nothing to help our area during his term.
Obama vs Osama
I'm glad that Obama has a single issue to run on. He certainly is playing it for all it is worth.
The “facts” presented were written by Richard A Clarke, the guy was retained by Bill Clinton to be on the NSC and hates George W. Bush. He left his post in 2003. He wrote a book of course… Appeared on 60 Minutes of course…
Most of the facts are probably somewhat true, but I find #9 particularly hard to believe. It would be stupid for him to decide. If he decided it, it probably went something like this, “Uhh additional helicopters?, uhhh, yeah, uhhh, if that is uhhh what you think is uh best.”
""Ninth, it was the commander-in-chief who ordered that additional helicopters be made part of the operation, a decision that turned out to be crucial.""
Additional information from the story sourced that was not sourced above:
"This is not to say that counterterrorism professionals weren’t hard at work in the Bush administration trying to do what they could to get Bin Laden."
For example, in 2004, rather than just accepting the fact that Sen. John Kerry was a war hero, get people to say that he is not.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/obama-earned-tout-osama-bin-laden-raid-article-1.1070838#ixzz1tk6TGWsl
Character Witness
Dr. May, it appears a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a pilot that was killed flying your beloved F-22.
Will you be testifying as a character witness for the plane?
Mother's Day
With Mother's Day fast approaching, the hot gift may be the $990 blouse that Mitt's wife was seen wearing on the CBS morning show.
Get 'em while you can...
Off to the laundry...
BW. you've had a rough go of it the past couple of days!
Hang in there, remember it's a 'boy eat dog' world out there! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Come on eaze50
Come on eaze50, give me something specific so we can both laugh at this idiot, BillyWayne, together.
"You commented yesterday as to why you are an idiot,..." I did??
"For you to believe them whole heartedly as you do, with no proof of their validity is asinine." Who have I believed and what did they say? Get specific and I will check out their 'validity'…
"Your being disgruntled about it, only makes it sweeter, so keep complaining, your only making it better for me." I am disgruntled? Apparently, I am the one rocking the boat, so why am I disgruntled?