Pentagon questions Obama’s soldier story (Obama admits cocaine use and it shows)

MSNBC ^ | 2/22/2008 | reuters

[tobyhill]

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Friday tried to cast doubt on an account of military equipment shortages mentioned by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, whose campaign team stood by the story.

In a debate with rival Hillary Clinton on Thursday evening, Obama said he had heard from an Army captain who served in Afghanistan and whose unit did not have enough ammunition or vehicles.

Obama said it was easier for the troops to capture weapons from Taliban militants than it was "to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief," President Bush

I find that account pretty hard to imagine," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.

"Despite the stress that we readily acknowledge on the force, one of the things that we do is make sure that all of our units and service members that are going into harm's way are properly trained, equipped and with the leadership to be successful," he said.

[tobyhill]

I still remember the old commercial,”This is your brain on drugs” and for every stupid thing that comes out of the mouth of an admitted drug user I attribute it to the drugs.

[hole_n_one]

I don't think anybody is suggesting that Obabma has not admitted to having used cocaine. The issue is why did you find it necessary to reference that fact so prominently.

It has no relevance to the specific issue at hand, and, as pointed out earlier, it does nothing but detract from what is a legitimate question about Obama's claims.

If the cocaine card is going to be played on a regular basis, let me know so I can go out and get a new deck......

Right now I only have race, victim and gender cards to play with.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Plagarism! Plagarism!!!

Time to SwiftBoat Obama. We did it once, we can do it again.

The truth shall triumph over hype.

[tobyhill]

Dumb things out of an admitted drug user will be called out prominently. He not only admitted using cocaine, he admitted using marijuana which both are proved to destroy brain cells. He couldn’t even get the whole made up story correct from his bait Captain so my only conclusions are, he’s a liar, he’s a dope head or he’s both but in any case he’s unfit for duty.

[hole_n_one]

......but in any case he’s unfit for duty

Well, I certainly can't argue with you there!

[Intolerant in NJ]

Obama said the captain had served as the head of a rifle platoon, which should have had 39 members...been forty years since I left active duty, but I seem to remember back in those days a captain would have commanded a rifle company; a lieutenant would have led a platoon - it probably says a lot about this guy's smarts, effectiveness and professionalism if he is in fact a captain entrusted with no more than a platoon - Obama should check his sources.....

[ArrogantBustard]

I’m seriously wondering if somebody dropped a piece of disinformation on the Obamination, in the hopes that he would go for it hook, line and sinker ... and make himself look ridiculous.

[tobyhill]

The story is starting to change because Obama and the unnamed Captain are getting called on the whole story. It’ll all be media forgotten by Monday.

[444Flyer]

Not to worry people, when the stress of the Presidential office hits him I’m sure he’ll be able to cope without the help of barbituates! (nervous laughing)

[DennisR]

Hm...John Kerry said he spoke to leaders of other nations who, he said, wanted him to win the election. Harry Reid has his phantom illegal. And now Obama has his phantom (no doubt Democrat) soldier. Those wascawy wibewals!!!

[tobyhill]

That crossed my mind but Obama gave the Captains name to the media but they refuse to give his name which tells me that the media will help the two start doing the ole backtrack. The media is already reporting the jest of the story is real but some minor facts were taken out of context.

[tobyhill]

He sure is hyped for these rallies. Most people not on something would be pooped by now.

[SoCalTransplant]

This is eerily familiar. Remember when Little Dick Gebhardt couldnt go to the mens room without someone stopping him to give him some anecdote about how their life was so horrible and George W. Bush was to blame....not indirectly like he cut spending, but directly like he sold their son crack or got their daughter pregnant.

I wonder what that military person really told Obama, if anything at all....

[Becki]

This "Sargent" must be the brother of the guy who reported all of the "abuse" by our military in Iraq.

Being nameless is real easy on a blog or in a presidential debate.

Becki

[Rudder]

Posts like yours reflect poorly on the Free Republic website. Some will say we all are idiots like you.

[SoCalTransplant]

I wonder if the anonymous source that told Obama about the Taliban guns did so on the same conference call when he accused McCain of sleeping with the lobbyist.

[Brad from Tennessee]

I’ve never been to Afghanistan but I assume there were supply shortages because the first year it had to have been logistically challenging. I was in Vietnam and we ran short of ammo at times but it was because we might be temporarily at a site where helicopters couldn’t come in because of ground fire, or bad weather. As per having to use AK-47’s because there weren’t enough rifles—this is absurd. Nobody is going to be sent into action without a rifle. In a big fight sometimes in Nam guys would pick up a Kalashnikov or an SKS from the dead and fire it back at the enemy to try to confuse them. The sounds of those weapons is distinctly different from an M-16.

[no dems]

Just wait until he gets into a debate with John McCain about stuff like this.

I hope John McCain says something like:

“You know, Senator, if you wouldn’t make statements like that, people wouldn’t know just how ignorant you really are”.

[Just mythoughts]

Near the bottom of this transcript is Jamie McIntyre’s report on Obama’s claims.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0802/22/sitroom.02.html

[Brad from Tennessee]

I think the last thing I read about the Jersey Girls is that they were promoting causes that had nothing to do with 9/11, like a gay marriage amendment.