Posted on 08/17/2012 5:20:54 PM PDT by STARWISE
Earlier this week, Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc., a group of former U.S. intelligence and Special Forces personnel, launched a campaign criticizing President Barack Obama for unfairly taking credit for killing Osama bin Laden and leaking national security information for political gain.
This is the second high-profile attack on the president from ex-elite military operatives. Last month, Ryan Zinke, a Montana State Senator and former commander of Navy SEAL Team Six, started a super PAC, Special Operations for America, which is dedicated to supporting Mitt Romney and hitting President Obama on leaks and on politicizing Bin Laden’s death.
According to Mr. Zinke, these two super PACs are just the first salvo in what will be a sustained assault on the president by high-level ex-soldiers.
“There’s a number of groups out there,” Mr. Zinke told Politicker this morning. “I think what it demonstrates is, there’s a lot of anger, there’s a lot of concern among the former military community.”
Mr. Zinke said he believes these feelings of anger were fueled by a series of White House leaks and an Obama campaign commercial featuring President Bill Clinton that questioned whether Mr. Romney would have ordered the SEAL Team Six raid that killed Bin Laden.
“I think there is huge concern that the administration is using and continues to leak class documents for less than–well, for political gain,” said Mr. Zinke. “I think when the commercial came out with President Clinton and President Obama, and they talked about the political ramifications of failure, they didn’t talk about the families that would be left without a father. They talked about political consequences—that was a bridge too far.”
Mr. Zinke also pointed to White House leaks about the Bin Laden raid to a pair of filmmakers who are making a movie about the operation as something that was upsetting to military personnel.
“There’s a lot of reasons you can release classified information, a lot of justifiable reasons, but making a movie for political gain isn’t one of them,” Mr. Zinke said.
According to Mr. Zinke, there are currently at least four other anti-Obama groups made up of former elite military operatives: Special Operations Speaks, Veterans for a Strong America, Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc. and his group, Special Operations for America. He said he expects that number to climb.
Because active-duty soldiers are barred from engaging in political activity, Mr. Zinke believes it is especially important for retired military personnel to speak up.
“It’s really incumbent upon the retired guys to articulate a message. You look at the approval ratings of the president, Congress is in single-digits, the president is not far behind, and I think Americans still appreciate the credibility of our military,” he said.
(For the record, the president’s approval rating actually currently stands at over 40 percent.)
Mr. Zinke described his group and VSA as “kind of sisters” and said he knows some of the officers involved in other groups from his days in the SEALs, but said SOFA doesn’t coordinate with any other groups.
“We’re trying to link many of these organizations for a unified effort and, to a degree, they’re like herding cats,” said Mr. Zinke.
Though he knows there’s “power in a unified message,” Mr. Zinke said part of his reluctance to associate his group with other similar organizations is because, “SOFA is a little more cautious; we don’t want to editorialize.”
The Obama campaign criticized Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc. as being akin to the “swift boat” attacks that smeared John Kerry in 2004 and noted that, despite claims of nonpartisanship, the group has ties to the GOP. Mr. Zinke dismissed these criticisms of the former military groups attacking President Obama.
“There’s going to be attempts to discredit,” Mr. Zinke said. “I guess when you take a stand, you expose yourself to rocks. And so be it.”
For his part, Mr. Zinke said his organization is “not swift boat.”
“I can speak for SOFA—we are not swift boat in that what we are articulat[ing] is factual, and we’re very careful not to make personal attacks. We are making a complete argument of why the administration’s actions and policies are not in the best interests of national defense and national security,” said Mr. Zinke.
Special Operations for America’s upcoming plans include a television commercial. Mr. Zinke said the ad would be “edgy,” but wouldn’t be “a personal attack.”
“I don’t stoop to personal attacks,” he said. “You know, I’m not from Chicago. In Montana, we do things a little differently.”
Watch the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc. video, “Dishonorable Disclosures,” below.
BTTT
Thanks for the ping!
I have several friends with connections to the retired military community here around Fort Knox and also down around Fort Campbell. I sent them the link yesterday and they have promised to get the info out to their friends and colleagues.
Wonderful .. thank you!
It’s gone viral in just 2 days; pray it goes to
20-30 million views by November.
From 300+ views 2 days ago to 1,168,000 PLUS
views now .. hallelujah! Lord, hear our prayers..
See #45
BTTT
Have been following closely. VERY closely.
Excuse me, Mr. Zinke - SWIFT BOAT WAS FACTUAL.
&&&&&
I am very sadly surprised that he misunderstands the message of the Swift Boat group. Does it show yet another example of how “mainstream” media (Leno, Letterman, ET, Stewart, Colbert, etc) sells an alternate reality to too many Americans!
Normally it is not wise for soldiers to denounce the Commander-in-Chief and I am not for it, and they would not have to do it if we had a main stream media that was not derelict in their duties to provide the truth. Seal Team 6 should not have to say this publicly, but must, to save the lives of US citizens, Seal brethren and our allies overseas. Our media is so biased that it will not attack the Obama Administration for what is tantamount to a treasonous act, a betrayal of our nation, done only for political gain. This is incredible, the main steam media is a fifth column, or better, a Pravda to the Obama Kremlin.
Sometimes a soldier has to step up, and call a crime by its true name.
Interesting to see how the media treats them, and how they treated the military dissenters under President W Bush. That would be a nice comparison.
Where is Diane Feinstein? In an underground bunker until the election is over.
FYI
Looks like I have found where to donate my extra money to help dethrone Lord Obozo and cleanse DC of the vermin, who came with him.
Send Lord Obozo and his vermin thugs back to Chicago with our votes and money.
“Ping! Work your networks, people!”
It has been done my friend. ASA Vet will ping the FR MI list.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2919923/posts?page=51#51
Just getting started Bump.
May God guide our course.
Tatt
Thanks for posting this from Ben Smith.
My Grandfather hated the progressives as much as he hated the communists. He died when I was a sophomore in college, and I never got to have a one on one adult to adult discussion with him why he hated the progressives so much.
Flash forward 4+ decades, and I went back to a high school reunion and went with a life long friend to a local museum which was pro union and pro progressive. It didn’t take long to realize what was happening back in pre and post WWI, post WWII.
The progressives, then were out in the open re their hatred of America, our churches and our sense of leaving us alone.
Then, their ultimate goal of taking over our property, our cities, our counties, states and finally America. That goal continues today in a semi covert way.
I recognized some of the surnames of the progressives in the museum pictures/newspapers, and I asked my friend if those in the pictures were grandparents or parents of certain class mates.
He said yes. Later, we discussed that connection with the different reality these people had in high school and apparently continued into their late adulthood, according to him. He had thought that they were just life long liberal democrats.
Armed with this history, that night at the reunion, we confronted some of the progressives at the reunion and dinner. None of them denied being progressives. One big bully throughout highschool got so mad, he left the dinner shortly after the salad was served along with my question and challenge to him.
Since then, I have studied the progressive movement to learn about them and somehow ended up on a local progressive email list for a while. Now, I understand why my Grandfather hated progressives so much. He had to live around those treasonous bastards for decades of his adult life.
Thanks for posting what you did.
Bttt!
Also see this Link to Special Operations (OPSEC) website
Good to hear. Thanks!
BTTT
No kidding! Which is why b0z0 would LOVE to be able to control the internet.
The United States Constitution has been abused by Obama and he isn't alone....standing up for your country is honorable.....Obama apologizes for the United States, a slap in the face (of those Americans who gave all for this country and other countries)..........the Obama's have a plaque commemorating their first kiss replete with picture of that kiss....nothing could be more fitting for this tacky couple.
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