Republican SEALs Oppose Obama
A few days ago James Joyner reported that a some Navy Seals were running an ad against Obama under the name of OPSEC. At the time he didn’t have a problem with it. Thanks to a bit of investigation by my old blogging partner, Steve Hynd he has changed his mind.
The president of OPSEC is identified by Hosenball as “Scott Taylor, is a former Navy SEAL who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for a congressional seat in Virginia.” What Hosenball neglects to mention, however, is that every other person he names as a member of this OPSEC group is a Republican activist and apparatchik.
Ben Smith, the ex-SEAL named above, is nowadays better known for his activist work with the Tea Party Express and Move America Forward , the pressure group set up by California Republican public relations firm Russo Marsh & Rogers. Fred Rustmann, “a former undercover case officer for the CIA who is a spokesman for the group” is the same Fred Rustman who appeared in a co-ordinated campaign on Fox News and in the conservative press claiming to be Valerie Plame’s case officer and saying that she openly acknowledged her status as a CIA agent, blowing her own cover. Larry Johnson dealt with Rustman’s claims in his testimony to Congress. Finally, Hosenball mentions “Chad Kolton, a former spokesman for the office of Director of National Intelligence during the George W. Bush administration who now represents OPSEC”. A moment’s work with Google reveals that Kolton “led the public affairs department” at DNI during the Bush administration and now is a founding partner in the D.C.-based firm of HDMK, a PR firm founded by four Republican “communications veterans”.
Surely Hosenball must have noticed, veteran reporter that he is, that every single person named as part of this group in his story was a long-standing Republican PR operative.
The Hosenball Steve refers to is intrepid Reuters reporter Mark Hosenball, whose story I relied on without doing any further vetting. While I think OPSEC’s charages are, at best, overblown, they didn’t strike me as wild because similar but less incendiary sentiments have been expressed by such sterling characters as Bob Gates and Mike Mullen. But the fact that the group’s key spokesmen are all Republican operatives certainly changes the lens through which their charges should be viewed.
Thus far, it appears that OPSEC is just a Republican shill group whereas SOS are downright crazy. But there’s not much value in either’s contribution to the discussion. (Bold Mine)
My hat is off to Mr Joyner who is one of the few honest Republicans left.
pic: Ben Smith, Ex- Seal, on the “tea party express’ bus.
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I’m sorry, but I thought opsec was an obvious rep shill group. Did anyone really think they were just a bunch of special ops guys with a real concern? It’s is great that there is now proof, but anyone with half of brain should have known better.
That being said…it is still all legal
SL nailed it!
The ad that portrays Obama as taking credit for the killing of OBL is trying to drive a wedge between the commander in chief and the military supporters. It is outrageous and shameful. It is also furthering a lie. Upon the successful completion of the mission Obama gave full credit to all the people who were involved with the operation. The GOP has slipped it’s moorings almost entirely. Do they have any standards at all anymore?
As usual, thanks, Ron for helping expose the every-four-years lies.
Dorian,
You may want to change that to every 4 year lies to.
Republicans lie
Every 4 years
OOPs
Every 4 months.
OOPS
Every 4 days
Well, you get the idea.
Thank you for the research and information. It is so important for our election process – especially these days after Citizens United – to expose the cynical manipulation going on.
Yes Virgina there are politicians from Virginia that are Republicans,
be they Seals or whatever, as there are Reps among all other trades, occupations, professions and the military.
And I am shocked, shocked, that they would use this, or any other president’s grand standing as a point to criticize and score political points.
Truly shocking, and unfortunately exaggerated.
As long as they are not serving in the military, they can say whatever they want to say. The fact that they want to use their former military service for political purposes not to elect themselves, but to dishonor the country’s Commander in Chief seems a little…dishonorable. Coup, anyone?
Dishonorable, absolutely not, as the words dishonorable and politician are mutually exclusive.
Boasting, glory seeking, furthering his campaign, unwise, careless with security, yes.
I was asking myself the same thing while listening to the NPR report of this story last night. The sensibilities of yesteryear have little connection to current GOP thinking. Now it’s more akin to banana republic thinking. No the military isn’t going to storm the White House, but the insidious intent is easy to see. There was a time when ads like this would have been roundly condemned by ALL. Of course that was when there were still a lot of adults in the room.
A coup? Please switch to decaf guys. Besides, if it ever came to that Sheldon would be in charge.
I think what is dishonorable is the fact that they’re pretending to be a “concerned, non-partisan group.”
If the front that your organization is putting forth is itself a lie, then I can only assume that everything else you say is dishonest.
A buddy of mine was in the Navy (submariner, EOD, Gulf War I vet) and he absolutely hates Obama. Makes no bones about it. And while I disagree with a lot of the over the top stuff he says, at least he’s not pretending to be non-partisan or merely “concerned.”
I can respect that. These guys? Not so much.
Most of the people that I know in the military, including some family,truly believe that Obama plans to outlaw all guns for everyone. They have been literally stocking up on ammo.
Interesting that people are having this ammo-stocking reaction to a president who isn’t nearly as liberal as his predecesors. Makes you wonder what is going on here? D’ya think it could have anything at all to do with the fact he’s not white? Nah! What a crazy thought!
Nah, “What a crazy thought.” Not!
I think the ammo buying craze is just a symptom of a large percentage of the voters who are really gullible, and basically buy into whatever they are told about liberals. Obama is a super liberal they are told, and he is going to outlaw guns. Therefore, they buy ammo and spread stories about how Obama is taking away all their guns. This despite the fact there is ZERO evidence of him doing so or intending to do so. It is precisely because of this large and gullible group of voters that groups like OPSEC can form and make such an impact. They don’t have to actually come up with any proof, they can in fact make claims that are easily disproven because no one is going to verify anything as long as what they are saying is in line with what they already THINK is true.