Navy SEALs take offense at Obama's attribution in bin Laden killing

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
5/2/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Elite team takes umbrage at being used as 'ammunition' in mission during election year

Both serving and former U.S. Navy SEALs have taken exception to President Obama taking the credit in the killing of Osama bin Laden. The elite military force also accused him of using Special Forces operators as "ammunition" for his re-election campaign.

The White House is observing the first anniversary of the SEAL Team Six raid that killed bin Laden inside his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan with a series of briefings. The Situation Room will highlight the reportedly 'gutsy call' made by Obama.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The SEALs have begun a campaign entitled "One Chance." In the video, former U.S. President Bill Clinton says that Obama took "the harder and the more honorable path" in ordering that bin Laden be killed. The words "Which path would Mitt Romney have taken?" are then displayed.

The White House is observing the first anniversary of the SEAL Team Six raid that killed bin Laden inside his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan with a series of briefings. The Situation Room will highlight the reportedly "gutsy call" made by Obama.

Obama used a news conference in order to highlight his personal role, implying that his Republican opponent Mitt Romney - who previously expressed reservations about troops into Pakistan in 2008 - would have let bin Laden live.

"I said that I'd go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did," Obama said. "If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they'd do something else, then I'd go ahead and let them explain it."

Former Commander in the U.S. Navy Ryan Zinke, who spent 23 years as a SEAL and led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit, says that "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."

Zinke, now a Republican state senator in Montana, added that 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."

Arianna Huffington, an outspoken liberal who runs the left-leaning Huffington Post website, roundly condemned it. "We should celebrate the fact that they did such a great job. It's one thing to have an NBC special from the Situation Room... all that to me is perfectly legitimate, but to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do."

IN a related incident, Mitt Romney responded to a shouted question by a reporter by saying: "Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order."

"Obama wasn't in the field, at risk, carrying a gun," a serving SEAL Team member said. "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."

� 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Osama bin Laden, Navy SEALs, killing, campaign ad

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1 - 10 of 10 Comments

David Carlon
1 year ago
The protestations, musings and pontifications of corrupt military slugs of death and torture and their sponsors... the corporatist merchants of death and perpetual war rings shallow... go wash your hands... and your souls.
James
1 year ago
There is a chain of command in the US military, covering all uniformed service members. It starts with the lowly recruit and ends at the top with the President of the United States. This "chain" covers all sworn in members of all military branches. The president must sign any order declaring the likes of Bin laden as an enemy of the U.S. along with other guidelines to enact the operations which we saw take place one year ago, killing Bin laden. For any service member to cry and whine about it now, is nothing short of treason. This kind of story was brought about down party lines, as an attempt to discredit the president, lower his re-election campaign status, and misinform the public. The President has never taken credit for killing Bin laden, only credit for helping stop Al Qaeda carry out their campaign to injure and kill American and 'Western' interests.
chattykatty
1 year ago
For once in my life I disagree with Arriana about the president's ad. Did not George Bush do the same thing.
Bob
1 year ago
Unbecoming, unfitting, unbefitting, unworthy, undignified, indiscreet, indelicate, indecorous, ungentlemanly, are apt words to decribe President Obama's misuse of the capturing and killing of Osama Bin Laden. It's is always an "I" with him, never a "we" and never credits the Intelligence Community for their extensive intelligence gathering using enhanced techniques prior to his becoming president. In addition, his ad takes Romney out of context leaving out the his entire response. Another faux pas is using former President Clinton as the voice over when he as president had 3 opportunities to take out Bin Laden. Obama has been campaigning for reelection since he took office. His goal is "the fundamental change of America" into a democratic socialist nation like those of Europe. He will achieve his goal if given 4 more years of his policies destroying the economy but worse the loss of liberty.
Bryan
1 year ago
Rob - you are right - this should be something that draws us together. Unfortunately, Obama is using it to divide us, as usual. He is turning it from "look what we did" to "look what I did." That has become his style of "leadership." If it goes wrong, blame someone else (Bush, big oil, Wall Street, Ronald Weich (DOJ official who took the fall for Fast and Furious), Al Armendariz (EPA official who resigned for saying they wanted to "crucify" oil and gas producers), or the Secret Service officials taking the fall for the prostitute scandal in Columbia. It is never Obama's fault. All he does is blame other people. I got news for you, brother. That is not what leaders do. That is what community organizers do. Real leaders lead, and that means standing up and taking responsibility when things go wrong, and being humble and giving credit to your people when things go right. Finally, don't even try to say this is just sour grapes from the right. ARIANA HUFFINGTON, the queen of left-wing liberal trash media said it was "DESPICABLE" for Obama to turn this into a campaign ad. Did you even read the article?
bam
1 year ago
Rob....jealous of what? Jealous of Obama?! Get real! He is ARGUABLY the worst president this country has EVER had!
ccs
1 year ago
@Rob - Have to agree with you on this one. I'm not voting for Obama. But ANY president, regardless of party, would have used the killing of Bin Laden in a re-election campaign. It's just ludicrous to think Obama is doing anything different on this score than any other sitting president would do in an election environment.
Stephany
1 year ago
Rob, You don't like Republicans, do you?!?
Brandt Hardin
1 year ago
One year after Bin Laden’s death and over 10 years since 9/11, American citizens are still blindly allowing their civil liberties to be taken away one piece of legislation at a time. How much freedom are we willing to sacrifice to feel safe? Under the guise of fighting terrorism, the Patriot Act was adopted WITHOUT public approval or vote just weeks after the twin towers fell. These laws are simply a means to spy on our own citizens and to detain and torture dissidents without trial or a right to council. You can read much more about living in this Orwellian society of fear and see my visual response to these measures on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/living-in-society-of-fear-ten-years.html
Rob
1 year ago
"Zinke, now a republican state senator from Montona"......enough said. Let's be real, if this had happened on Bush's watch, we'd already have another federal holiday marking the event. Just can't stand all the negativity anymore. On simple things that should pull us together, we have to find some way to criticize it. Politicians politic, that's what they do. To think this great victory would not be used is just ignorant and smacks of jealously.

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