SEALs slam Obama for using them as 'ammunition' in bid to take credit for bin Laden killing during election campaign Serving and former US Navy SEALs have slammed President Barack Obama for taking the credit for killing Osama bin Laden and accused him of using Special Forces operators as âammunitionâ for his re-election campaign. The SEALs spoke out to MailOnline after the Obama campaign released an ad entitled âOne Chanceâ. In it President Bill Clinton is featured saying that Mr Obama took âthe harder and the more honourable pathâ in ordering that bin Laden be killed. The words âWhich path would Mitt Romney have taken?â are then displayed. Besides the ad, the White House is marking the first anniversary of the SEAL Team Six raid that killed bin Laden inside his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan with a series of briefings and an NBC interview in the Situation Room designed to highlight the âgutsy callâ made by the President. Mr Obama used a news conference today to trumpet his personal role and imply that his Republican opponent Mr Romney, who in 2008 expressed reservations about the wisdom of sending troops into Pakistan, would have let bin Laden live. âI said that I'd go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did,â Mr Obama said. âIf 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.â Ryan Zilke, a former Commander in the US Navy who spent 23 years as a SEAL and led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit, said: âThe 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. âI 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.â Mr Zilke, who is now a Republican state senator in Montana, added that MR Obama was exploiting bin Ladenâs death for his re-election bid. âThe President and his administration are positioning him as a war president using the SEALs as ammunition. It was predictable.â Mr Obama has faced criticism even from allies about his decision to make a campaign ad about the bin Laden raid. Arianna Huffington, an outspoken liberal who runs the left-leaning Huffington Post website, roundly condemned it. She told CBS: âWe 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.â Campaigning in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Mr Romney responded to a shouted question by a reporter by saying: âEven Jimmy Carter would have given that order.â A serving SEAL Team member said: âObama wasnât in the field, at risk, carrying a gun. 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. âBut the more he tries to take the credit for it, the more the ground operators are saying, âCome on, man!â It really didnât matter who was president. At the end of the day, they were going to go.â Chris Kyle, a former SEAL sniper with 160 confirmed and another 95 unconfirmed kills to his credit, said: âThe operation itself was great and the nation felt immense pride. It was great that we did it. âBut bin Laden was just a figurehead. The war on terror continues. Taking him out didnât really change anything as far as the war on terror is concerned and using it as a political attack is a cheap shot. âIn years to come there is going to be information that will come out that Obama was not the man who made the call. He can say he did and the people who really know what happened are inside the Pentagon, are in the military and the military isnât allowed to speak out against the commander- in-chief so his secret is safe.â Senior military figures have said that Admiral William McRaven, a former SEAL who was then head of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made the decision to take bin Laden out. Tactical decisions were delegated even further down the chain of command. Mr Kyle added: âHe's trying to say that Romney wouldn't have made the same call? Anyone who is patriotic to this country would have made that exact call, Democrat or Republican. Obama is taking more credit than he is due but it's going to get him some pretty good mileage.â A former intelligence official who was serving in the US government when bin Laden was killed said that the Obama administration knew about the al-Qaeda leaderâs whereabouts in October 2010 but delayed taking action and risked letting him escape. âIn the end, Obama was forced to make a decision and do it. He knew that if he didnât do it the political risks in not taking action were huge. Mitt Romney would have made the call but he would have made it earlier â as would George W. Bush.â Brandon Webb, a former SEAL who spent 13 years on active duty and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said: âBush should get partial credit for putting the system in place. âObama inherited a very robust package with regards to special ops and the intelligence community. But Obama deserves credit because he got bin Laden â you canât take that away from him. âMy friends that work in Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that have been on video teleconferences with Obama on these kill or capture situations say that Obama has no issue whatsoever with making decisions and typically it's kill. Heâs hitting the kill button every time. I have a lot of respect for him for that.â But he said that many SEALs were dismayed about the amount of publicity the Obama administration had generated about SEAL Team Six, the very existence of which is highly classified. âThe majority of the SEALs I know are really proud of the operation but it does become âOK, enough is enough â weâre ready to get back to work and step out of the limelight.â They donât want to be continuously paraded around a global audience like a show dog. âObama has a very good relationship with the Special Operations community at large, especially the SEALs, and itâs nice to see. We had the same relationship with George W. Bush when he was president.â It was âstretching a little muchâ for Mr Obama to suggest only he would have made the decision. âI personally I don't think Romney would have any problem making tough decisions. He got a very accomplished record of making decision as a business professional. âHe may not have charisma but he clearly has leadership skills. I donât think he'd have any problem taking that decision.â Clint Bruce, who gave up the chance of an NFL career to serve as a SEAL officer before retiring as a lieutenant after nine years, said: âWe were extremely surprised and discouraged by the publicity because it compromises the ability of those guys to operate. âItâs a waste of time to speculate about who would and wouldnât have made that decision. It was a symphony of opportunity and intelligence that allowed this administration to give the green light. We want to acknowledge that they made that decision. âPoliticians should let the public know where they stand on national security but not in the play-by-play, detailed way that has been done recently. The intricacies of national security should not become part of stump speeches.â Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-killing-election-campaign.html#ixzz1tZeRPOlF
There seems to be more than just a little dissension in the ranks. Of course when you have a wholly unqualified buffoon as CIC I suppose you have to expect it.
Seeing Barrack Obama's self-worship over the Seal raid on Bin Laden's compound is sickening. Hearing him claim that Romney would not make the right decision is absurd. The president is a loser. He hasn't got a *single* accomplishment he can cite to make a case for reelection so he attempts to claim credit for the work of brave soldiers and pilots. I simply will not believe that America will reelect this clown.
Left wing cunt Ariana Huffington calls the ad from Obama "dispicable." <embed src="http://cnettv.cnet.com/av/video/cbsnews/atlantis2/cbsnews_player_embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" background="#333333" width="425" height="279" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" FlashVars="si=254&contentValue=50123969&shareUrl=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505267_162-57423987/arianna-huffington-presidents-bin-laden-ad-despicable/?tag=morningFlexGridLeft;flexGridModule" />
I agree 100%. His only accomplishment in 4 years is managing to spend $800 Billion with nothing to show for it.
This the second time you have self proclaimed you going to Hell. I believe you. God speed, Lucrum. You are a devil, but redemption is never far away.
The ad generated plenty of media blah blah, but I don't see what the downside is for Obamato (oops slight spelling error, hmnn i thnk I'leave the mispelling- Obamato sounds like a vegetable. YO and don't forget the the Obamato on my anti pasto salad) Anyways where was I? Oh yea) What has been the worse that has been said about him regarding the ad? Besides me, has anyone else in print called him a Narcissistic fuck?
I think Bill Clinton did in the ad but he said it really fast so you have to listen closely. Maybe play it backwards for more hidden messages from Bill.