Things got intense on Friday’s Hardball when an Iraq War vet and a former Navy SEAL butted heads over a controversial documentary accusing President Obama of jeopardizing sensitive information in order to take credit for killing Osama bin Laden.
The documentary, “Dishonorable Disclosures,” was made by the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc., or OPSEC, an anonymously funded group of former SEALS and other military personnel. The video suggests that Obama put troops in danger by leaking confidential information and tried to take sole credit for killing Osama bin Laden. So far, it has racked up 800,000 hits on Youtube.
Hardball host Michael Smerconish thanked both guests for their service to our country. He asked former SEAL and current OPSEC member Gabriel Gomez if Obama deserves credit for issuing a very difficult order, especially since it included invading the sovereignty of Pakistan. The OPSEC video says Obama shouldn't get credit for bin Laden's death, but Gomez gave the president props:
“Absolutely. We’ve always been to the conclusion that the president deserves full credit for giving the green light on the operation,” Gomez said. “It was obviously a very difficult decision and a lot of his advisors were against it, and you’ve got to give him 100% credit for making the call to send the unit in to go get Osama bin Laden.”
Smerconish pointed out contrary to the video's claims that he was focused on himself, President Obama has thanked the troops time and time again (including the night bin Laden was killed), using words like, “thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counter-terrorism professionals.” So, what is OPSEC’s beef with the president?
Gomez said:
“I think if you watch his whole presentation the night that Osama bin Laden was killed and he came out, I think that you’d come to the conclusion just like we did, I think a lot of Americans came to that same conclusion – that he focused a majority of the comments on himself as opposed to the troops. We’re not saying he didn’t thank the troops and he didn’t give credit to the troops. What we’re saying is a big majority of the presentation was focused on him and his administration. That’s the point we’re trying to make.”
Smerconish wasn’t buying it:
“Mr. Gomez, it’s an uncomfortable position for me to be in disagreement with a Navy SEAL. Here’s the transcript, sir, I know the statement very, very well and I think that’s a mischaracterization.”
Jon Soltz served as an Army Captain in the Iraq War and is the co-founder of VoteVets.org, a non-partisan non-profit that seeks to educate the American public on war and military issues. He told Smerconish that OPSEC is fringe group sending a faulty message and spreading lies:
“I think you have a lot of right wings neo-conservative activists behind this entity and so you’ve got some Navy SEAL guys that are out here… basically what he’s saying is directly different on TV than what that video says. The president clearly says in that video, thanks the troops. The president clearly ordered an operation to kill Osama bin Laden; that was a very difficult [decision] to make.”
Leave a Comment:
oh brother, this is nothing but swiftboating obama by more right wing neanderthals -- @!$%# them all....
AMEN!!!
Swiftboat again...where's Turdblossum Rove? These guys are traitors...Why not reveal where their funding is coming from?
It has Carl Rowe written all over it. since you said information was leak. who was it suppose to be leak to and I feel if the Republicans had any of the information I feel it should be check out with all the other lies and they way they have been carrying on it won't surpise if there was a leak they had something to do with it.They have tried everything to get this President out of office so I am sorry but I wouldn't put anything past them.
Now the Republicans has our troops reading body language ane have become professional in reading people iner thoughts. How ridicules. Osama Bin Laden is dead and gone. Lets give the President is props for making a very important dificult decision If there was a leak, then Pakistan would not have been so surprise at the United States ability to invade their country with loud helicopters and not be detected. Mr. Rowe, your money has got to do a lot better then this to convince me that my President did not make a gutsey call.
this is disgusting ! These men are disgusting and their actions and deeds are seriously flawed!
wouldnt ya love to smack the @!$%# outta this koch sucker????????????
anything to deflect from their less-than solid candidate...anything, whether it's true or not is irrelevant
true or not is irrelevant, leaking national secrets true or not is irrelevant. Did you think before typing that line.Commander in Cheif Leaking Secrets, is irrelevant. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein thought other wise.
Please ask yourself, what was Dianne Feinstein saying? ABC News July 24, 2012
Jimmy Carter weighs in, NY Times 24 June,2012 and ABC News 25 June, 2012
What is happening?
The fact that this group is a neoconservative group pretty much says it all. To use their credibility with the people of this country to demean and get rid of this president is very clear. Shame on these men for allowing the scum of the republican party to sink this low. This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to get the black guy out of the white house no matter how good a job he has done despite all their attempts to block him. DISGRACEFUL!
This former SEAL, Gabriel Gomez seems to either have difficulty comprehending what he reads or is an outright liar. Either way the man's an idiot.
tank dialogue NBC prive am from Greece
my adres
Ogkioun Sampri
Avato Xanthi
TK.67200
Greece
thankyou comen please eternity show
Gomez on Hardball admits Obama did an amazing job regarding the bin Laden mission, that he thanked the troops yet his group's video disparages and lies about Obama. These military mouthpieces should be court martialed for the disrespect and blatant lies they are engaging in against their Commander in Chief. They are a disgrace to themselves and to our country. Moral cowards the lot of them.
Since the list of gaffes made by Romney have already reached number 33 (check Rachel Maddow's column) , the GOP-Tea Party-Right Wing "strategists" don't know what else to do to smear the reputation of President Obama and make him "comparable" to Mitt-The-Twit. This time is some preposterous accusation about President Obama trying to steal credit from the soldiers that killed Bin Laden. I, for one, listened to the whole President Obama's speech the day he announced the death of Osama Bin Laden. There were only praises for our military, for their valor, and competence. When President Obama referred to himself was not to brag about him being a hero, but to take responsibility for having sent American troops in the middle of the night, for not informing an ally of the USA and for authorizing the use of deadly force to get Bin Laden. It was the honorable thing to do. We also saw an American President that felt the same as all of us: an immense sense of pride for our armed forces, for those who avenged the 9/11 attack. Well, this is my adopted country and I felt exactly the same pride and admiration for our military as President Obama. This is exactly what the GOP-Tea Party- Right Wing axis fears the most: having more and more Americans realizing that President Obama has done, under the terrible circumstances on which we live, a great job by keeping the boat afloat.
This is the link to Rachel Maddow's
Chronicling Mitt's Mendacity, Vol. XXX
If you have any doubt about the character, the morality, the decency, the truthfulness and the competence of Mitt Romney, then all your doubts will disappear after reading and checking the 33 gaffes of Romney. You owe it to yourself, your family, and America.
I love that they play the clip where Obama talks about the tireless efforts of our military OVER 10 YEARS, and the actions all over the world....then the guy says 'yeah, but he gave more focus to himself!" Then brings up Lincoln?! Geez, lets go back and look at the video archive of that! This just proves that just because you know how to kill doesn't make you a frikkin' genius, or that you can't be bought.
Keep talking about Obama & Bin Laden, Obama & Bin Laden, Obama & Bin Laden, Obama & Bin Laden, Obama & Bin Laden.
While you are at it, act like a baby.
That is Romney's path to the White House. Obama / Bin Laden, Obama Bin Laden.