Thursday, July 26, 2012

Special Operations officers form PAC against Obama


How damaging has President Barack Obama's administration been to America's military? One tell-tale sign is a political action committee (PAC) formed by U.S. retired special operations officers that will face off against the President's reelection campaign.

Called Special Operations Speaks (SOS), it is dedicated to supporting our troops and stopping the leaks that put our military in harm's way. The Washington Times reported:
Retired special operations officers from the U.S. military have organized their own political action committee designed to highlight what they see as unforgivably security leaks by President Obama and his team.

Named Special Operations Speaks (SOS) PAC and led by three former officers with special operations experience, the group is leading a petition drive to try to raise the profile of recent stories blaming Mr. Obama for intelligence leaks.

"Let me lay it on the line: Barack Obama's loose lips are doing worse than sinking ships – they're putting our entire nation at risk," the PAC said in an email trying to raise money to run ads attacking Mr. Obama. [emphasis added]
Remember the U.S. Swift boat veterans from the Vietnam War who spoke out during the 2004 presidential election, the ones who knew John Kerry's war record (or lack of) and brought that information to the eyes of a public that had previously been unaware?

The Times went on to say:
This new group of veterans argues that Mr. Obama has shown reckless disregard for secrecy, first by rushing "to get in front of the cameras" after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and then more recently with news reports about drone assassinations and U.S. cyberattacks, which appeared to be based on classified information.
SOS has a mission. From their website:
We, as veterans, legatees, and supporters of the Special Operations communities of all the Armed Forces, have noted with dismay and deep alarm the recent stream of highly damaging leaks of information about various aspects of America’s shadow war in the overall War on Terror.  Our principles are the same as when we were in active service — Duty, Honor, Country.
A press release was sent out two days ago:
Special Operations Veterans Join Forces to Oppose Obama, Fight Continued Release of Secret Documents for “Political Reasons"

A nationwide group of decorated Special Operations veterans today announced the formation of a political action committee -- Special Operations Speaks PAC-- to oppose the reelection of Barack Obama and mount an aggressive effort to halt the continued divulging of top-secret documents for “political reasons.”

In its founding documents, the group says, “Breaches in OPSEC (Operations Security) by the White House, members of the Cabinet, the press, and the movie industry have, ostensibly for political reasons, divulged to the public details of Special Operations personnel identities, methods, tactics, techniques, and procedures that result in new or improved countermeasures being developed by current and potential adversaries around the world.”

The group has sent a letter to Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, requesting that he initiate congressional hearings into the “circumstances, events, sources, and unauthorized recipients of any and all classified material associated with the Special Operations conducted to kill or capture Osama bin Laden.”

According to the group, the White House leaks, “most likely for political reasons,” provided information that led to the identification of Dr. Alfridi, whose information on the location of Osama bin Laden led to the Special Operations assault that resulted in the terrorist’s death. Alfridi is now in jail in Pakistan.

According to The Hill even "Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Monday that someone at the White House was responsible for the recent leaks of classified information."

“We believe that the Obama Administration has compromised – and continues to compromise – our nation’s security through deliberate leaks of critical Special Operations classified information,” said SOS co-founder Colonel Richard F. (“Dick”) Brauer Jr. USAF, (Ret). “Furthermore, we believe it is being done for the most transparent of political reasons.”

According to SOS co-founder and chairman Larry Bailey, CAPT (SEAL), USN (Ret.), “Barack Obama hasn’t just spiked the football – time and again he has handed the playbook to the opposing team. In so doing, he has put our national security at desperate risk.”

Special Operations Speaks PAC’s stated goals are:

“To emphasize the pressing need for the nation and its representatives to understand the value of our Constitution and actively support a return to its application in all phases of government
“To illuminate the failed Operations Security environment of the Administration and to provide the public with accurate information about these repeated releases of highly classified information;
“To restore accountability in government and with it the trust in our government that We The People deserve and demand.”

The group’s website is http://specialoperationsspeaks.com.

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