I am going to endanger one of our Heroic Navy SEALs...

[cthulu2016]

...by posting a portion of an AP article that will appear in 90% of all newspapers in the United States. As I said at the time, there was nothing wrong with Fox publishing this bozo's name. When you violate national security protocols by seeking to ca$h in by writing an unauthorized, un-reviewed account of you and your brothers in arm's highly sensitive classified activities you will get your name in the paper. Duh.

Anyway, his account differs somewhat from the official story, suggesting that we shot Bin Laden in cold blood. I do not doubt it is true, or much care, but it will be useful for al Queada propaganda, right? Fortunately I do not think that what newspapers can publish is defined in terms of what al Queada thinks. But since so many were eager to say that Fox was endangering lives by publishing the guy's name, does the author himself get any "endangering lives" points for writing the F'ing book in the first place?

I am a strong 1st Amendment type... even for Fox news. I have no major problem with him writing the book, nor with anyone saying who wrote the book.

If it turns out he violated military/criminal law by publishing the book then those chips will fall where they may. But he wrote the thing knowing that for political reasons he is untouchable. Can you imagine the Obama administration prosecuting one of the guys who got Bin Laden? Please.

(I wish he was dividing the money equally among the whole team. Why should the guys who followed protocols lose out while the blabbermouth prospers?)

WASHINGTON (AP) - A firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden contradicts previous accounts by administration officials, raising questions as to whether the terror mastermind presented a clear threat when SEALs first fired upon him.

Bin Laden apparently was hit in the head when he looked out of his bedroom door into the top-floor hallway of his compound as SEALs rushed up a narrow stairwell in his direction, according to former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette, writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen in "No Easy Day." The book is to be published next week by Penguin Group (USA)'s Dutton imprint.

...Bissonnette also writes disparagingly that none of the SEALs were fans of President Barack Obama and knew that his administration would take credit for ordering the May 2011 raid. One of the SEALs said after the mission that they had just gotten Obama re-elected by carrying out the raid. But he says they respected him as commander in chief and for giving the operation the go-ahead.

Bissonnette writes less flatteringly of meeting Vice President Joe Biden along with Obama at the headquarters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment after the raid. He says Biden told "lame jokes" no one understood, reminding him of "someone's drunken uncle at Christmas dinner."...

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120829/DA0URU6G1.html

[woodsprite]

1. Sounds like a 'Swiftboat' hit job to me - and not on OBL. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. They do hot like the President but respect him

now there is a contradiction there, a huge one. Also it plays on the troops hate the POTUS...

As to the jokes... perhaps.

Of course our friend knows official accounts come from debriefs from the team members...

And if he did reveal anything classified, well Admiral, I want you to follow through. Recall him, and TRY HIM in a General Court Martial.

[Mmm_Bacon]

5. Doesn't seem like a contradiction to me...

I know lots of troops who don't like the current President but give him the respect that he is due as CinC. They may also not like the majority of his policies but can point to one or two they they do approve of.

The same thing could have been said when Bush was in office as well.

[cthulu2016]

6. Agreed. They would say the same of anyone above them in the chain of command

[Bandit]

3. Whatever........Bin Laden is Dead and GM is Alive...

Get Over It.....

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. The fact that he mentions politics at all writing that story tells me....

that this is a guy with an axe to grind. Personal feelings about the CIC have nothing to do with the story and a bunch of Seals hanging around bitching about politicians goes back as far as there have been armies.