The blogs are all over him for this one.

Gateway Pundit:

Obama obviously made a huge mistake.

And, in many ways this is similar to the comments his wife made twice this week about having pride in her country. It shows that Obama will choose to believe the insane Far Left drivel over truth.

This belief system may win the hearts of the Far Left but it won't go over well with the rest of America.

Maybe this is the week that the media stops giving him a free ride.

I hope you're laughing with me, not at me, RWC.

Depends on if you really think the MSM will start going after The Second Coming™

When I hear "Michelle Obama" and "pride" together, this is what I think of.

-click below for full size-:

Ah. So, the one part of the anecdote that sounded most ludicrous - that a Captain was leading a platoon - is explained in that at the time the story took place, he was not a Captain, but a Lieutenant.

The way Obama tells it is quite different than the way this source does, though.

Obama:

You know, I’ve heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon — supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq.

And as a consequence, they didn’t have enough ammunition, they didn’t have enough Humvees. They were actually capturing Taliban weapons, because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.

Tapper's source:

The Army captain, a West Point graduate, did a tour in a hot area of eastern Afghanistan from the Summer of 2003 through Spring 2004.

Prior to deployment the Captain -- then a Lieutenant -- took command of a rifle platoon at Fort Drum. When he took command, the platoon had 39 members, but -- in ones and twos -- 15 members of the platoon were re-assigned to other units. He knows of 10 of those 15 for sure who went to Iraq, and he suspects the other five did as well.

The platoon was sent to Afghanistan with 24 men.

"We should have deployed with 39," he told me, "we should have gotten replacements. But we didn't. And that was pretty consistent across the battalion."

He adds that maybe a half-dozen of the 15 were replaced by the Fall of 2003, months after they arrived in Afghanistan, but never all 15.

So, not quite a whopper, but a bit of a stretch.

That bit of fact finding has almost as many holes in it as Obama's remarks. Semantic and "hedgey" word games do not a verification make.

joem, just to clarify I don't believe it 'checks out.'

Not with anonymous sources being used.

American Thinker has two separate articles today about the influence of Trinity United Church and its black liberation theology has had on Barack and Michelle Obama.

Barack and Michelle Keeping the Faith

I'm not buying the Obama campaign spin on Michelle Obama's patriotic faux pas this week, any more than I'm inclined to believe that Barack Obama's refusal to wear our flag pin in his lapel is a meaningless gesture. Both Michelle's stated lack of pride in America until this precise moment in history, and Barack's unwillingness to don our national symbol are in perfect keeping with the doctrines of their church, Trinity United Church of Christ.

The simple truth is that if any of us exposed ourselves to the kind of teachings espoused by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, we might find it downright impossible to do any better than Barack and Michelle in the loving-America category of citizenship.

...

Obama's Mentor's Mentor

The influence of the black liberation theology of James H. Cone appears in the political philosophy of Barack Obama as well as in the recent controversial statement about national pride made by Michelle Obama.

The spiritual role that Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ (UCC) and its just-retired pastor Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright have played in the lives of Barack and Michelle Obama is well-established, as is the Africentric theology that is the cornerstone of the church's self-proclaimed identity.

One largely unexamined element of that Africentric theology, though, is the pivotal role that black liberation theologian Dr. James H. Cone, Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary (NYC), and his 1969 book Black Theology & Black Power, have played in the life of that faith community. Examining Cone's theology may enlighten us on Barack's political philosophy and Michelle's recently controversial statement about not having been proud of her country until the favorable reception to her husband's candidacy.

...

I remain convinced that if Obama is the Democratic candidate, there is no way a majority of voters will vote for him in more than 3 or 4 states at the most. I see no way he can gain an Electoral College win, which unlike polls, caucusus, and primaries, are rather straightforward.

Oh, he'll win at least 15 states, including many of the far-left biggies -- NY, NJ, MA, MD, CA, and his native IL, and some other far-left smaller ones - RI, VT, CT, HI, and DE come to mind....

No candidate, even in a rout today, will get less than 200 electoral votes.

Don't forget the People's Republic of Washington, bigel. BO will definitely win here.

Look, the conservative blogosphere said the story was fishy, it was looked into and appears to me that Obama was 100% correct. The proper thing to do at this point is to tip your cap and say, okay, that sounded odd to me, but with a full explanation I see where you were coming from.

ditto what Kevin said^^^

I agree.

Time to go to shul. Shabbat shalom.

Всегда shalom.

Really? What "full explanation?" Did I miss something?


Or did a whiny Captain who did a half tour (6 months) exaggerate a bit? Not having everything you think you just must have does not constitute deprivation.

Don't think so? Go talk to some old Viet Cong fighters who had nearly nothing, but were still formidable.

Obama was 100% correct in the same way Lindsey Lohan took Marilyn Monroe's pictures. Sure, they were posed the same, but Lindsey is a cheap imitation. The way Sen. Obama phrased the statement made the situation look far different than what was going on, while not outright lying.

Obama made it sound like some sort of Stalingrad thing where one guy was sent with a rifle and the guy behind with ammunition. And in reality, what he said was a stretch. Even if it was truth that was stretched.

And AFG says this -- only SOME people (like spec ops) are authorized to use non-US weapons. The mounting of the Soviet era weapon is a war crime. Thanks a lot Senator, why not just hand your captain over to the Hague?

I'm fucking sick and tired of this shit. Obama doesn't know shit about anything military - it was never lexicon he used or situations he experienced. He took a normal battle/war scenario and turned it into some civilian fucking version of "oh the poor victims!"

AFG was in Iraq, AFG was in Afghanistan. AFG was one of those dudes allowed to use "the other guy's" weapons. He drove Route Irish in Toyota pick up trucks, and he drove around Afghanistan in the same. There is never enough in war - never enough people, never enough weapons, never enough.

That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be pointing out flaws and working damn hard to make things better. It DOES mean that when you don't know shit sideways about the military you shouldn't be using them to act like you have some kind of damned moral authority about something you don't know shit about.

Or did a whiny Captain who did a half tour (6 months) exaggerate a bit? Not having everything you think you just must have does not constitute deprivation.

Actually, it sounds like the Captain related something that happened, and non-military literate Obama turned the scenario around and made it pretty with sequins for public consumption.

I nominate AFW's #24 as the Post of the Day.

And as a definitive post on BHO.

The mounting of the Soviet era weapon is a war crime.

It is? Why? For identification purposes?

An entire PL post (so no point in following the link)

It goes without saying that Barack Obama will end the hardship and "struggle" in our daily lives. Under the Yes We Can Man, folks (other than conservative bloggers) will be able to quit their second jobs, the price of gasoline will plummet, and Ivy League grads will never again have to work for hedge funds to pay off their college loans.

Nor does Obama's magic end at our borders. Last night, he said he would solve our immigration problem in part by improving the economy of Mexico to the point that illegal immigrants will have no need or desire to enter the paradise Obama will create here.

Most magically of all, Obama will fix Mexico's economy even while refusing to trade with Mexico unless it complies with U.S. labor and environmental standards.

I know the competition is fierce, but Obama may turn out to be the most intellectually dishonest Democratic presidential nominee of my lifetime.

The link provided by RWC just pissed me off even further. Asshole fucking reporters throwing about their shitty "moral authority" about how the Messiah has come and is saving the military...

Fuck him, fuck them all. I'm so SICK of this. Quite a few of the "conservative" bloggers pointing out flaws are military vets of Iraq and Afghanistan themselves. Why is it that OBAMA's captain is the truth personified and OBAMA's interpretation of the captain's reports is a holy deliverance of divine writ, but other people who have been there and done that pointing out exaggerations is a lie?

I can't even think of some self-deprecating joke, or anything funny, or ANYTHING in all this. There's nothing funny - I'm scared to death because now I'm seeing my family's future.

And it's not good.

AFG says...

You're not supposed to use the enemy's weapons, like you aren't supposed to use the enemy's uniforms. It's a war crime in the broad sense in that it makes you an unlawful combatant.

Guerrilla groups do it, that's what makes the unlawful combatants.

Ah. That is kind of what I meant by 'identification purposes.'

Thanks AFW/AFG.

So I also asked AFG about that since he wore a non-standard "uniform" and carried non-standard weapons...

And he said, "Yes, if I was caught by the enemy I would be subject to execution."

Which, really, anyone caught by the terrorists is, but still... Wasn't something I had thought about before.

Okay, let's go a bit deeper in the manure. Captain truth teller says he had no M2's (.50 caliber heavy machine guns) or M19 grenade launchers when deployed. Says he got them when fielded. THEN he says his troops had only 3 days to LEARN [presumbably about the weapons]??? Excuse me, how could they "miss" them before deploying if never trained on them? Training on same is a tad longer than 3 days. Manure seeping up a bunch about this point.

I most definitley do not want this Captain or any of his platoon on my back anywhere ever, if armed with anything larger than pea shooter straws. I think somebody has watched the movie "Stripes" too much. Do wah diddy, do wah diddy diddy do.

Oh, and I do not believe a US Army Captian allowed a Ruskie 12.5 mmm heavy machine gun to be mounted on a US vehicle for use in combat. Show me a f'ing picture of it, dude.

Well, AFW, I'm glad that AFG knows what an unlawful combatant is that how it makes one subject to immediate execution, which is just part of the reason why the international condemnation about Gitmo is hilarious. By any rational measure of the law of war we should simply execute all such combatants we come across since they are the very definition of unlawful combatants. Instead, we've created "miltiary commissions" which thanks to the S Ct were morphed into quasi-reviewable regular courts and now both major presidential candidates want to bring these guys to KANSAS to face TRIAL.

Meanwhile, of course, our men continue to be slaughtered when captured as they have been since the Korean War and the American people never say one goddamn thing about it.

On the Obama point, yes, you're right: the lessons you take from the Captain's remarks are good ones. However, that was not the issue. The issue was: was Obama making shit up. You and I may not agree with his interpretation of the facts presented him by the Captain and we certainly may have qualified them with other facts, but Obama is not compelled to accept our view.

I idly wonder what goes through his head. Does he, himself, believe in his Magical Negro Powers?

No, he doesn't have to accept anyone's view but his own. Which is remarkably unencumbered by, you know, military facts/truths/lexicon/experience.

I can honestly say that after hearing what Obama said in the debate, and this asshole reporter's opinions about it, I feel more despair than I ever did at any time my husband was actually deployed. Real despair, honestly.

There are facts, and then there is interpretation. It is a fact that Daniel Faulkner was killed. It is an interpretation that that evidence convicting Mumia was false.

But that interpretation itself is not the truth.

Same goes for the upcoming Obama presidency. I'm generally an optimistic person, and I have a really hard time staying depressed or upset. This has had me in a funk all day.

I guess my problem is that Obama represents an unsubstaniated anecdote, relayed to him as hearsay, as "truth"...a.k.a "fact."

John Kerry did the same thing, with far far worse accusations, in the Winter Soldier affair. He most certainly intened his version to be seen as "truth", and I believe Obama did so in his comment....with zero regard for the source veractiy, hell he never even spoke to the source..."he heard...."

In short, Obama hasn't learned when he doesn't know something.

When a general was given a triumph through the streets of Rome, wearing a laurel crown, someone (a slave, I think) was required to whisper in his ear, you are not really a god. This was done for his own benefit, because hubris was a deadly sin for the classical pagans.

#37 Aridog: Regardless of the story, I find it incredibly irresponsible for a presidential candidate to be telling a story based on such weak back-up. Who does he think he is, a journalist?

From the reliable history source, History of the World Part 1:

[as Marcus approaches the Emperor's throne in triumph]
Court Spokesman: [whispering in his ear] Remember, thou art mortal. Remember, thou art mortal. Remember, thou art mortal. Remember, thou art mortal.
Marcus Vindictus: [whispering] Oh, blow it out your ass!

Hate to tell you this, but I have had earnest forhtright conversaitons with some black acquaintances, some co-workers at times, who firmly believe "If you 'put it out there' [in wishful thought, whatever...Ed.], it will come to pass." No real knowledge, ability, or skill required....just a hopeful gaze off in to space.

Do you think it would be better (for the military and for the country) if McCain manages to slouch in?

Guys, you're missing the point here. Kerry was certainly lying through his teeth for the "cause" at the Winter Soldier thing. Here, Obama said, basically, "We heard from a Captain who told us..x,y and z" and in fact he did hear from him and the Captain backed that up.

#44 Jourdan:

Yes, but was that (likely true) anecdote fair and representative of the military situation?

And Obama knows shit in a rainstorm about anything to do with the military, so he filters it through that and it comes out far different than the actual truth. While it may be A truth, it is not necessarily THE truth.

And a commander in chief leading a nation and a military in wartime better fucking be able to tell the difference or we'll see a lot more servicemembers in prison for doing their jobs.

And, yes, Solus, I do believe things will be FAR better for the military under McCain. How do I know? Because the man chose to give up five years of freedom in exchange for torture in order to give the men imprisoned with him a shot to leave.

THAT is what a good commander does. And whatever else the man's flaws may be, being a military leader is not one of them.

Amending my own weasel words: (man I love blogging in the 21st century)

Interesting post from Ace:

The left has a habit of claiming victory when some small detail is corroborated. Obama fucking claimed our troops HAD TO -- not chose to on occasion -- capture the very weapons with which they were expected to fight the enemy.

[Jake] Tapper gets a guy claiming "Yeah, once we took a captured Soviet heavy machine gun and used it on a truck."

Then they say, "Ah-ha! You owe Obama an apology! He was Right!"

They did the exact same thing with Beauchamp.

And another thing: Jake Tapper is a hack and a tool.

How nauseating. If I ever received a card like that I'd burn it and would never again speak to the person who sent it to me.

The hollywood degenerates love him because he represents the shallow values that they have.

I'm in complete agreement.

Although I might beat them half to death too. While not speaking to them ever again.

You'd let them off easy, then.


That's my girl.

It also helps that he promises wonderful sounding things without making them think, and thinking hurts their heads.

You're being a filthy Rethuglican Neocon Zionazi racist again....

And proud of it.

More perspective at The Belmont Club.

My son is really into Obama. I just keep telling myself Churchill’s quote about liberals as 20 and conservatives at 40.

But, for the most part, I am glad he is interested. And I am glad he is not interested in Hillary.

I wholeheartedly second that nomination!

Best thing I've read all day.

...and then some.

No, you are missing the point, and that surprises me. You have Obama "hearing" from a captain who claims to have done this and that. Then Obama turns around as uses that negative hearsay as a anecdotal fact. No certainty that any of it is true, not one shred of evidence that it is true...Captain truth teller uses the word "we" to describe everyting, no "I" in it, no reference that could be remotely verified....but Obama uses it in a campaign for the Presidency?

He is a bull shitter revealed, plain and simple. Depth of thought he lacks.

And I STILL do not believe any Lieutenant mounted any damn Ruskie 12.5mm MG on any damn US vehicle for use by regular American forces in regular combat. THAT is total bullshit. If not, that Lieutenant should be in frigging jail.

This so pisses me off, as the Beauchamp thing did, that I will ask my old boss next week about it. That person's background is deployment with 10th Mtn Div in Afghanistan, at about the same time as this allegedly occurred. If I am wrong I will say so right here. Don't hold your breath.

I'm liking Laura more and more .

I'm scared of stormi more and more....

Let's do some parsing of this quote:

"You know, I've heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon--supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq."

This phrase could be read the opposite way: That the soldier, who is now a Captain, was once in Charge as a Junior Officer, of a platoon: "You know, I've heard from an Army captain who was the head of a rifle platoon


No comment: "supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon."

This doesn't say that the units were sent during the invasion of AFghanistan; but that after 2003 invasion of Iraq, a given unit was split.: "Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24 because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq."

Here's the question: Were there any units which were split up, and some of the troops, after they were redeployed from their national guard units, then split up and combined with others? I've heard of units getting recombined after training, then being redployed elsewhere.

Anyone reading it this way?

Anyway, I'm not hearing any good explanation why the comment about "using Taliban ammunition" should be discounted. Just wondering whether it's isolated, or merely intended as an anecdote of ammunition problems. I realize that many deployed have said they don't have problems with ammunition in Afghanistan.

Is there no record of any units being split?
Is there no record of any personnel reporting ammunition shortages?

There are reports of armor problems, and yes I realize this is something else.