Swiftboats are a comin'
by digby
Looks like somebody's getting into the swiftboat business:
In the official photograph, he looked every inch the commander in chief.
Strain etched on his face, Barack Obama watched as the raid to kill Osama bin Laden played out on a television in front of him.
According to a new book, however, the President was not nearly that engaged – and was actually playing golf until 20 minutes before the operation began in earnest. Only then did he down his clubs and return to the White House to watch what he later trumpeted as a great success of his presidency...
Mr Pfarrer says the President's role was largely inflated and suggests he stayed out on the golf course for so long so he could distance himself in case it went wrong. Mr Pfarrer writes: 'If this had completely gone south, he was in a position to disavow.'
[...]
The SEALS have decided to speak out after being enraged by the image that was being painted of them as cold-blooded murderers on a 'kill mission'.
Pfarrer said: 'I’ve been a SEAL for 30 years and I never heard the words ''kill mission''.
The soldiers were also said to be disappointed that Obama announced Bin Laden's death on TV a few hours later, making their intelligence-gathering futile.
Mr Pfarrer also said the President's announcement of the 'intentional' killing was understandable but nonetheless disappointing.
Mr Pfarrer told the Sunday Times: 'There isn’t a politician in the world who could resist trying to take credit for getting Bin Laden but it devalued the ''intel'' and gave time for every other Al-Qaeda leader to scurry to another bolthole.
'The men who did this and their valorous act deserve better. It’s a pretty shabby way to treat these guys.'
I recall hearing throughout my childhood in wingnutville that Jack Kennedy should have actually been court martialed for his heroic PT-109 actions. This is how they roll. Who knows if this particular charge will have any legs, but you can be sure that the right wing is not going to allow Barack Obama to enjoy his status as brave and tough Commander in Chief uncontested. It would destroy the very firmament of their belief system.
(Disclaimer: I happen to think the whole super-CIC thing's a crock too, although not for the same reasons. I have every reason to believe that the President is a very diligent and engaged Commander in Chief, preferring that work to any other aspect of his job. But ordering the killing of terrorists, alleged and proven, doesn't strike me as being indicative of any unusual courage. In fact, in our system it would be courageous not to.)
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