The group is called Veterans for a Strong America, and they’ve already released one ad blasting President Obama’s handling of the bin Laden death anniversary. BuzzFeed reports there’s more on the way:
In the wake of a warm conservative reception for a web video trashing the president for “spiking the football” on the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, the conservative group Veterans for a Strong America plans to gather Navy SEALs and Special Forces operators to criticize the White House during the 2012 campaign.
“We’re looking to [put together] a coalition, to field SEALs and operators that want to come out publicly,” executive director of Veterans for a Strong America, Joel Arends, tells BuzzFeed. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with former SEALs and current SEALs. I’ve been talking to operators in the community. There is palatable discontent.”
Arends, a 35-year old Iraq war veteran who has spent the last six years in conservative activist circles, started the group last fall during the Republican primaries.
The campaign is already being compared to the ‘04 Swift Boat Veterans. And while this is probably the most effective tactic to take against the White House on the bin Laden issue, Allahpundit raises some concerns:
Turning the bin Laden raid into a story about Obama’s ego would break one of the biggest arrows in his electoral quiver. And needless to say, the optics of SEALs criticizing O for making the OBL raid all about him are … not so good for the White House. Are they worse, though, than Obama having to defend eight-plus percent unemployment? He’d much rather have an argument with conservatives over the OBL raid than the economy since every minute spent talking about Bin Laden is (a) a reminder that O did in fact give the order to liquidate the bastard, however shoddy his behavior might have been afterward, and (b) a minute not spent talking about the thoroughgoing crappiness of, oh, pretty much every other part of his record.
And that’s if the Veterans for a Strong America campaign is actually successful at turning the story into one about Obama’s ego. There’s also a chance it could backfire. Yes, Obama is politicizing the bin Laden raid to death (which is the crux of the VSA criticism), but what will SEALs think of a campaign bashing Obama for this on their behalf? If many of them found Obama’s football-spiking tasteless, quite a few would probably object to a campaign like this as well.
And the Obama campaign will not be blindsided by this line of attack, nor will they go down without a fight. They’re not about to relive the perceived failures of the 2004 campaign.
All of these concerns and risks are real and should be appreciated. However, the general election really begins after the conventions in the fall, and, if we aren't talking employment, economy, and debt at that juncture, surely Obama wins a second term. In the interim, where Obama is trying to play to his strengths, I'm not sure it is such a bad deal that Veterans for a Strong America (VSA) take this issue head on. I don't think it is a given that other SEALs and special operators would rush to Obama's defense. They would be arguing that their brethren don't deserve the credit that VSA is trying to give them, and that Obama deserves the credit that Obama, himself, believes he is entitled. Surely there are former SEALs and operators who support Obama, but these aren't the type of folks to stick their necks out for politicians and against their brethren. If there is a right time to take this issue on, now is that time and VSA is the perfect group. All the while, Romney will be focusing on the economy, employment, and debt. There is risk, but I doubt as much risk as pundits believe.
Excellent observation and analysis.
Love that tasty discontent.
Mitt Romney and his campaign people need to stay away form this line of criticism. They need to focus almost exclusively on the economy. This is something that minor leaguers like myself should be doing. And yes, it will be effective.
Obama is weak and vulnerable in EVERY aspect of his regime and NOTHING should be off limits. It would be a mistake to focus on only one issue with such a target rich environment available. n nGive the American people as many valid reasons to vote against Obama as possible. God knows, there are a ton of them!
No way that the SEAL community comes out in public against their Commander and Chief. No matter what is said in private, it's just not going to happen in public. n nBesides, the bigger complaints are not even being talked about in this context. n1. The selling out allies for political gains, making it most assuredly to get a response that will cost the SEALs hardship from allies paying back such events. n2. The uncontrollable WhiteHouse that doesn't value the time SpecWarGru could have had if not the need to rush to the press and tell the world they got OBL and all the other details. n3. The political mishandling of ending both wars and what that has cost all members of the armed forces. n4. Budgets and the lack of funding will come back to bite n
Thank God for groups like this that expose frauds like nobama and Kerry. Both of them hate the military-one was too high to enter and the other used it to showboat.