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Vets for Freedom questions Senator Barack Obama's comments »

Posted by: pc25 1 year, 10 months ago

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"I 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. As a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition, they didn't have enough humvees.

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pc25

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Comments: 106

ranchhandComment has been removed: Retracted by user
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pc25
Feb. 23, 2008, 5:53 p.m.
"His statements last night assert that he lacks the necessary knowledge to make serious judgments on military matters, that he is prone to dangerous exaggeration, and that he is grossly unaware of the facts on the ground."
As we approach ever so closer to the elections I believe that Sen Obama's inability to lead a country in peace much less war will begin to manifest itself. I believe he lacks maturity, experience, and the understanding to lead this country in foreign and domestic matters. All style no substance........a rock star, celebrity image created by a totally clueless and extremely biased main stream media.
He is "The Illusionist"
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rumple4skin
Feb. 23, 2008, 6:25 p.m.
Vets for Freedom: a nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mission: to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand knowledge to issues of American military strategy.
Political connections
* In 2006 Vets for Freedom supported three candidates for office; Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA), and Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO.)
* The VFF website: hosted in a server owned by Campaign Solutions, a subsidiary of the Donatelli Group, a firm that previously worked for the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee.
* A "key Vets for Freedom adviser is Bill Andresen, a Democrat and former chief of staff to embattled Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut."
* Among the Vets for Freedom advisors: Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol.
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Itachirumon
Feb. 23, 2008, 8:23 p.m.
Sunk and Reported for Attempted Swiftboating
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abntv
Feb. 23, 2008, 9:06 p.m.
There is no swiftboating here...Obama made these statements. The real question here is...who was this mysterious story teller..it has also been discovered that this story actually took place several years ago. However..Obama made it sound like he had just heard this story. Obama is not the person to lead this counrty..his understanding of the military is non-existant. His story says a Capt. leading a platoon...the fact is..Capts. do not lead platoons. Lts. lead platoons..but the I guess when you are telling a lie...little facts are not needed.
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abntv
Feb. 23, 2008, 9:22 p.m.
This story fails the smell test..it is highly unlikely that the military would split up a rifle platoon..and even if they did they would not take 15 men..that would be one squad plus two men from another squad....I dont buy it.
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stephen-johnson
Feb. 23, 2008, 11:58 p.m.
Thanks for the heads-up, AG and the post, pc25.
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abntv
Feb. 24, 2008, 12:05 a.m.
Well Tessy..since you neged my comments does that mean that you know more about military operations than I do? If so please advise me as to where I was wrong. Because I can tell you that what Obama described was in fact not an Army rifle platoon but a Marine Corps rifle platoon. Something I happen to know a little about..A typical Marine rifle platoon consists of three squads with 13 men in a squad. Which means his discription makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Where am I wrong here?
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abntv
Feb. 24, 2008, 12:27 a.m.
Every man and woman in uniform should be paying attention to this story and the ones that follow it..It shows just how little Obama knows about the DOD and how things work
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Klarissa
Feb. 24, 2008, 1:07 a.m.
We also need to pay attention to: (I'm leaving some out to be more to the point)Jeffrey Sachs, who runs the U.N.'s "Millennium Project," says that the U.N. plan to force the U.S. to pay 0.7 percent of GNP in increased foreign aid spending would add $65 billion a year to what the U.S. already spends. Over a 13-year period, from 2002, when the U.N.'s Financing for Development conference was held, to the target year of 2015, when the U.S. is expected to meet the "Millennium Development Goals," this amounts to $845 billion. And the only way to raise that kind of money, Sachs has written, is through a global tax, preferably on carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
....In addition to seeking to eradicate poverty, that declaration commits nations to banning "small arms and light weapons". . .
Does the NRA know about this?
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truthiness
Feb. 24, 2008, 1:16 a.m.
from the washington post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...
Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor declined to release the name of the captain, citing the soldier's privacy, and pointed to an ABC News account as verification of the story. Obama learned about the captain's allegation from a staffer who had spoken with the captain, according to Vietor.
ABC News said it talked to the unidentified captain, whose account of shortages in Afghanistan was for the most part accurately summarized by Obama, although not verified.
Obama said the platoon was supposed to have 39 soldiers. A platoon does not have to consist of 39, but can have between 16 to 40 soldiers, according to standard Army unit organization. It is also commanded by a lieutenant and not a captain.
According to the ABC report, the captain was a lieutenant when he took command of the rifle platoon.
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postaphis
Feb. 24, 2008, 8:02 a.m.
I don't dismiss all out of hand. I remember when I was in 'Nam and we couldn't get basic things like new socks. I asked my parents to send me some.
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rumple4skin
Feb. 24, 2008, 9:27 a.m.
Regards my post taken from Wiki - this was not an endorsement of the organisation or its stand. Sorry ... this is, in my mind, another smear attempt ala Swiftboat. I fully respect comments coming from our Vets. I am also a Vet and still don't appreciate the use of NG or Reserve service members use as RA soldiers. You must support your candidate. This is a given. However groups dedicated to smearing candidates, contorting truths should all be exposed.
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SonOfTheMask
Feb. 24, 2008, 9:30 a.m.
Here is a fact check by the Associated PRess:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gUW0ApBGkGgu...
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truthiness
Feb. 24, 2008, 9:31 a.m.
those continuing to view this article as factual please read my post on previous page.... the article is wrong.
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ghengisghan
Feb. 24, 2008, 4:03 p.m.
Captains in the Army do not lead platoons, they lead companies. 1st and 2nd Lt lead platoons. The one exception Ive seen is the Green Berets.
The Army may split up a battalian but not companies. This whole story reeks of bs.
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HOUSEMD
Feb. 24, 2008, 8:02 p.m.
No way! Are you sure? Then this means politicians.....they lie? My faith in humanity is crushed.
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Commodore1
Feb. 25, 2008, 11:37 a.m.
If Barack Obama had the nerve to join the military (chuckle) (chuckle) then I'm sure he would be killed by someone in his own unit.