OPSie: The lies and hypocrisies of Obama's "patriot" attackers

By Mustang Bobby

A group of former Special Ops personnel are coming after President Obama, accusing him of taking credit for killing Osama bin Laden for himself and leaking national security secrets for political gain. Small problem: according to the Los Angeles Times, they've been leaking secrets themselves:

In politics, the story line rarely changes: Do as I say, not as I do.

Thus several former U.S. intelligence and special operations personnel who have accused President Obama of leaking and "politicizing" national security information have themselves talked publicly about sensitive security matters.

They are members of a new nonprofit group called Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund. Known as OPSEC, military shorthand for operational security, the group says it has raised about $1 million for TV ads and a short film called "Dishonorable Disclosures," which criticizes the Obama administration for alleged national security leaks.

The organizers say they don't intend to release a list of their donors or their members. Neither is required by law.

"It's time for President Obama and other administration officials to stop jeopardizing national security operations for political gain," said Fred Rustmann, an OPSEC member, who worked at the CIA for 24 years before he retired in 1990.

Rustmann and two other key members of the group, all self-described Republicans, have a history of talking openly to the media about national security, a review of articles and transcripts shows.

Rustmann appeared on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" in 2005 to discuss Valerie Plame Wilson, a covert CIA operations officer who was outed in July 2003 by members of the George W. Bush administration. A federal jury convicted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, of four felony counts for his role in the crime.

There's another group of like-minded patriots called SOS that bases its opposition to Mr. Obama on the fact that he's Not One of Us:

President Barack Obama is a socialist, was raised by communists, and wasn't born in the United States, according to the former Navy SEAL who founded the group Special Operations Speaks (SOS), which aims to portray Obama as anti-military in this election season.

[...]

"I have to admit that I'm a Birther," said SOS founder Larry Bailey, a retired 27-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, in an interview. "If there were a jury of 12 good men and women and the evidence were placed before them, there would be absolutely no question Barack Obama was not born where he said he was and is not who he says he is."

Do the Republicans really want to have a group going around reminding the voters of who got Osama bid Laden when the last guy they had in office couldn't be bothered? And it really doesn't help when they're as loose-lipped with national security secrets as they claim the president has been.

As for the other group, the general consensus is that as soon as you come out with the birther line, you're nothing but a racist asshole and therefore not worth listening to.

Sighted Swiftboat; sank same.

H/T to mistermix at Balloon Juice.

(Cross-posted at Bark Bark Woof Woof.)