Enough With The Fake E-mails

Larry Johnson over at No Quarter tells us that the E-mail from Captain Jeffrey Porter is legit, but questions remain. It looks like quite a few bloggers have fallen for the old "viral E-mail" trick:

Which brings us to the letter from a young Captain apparently attached to the Utah National Guard. Jeffrey Porter, who authored the following letter, is in trouble. Officers are not supposed to take a political position. I believe he is telling the truth but his chain of command has stepped in and are denying his version. I believe Captain Porter was telling what he saw without intending it to become part of the political debate. I held off until now posting the letter because I wanted to be sure it was authentic. I have confirmation from friends in theater that it is legit.

Unfortunately, Porter's credibility was shattered almost immediately--not from "pressure" from his chain of command but, rather, from the fact that he wasn't even present when Obama visited Bagram, Afghanistan. From Snopes.com:



If you click here, it'll take you to the snopes page where more than a few doubts have been cast on the veracity of what Porter had to say. I refuse to believe a Captain in the United States Army doesn't know the boundaries and limits of what to say about a political candidate. If he doesn't know the boundaries and limits, he's the only one shuffling around in a fog of ignorance. I think that it's wrong to push this material at bloggers. This E-mail had a target audience, and the good Captain's friends and family weren't it.

The problem is that the E-mail that he sent was very savvy about what to say and how to say it so that it would cause maximum outrage and get forwarded to bloggers like Johnson who would republish it and amplify the message. Whether this is done to excite a liberal or conservative or libertarian blogger is not the issue--plenty of liberal blogs fall for this crap, too.

Here's how it starts--when these smears get started, someone with a pseudonym will usually post it on a forum board with some sort of military or conservative issue affiliation and then distance themselves from it. The post at this link occurs in pane #5 and then the post "distancing" the person who posted it follows shortly thereafter in pane #47.

The E-mail is as follows:

Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to ‘The War Zone’. I wanted to share with you what happened.

He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.

As the Soldiers were lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn’t say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service

So really he was just here to make a showing for the American’s back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.

I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States . I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and- Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

The wording of this E-mail does not sound like an "off the cuff" observation, does it? A genuine observation would have been a little more even-handed or less calculating. Instead, it reads exactly like every other smear or hit piece perpetrated by the right wing, right down to the line about the Dallas Cowboys' Cheerleaders. The E-mail is too perfectly formed as a political attack to have been genuine. "Battle Captain" is a more informal term, not his actual position. CPT Porter likely works in an S-3 shop for an officer more senior to him. How is it possible that he didn't know he couldn't express himself like this? Why didn't he just ask his boss?

Here's Obama in Afghanistan--and this is the picture that the McCain campaign doesn't want you to see. The E-mail from CPT Porter was just a clumsy, ill-conceived attempt at ginning up phony outrage so that the sight of Obama being welcomed by US troops would be diminished in any way possible.



Here's the "retraction" of the E-mail:

Now the Bagram captain is dialing back, having signed the viral e-mail with his name, rank and unit - a possible violation of military regulations barring political statements. This morning, he sent The Mouth a new statement (punctuation corrected):

“I am writing this to ask that you delete my email and not forward it. After checking my sources, information that was put out in my email was wrong. This email was meant only for my family. Please respect my wishes and delete the email and if there are any blogs you have my email portrayed on I would ask if you would take it down too. Thanks for your understanding.”

An Army officer familiar with the incident told The Mouth today that the writer is “devastated that the letter was made public. It was never his intention that it go beyond members of his family.”

Is there anything even remotely "family oriented" about that E-mail? That's the most ludicrous thing about all of this--a perfectly worded smear directed at Barack Obama, obviously targeted to incite the anger of a military-oriented community was intended only for his family? You know, if I wrote my wife and said that the Dallas Cowboys' Cheerleaders were friendlier than Obama, I think the first thing I'd get back was a very pointed question of exactly how so? This is bullshit that deserves to be debunked.

I mean, honestly--would someone say this to their wife?

It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

I'm sorry--I'm laughing my ass off at how earnest and transparent this bullshit really is. CPT Porter is too smart for his own fucking good, and his panicked withdrawal--his plea to have his E-mail deleted from blogs!--indicates to me that this was a smear gone wrong. As in, he got caught. Whoops! Next time, honey, remember to take my name off the bottom, okay?
We have to watch out for people who will spread these E-mails. And whether it's about Obama or McCain, the best thing to do is to take it with a grain of salt.

Quibbling Over Positive News

While it is true that the "peace walls" in Belfast, Northern Ireland still exist--and that Barack Obama may have made a mistake in suggesting that they have come down--the fact remains that things are vastly different for people in Northern Ireland.

"Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together," Barack Obama told 200,000 gathered for his speech at the Victory Column. Only trouble is, that's not the case - since Good Friday peace agreement in 1998, the walls dividing Belfast's sectarian enclaves (known as the "peace line") have been going up, not coming down.

Part of what Obama is saying is true, though, and the changes in Belfast, Derry, and other areas of Northern Ireland have been dramatic. For example, in 1998, the number of sectarian deaths is counted at over 55 for the year; so far this year, there has been one death related to "sectarian" issues. I don't think there is anyone arguing that what is in place is ideal, but it's a hell of a lot better than the years where people were dying every week. The fact that the sectarian violence has virtually ceased and that there are people negotiating through the political process speaks volumes. Obama should have called for the elimination of the peace walls, rather than claim that the vastly improved situation was brought about by their removal. The peace walls might serve a purpose in certain areas, but they should begin to come down, and people in Northern Ireland are saying just as much.

Obama needs to remember that every single item, statistic and term he uses now is going to be parsed and picked through, and that there are people who are blatantly ignoring the whoppers that McCain is spewing every day. A slip like this is going to be magnified by Republicans, and the Obama campaign needs to reduce these incidents wherever it can.

--WS

Did the Pentagon Help Smear Obama Yesterday?

The smear against Obama--that he cancelled a visit to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany to visit wounded troops--was perpetrated with the help of outlets like the Drudge Report overnight. But, curiously, the headline has now vanished from the front page of the site. Could it be because there was Pentagon interference in the cancellation?

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama scrubbed a planned visit to see wounded American servicemen and women in Germany after Pentagon objections that the stop at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center could be seen as a political event, according to Obama's campaign.

Although the Illinois senator visited troops in Afghanistan and Iraq on the first part of his overseas trip, those stops were part of an official Congressional delegation, and therefore deemed apolitical. The European tour, which included a speech in Berlin last night before an enthusiastic crowd of 200,000, is funded by the campaign and as such is not official government business.

"Senator Obama had hoped to and had every intention of visiting our troops to express his appreciation and gratitude for their service to our country," retired Air Force Major General Scott Gration, an Obama adviser, said in a statement.

"We learned from the Pentagon [Wednesday] night that the visit would be viewed instead as a campaign event. Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perceived as a campaign event...and decided instead not to go."

This is the price you pay for being too successful--did the Pentagon bow to pressure from the Republican Party and throw a spanner in the works so that the stories of his visit with wounded troops wouldn't bookmark his visit to Germany? The flyers for the Berlin event had the visit printed on them but the Obama campaign said the flyers were incorrect because the decision to cancel had been a last minute decision. The McCain campaign quickly denounced the move, almost seeming to have a ready-made smear in hand:

The spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Thursday that Obama made his decision out of respect for the servicemen and women, but Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign immediately criticized the move.

"Barack Obama is wrong. It is never inappropriate to visit our men and women in the military," said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the Republican contender.

Pretty clever for an off-the-cuff remark, since the cancellation happened at the last minute. And, no, the press wasn't going with Obama, Hagel and Reed to the medical facility--that had already been decided.

What isn't clear is whether or not we can expect the Pentagon to continue working alongside the McCain campaign.

UPDATE: Brandon Friedman at Vote Vets has more.

--WS

Parsing the Ridiculous

Context matters when you're nitpicking.

How not to make a political ad--don't try to use an inclusive, positive and bold statement of unity against someone well-liked and popular:

“America, this is our moment. This is our time” – Obama, speaking in MN the night he officially won the Dem nomination (6/3).

“People of Berlin -- people of the world -- this is our moment. This is our time” – Obama, in his first formal speech of his foreign tour (7/24).

What ad guru won’t be tempted to play the clips back-to-back, only one to a widely ecstatic cheering crowd of Europeans? Insert announcer with an appropriately unnerving, deep voice, asking: “Which is it, Obama? Who’s moment? Who’s time?”

On 6/3, Obama addressed a crowd in the packed arena where John McCain will accept his party's nomination--the context of his speech was to that specific crowd and the Democratic Party that nominated him, and a broader appeal to voters that he hoped would support him this fall.

[Barack Obama, Berlin]

Today, Obama spoke on German soil to a foreign crowd, but addressed his remarks to a US audience and to the world at large, in a speech with broader context that addressed a broader audience. I think people are smart enough to figure out the context here--Obama is going to give a lot more speeches to a lot more audiences, including a speech at the Democratic Convention soon--and they get who he's addressing and including and talking to. Obama's popularity is the terrifying development that has the Republicans scrambling. They're used to, and were counting on, a figure that just about less than half of all Americans would like and accept. Obama has skated past that dynamic and entered Ronald Reagan territory.

The arrival of a Democratic Ronald Reagan has them shitting themselves with fear. Kennedy wasn't as popular as Obama and won no landslide in 1960. If current trends continue, and if McCain's gaffes and his amped-up Cotton Hill routine continues, he might win a dozen states, if that. If it gets any worse, he'll lose his home state and win seven southern states and perhaps Utah. Not quite winning everything but Minnesota and the District of Columbia, but close enough to frighten a Republican consultant. Hopefully, Obama won't have Reagan's policies or daftness but be similar in his ability to inspire his followers--the Democratic Party--and communicate with voters. Substance would definitely be an improvement. This is an important distinction--we may have a Democrat with actual charisma and appeal beyond the usual level we've seen in our lifetimes. I know--I can't get used to that idea, either.

[John F. Kennedy, Berlin]

Of course, if you're a fucking idiot, it all looks sinister and un-American to you. As in, how did the man with dark skin get to be liked by so many people? What the Republicans should really fear is the fact that Germany, a country known for a certain strain of xenophobia, has embraced Obama in a way that means Obama is likely to be embraced by the American people.

Hopefully, that will be as a, as the, as our President.

--WS

That was a damned classy ending...

Hillary gave a damned strong concession speech, and Obama was quite gracious in his acceptance. Maureen Dowd won't like it of course, but then, nobody likes Maureen Dowd, so who cares?

Now everyone needs to show the class shown by both of the candidates. The rabid supporters need to let it go and be gracious - in both camps.

It isn't about anyones hurt feelings, it is about finding a way out of Iraq and saving the Supreme Court. Anyone so aggrieved that they are going to vote for McCain, or not vote at all, well, you're either certifiably fucking crazy, or you are the most selfish prick the world has ever seen. Get over yourself.

On to November.

UPDATE 4:15 Central

I just went to the Obama website to sign up to volunteer and do my p[art to get him elected President of the United States, and this is what I saw...



And it gets better...Below the fold is the video of Obama's speech after her endorsement...




Like I said, a damned classy ending to a historic primary. Now let's get busy and elect Barack Obama president.

~~BG