Obama Criticized for Osama Campaign Ad

Osama is still a Political Issue

Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington criticized the new advertisement released by the Obama campaign which depicts former President Bill Clinton giving kudos to Obama for the successful elimination of Osama bin Laden exactly one year ago. The problem Huffington has with the ad is that it then takes Mitt Romney’s own words out of context, implying that Romney might not have conducted the operation to kill bin Laden. The Romney campaign has criticized the ad, and Huffington says rightly so.

“I agree with the Romney campaign. Using the Osama bin Laden assassination, killing, the great news we had a year ago, in order to say basically that Obama did it and Romney may not have done it, which is really the — which is the message — I don’t think there should be an ad about that. I think its one thing to celebrate the fact that they did such a great job. It’s one thing to have an NBC special from the ‘Situation Room’ … all of that is perfectly legitimate. But to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do,” commented Huffington.

Romney and Huffington are joined by the Navy Seals in their criticism of the campaign ad. They are not only upset that President Obama took the credit for killing bin Laden, but he used the Special Forces operators as “ammunition” in his re-election campaign.

The US Navy Seals’ Team 6 were the special forces contingent that conducted the raid on the bin Laden residence in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that resulted in the death of the arch terrorist Osama bin Laden, one year ago.

Ryan Zinke, a former Commander in the US Navy who gave 23 years of his life as a SEAL and also led a SEAL Team 6 assault unit, says Obama should not be overly self-congratulatory of his decision.

‘The decision was a no brainer. I applaud him for making it but I would not overly pat myself on the back for making the right call.

‘I think every president would have done the same. He is justified in saying it was his decision but the preparation, the sacrifice – it was a broader team effort.’

Mr. Zinke, who is now a Republican state senator in Montana, noted that Obama is exploiting the operation and the death of bin Laden as fuel for his re-election strategy.

‘The President and his administration are positioning him as a war president using the SEALs as ammunition. It was predictable,’ Zinke added.

Alyssa Anderson

Alyssa Anderson has been involved in the world of business on several levels for many years. She was the CEO of a start-up high-tech company until its purchase by a global on-line e-business. Alyssa helped formulate marketing strategies for several other companies as an independent consultant, and she has advised local government on methods to achieve appropriate fiscal responsibility. Her opinions are well known through her many editorials which have been published throughout her career in a variety of local and national print media. She has been heard on radio discussing current issues affecting the business community and Alyssa hopes to bring her special brand of commonsense coupled with uncanny insight into her editorial responsibilities as the Business Page editor for Left Justified. Contact Alyssa at alyssa(at)leftjustified.com.

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