Mitt Romney Accuses Obama Of Classified Material Leaks

[DearAbby]

RENO, Nev. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday accused President Barack Obama of trying to gain a political edge by leaking classified information about the U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Romney leveled the accusation during an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. It marked his strongest indictment yet of Obama's foreign policy in a close race the Republican has sought to keep focused on the sluggish economy.

"This conduct is contemptible. It betrays our national interest. It compromises our men and women in the field," Romney told the assembly of more than 1,000 veterans and advocates. "And it demands a full and prompt investigation by a special counsel, with explanation and consequence."

In detouring from his preferred issue, the economy, Romney was venturing into a realm usually viewed as the home turf of the incumbent. Indeed, Obama gets high marks in public polling for his handling of national security issues.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/mitt-romney-vfw_n_1699079.html


Oh this is sad, Romney Campaign took a page from the Michelle Bachman manual of crazy.

This is a serious charge. You don't make accusations like this on the fly. Romney isn't Michelle Bachman, is he? Just toss out accusations without proof? You called the President of the United States criminally negligent. YOU BETTER HAVE SOME PROOF.

[rfranklin]

1. doesn't matter, as Bush-Cheney set the precedent with Valerie Plame...

The President can decide what is classified and what is not, and when it changes from classified to unclassified.

[elleng]

2. Fine, so did Sen. Feinstein (sort of.)

[jberryhill]

3. This is always a fun accusation

What I like about this perennial accusation, from either side, is that the President has ultimate administrative authority over what is, and what is not, classified.

Simply put, no president, whether R or D can "leak classified material." If the president authorized release of the material - and I didn't bother to read what is alleged about what material - it is no longer classified material.

But what's particularly fun about this garden variety complaint, is that it turns on an underlying refusal to recognize that the president IS the president - as if Mr. Obama did not have the authority to receive, handle, and/or disclose such materials at will.

This is part and parcel of the underlying "he's not really president" thing.

I expect we'll see a few more rounds of "he's using taxpayer support for campaign travel", as is leveled against every running incumbent president who, of course, cannot travel without appropriate security. The flipside of that accusation is the "Rose Garden campaign" thing, in which if the president doesn't engage in campaign travel, then he is accused of "not getting out of Washington".

This one is a tired old battle horse.

[Bluerthanblue]

4. "Look Look.... Over there!!!"

mitt romney is contemptible- he is behaving like a cornered animal.

I so hope this man gets the ass-whipping he so desperately deserves. May his lies, deception and flip-flopping positions bite him big time.

[DearAbby]

5. ::knocks on monitor:::

Excuse me. In all my 57 yrs, I have never seen a Presidential Candidate level such charges. It astonishes me, no one is asking, by what evidence would you make such charges.

This is so far off the realm of my former reality. I really feel like we all just slipped through the looking glass...

TALK ME DOWN.

Am I crazy?

[spanone]

6. how would he know? and where are the fucking tax returns willard?

[DearAbby]

8. Then they pathetically took a page from Bachmann

I don't know if that makes me feel better. Half the country supports this kook. Well not support, they hate him too, they just hate Obama more.

[WilliamPitt]

7. Trying to turn a strength into a weakness.

I've seen this page of the playbook before.

[DearAbby]

11. What galls me...

his audience. Veterans, he knowingly lied about the the President of the United States, to their faces.

[RedStateLiberal]

9. Desperation Attack

[treestar]

10. Mitt will do a lot of whining about Obama using the bin Laden killing

It doesn't help Mitt, so Mitt will whine about how unfair it is that Obama gets to run on it.

[Marr]

12. It's amazing how inept you can be in this country if you're rich and white.

This bumbling douchebag is a candidate for the Presidency. Isn't that funny?

[siligut]

18. It is insanely funny, like a heart attack.

And the joke is on America.

[thelordofhell]

13. Sooo Mitt.....you objected to the killing Osama Bin Laden??

Why do you hate America Mitt??

[malaise]

14. Hey Willard - Obama killed Bin Laden

Get over it - you cannot claim that - not one ReTHUG took out Bin Laden.

Fuck you!

[skip fox]

15. Again it seems to show the Romney campaign is following Fox on this

as with the "you didn't build it" mantra.

[reflection]

16. So it's ok to suggest Obama is threatening national security

but to suggest Romney committed a felony by misrepresenting himself on SEC filings is BEYOND THE PALE!!!!1

Give me a break.

[1-Old-Man]

17. When the President gives out information its called declassification, not a leak

I don't know if you realize it or not but only the President (and his executive Agencies) thatclassifies information, the Congress doesn't, the Court doesn't, your local Government doesn't (or it dam sure shouldn't be). So it is the President, as head of all of the Executive Branch, who classifies and if he discloses information that he had previously classified its simply declassification, not a leak.

[The Magistrate]

19. Hear Hear, Sir!

If the President says you can print it, it is no longer classified....

"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."