Warner wants Obama to produce his Captain

NY Times:

One of the dramatic moments in Thursday’s Democratic debate came when Senator Barack Obama — in making the case that Iraq was the wrong place to launch a war — cited an Army captain in Afghanistan who told him of a rifle platoon that lacked manpower, ammunition and Humvees. As Mr. Obama recounted, the soldiers looked for captured Taliban weapons as it was easier to be armed that way than “to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.”

Conservatives pounced on the story, questioning its authenticity. Senator John Warner of Virginia, the ranking Republican and former chairman of the Armed Services Committee who has endorsed Senator John McCain, wrote to Mr. Obama on Friday seeking more details. Senator Warner wants to find out of the story is true -– and, if so, who might be responsible for any lapses. He said that he will also raise the issue with Army Secretary Peter Geren and Army Chief of Staff William Casey when they testify next week before his committee.

In the letter, which begins “Dear Barack,” Senator Warner said that the incident most likely occurred while he was chairman of the committee, whose members also include Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“There are specific military regulations governing the use by U.S. forces of weapons other than of U.S. manufacture, and, likewise, regulations covering the deployment into combat zones of military units at manning levels below optimum level,” said Mr. Warner.

To establish accountability within the military chain of command, Mr. Warner is asking Mr. Obama to provide more facts about the incident cited in the debate -– the dates, the unit involved and the name of the captain and other military personnel who provided the information to Mr. Obama.

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The Captain is already backing off of Obama's claim about the weapons and ammo shortage. He was a 1st Lieutenant when he was originally ordered to Afghanistan several years ago. He also is backing off his claim that his unit was split saying instead that several of his men were reassigned prior to going to Afghanistan. Incredibly, ABC News' Jack Tapper said that the Captain supported Obama's ignorant assertions. What it in fact showed was his ignorance of the military and of warfare. Using an anecdote to make a point about combat effectiveness also demonstrates his ignorance of how the military operates.

The Strata-Sphere has more on the unraveling of the Obama anecdote. Obama fell for this story because it fit his narrative on the war which is based on an ignorance of warfare and the facts on the ground in both Afghanistan and Iraq. It appears that Tapper may suffer from the same problems.