RW Astroturf e-mail debunked (Obama indecisive against pirates)

[Blue_Tires]

Authorship of viral e-mail on piracy rescue in doubt

The widely circulated e-mail claims to offer a look inside last week’s Navy SEAL rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.

The message, credited to retired Rear Adm. Lou Sarosdy, begins, “Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for four days, I got the following…”

It goes on to criticize President Barack Obama for not authorizing the military to act more aggressively during the stand-off, which ended with snipers killing three Somali pirates. The e-mail claims that Obama rejected two proposed rescue plans and that Phillips was saved only after naval officers at the scene decided on their own to proceed.

There’s at least one problem. Sarosdy says he didn’t write it. And he doesn’t know if anything in it is true.

“I don’t know any SEALs,” said Sarosdy, 81, speaking by phone from his home in Pensacola, Fla. “I have no idea who transmitted that.”

http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/authorship-viral-email-piracy-rescue-doubt

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this could be the first time I've ever seen a paper (with a RW publisher, no less) jump on an astroturf before it's been circulated unchallenged for years... X-posted from GD