Retraction of the Article

OUTRAGEOUS: Joe & Jill Biden lie about military families speaking out against the wars

After receiving an ACTION ALERT from Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) late last week regarding an  interview on Larry King Live recently that led to my article OUTRAGEOUS: Joe & Jill Biden lie about military families speaking out against the wars, it appears that Mrs. Biden’s statements were more ambiguous than MFSO represented.

I myself retracted the article and most of the commentary in it based on my inaccurate analysis of the transcript of the program.

Suffice it to say that  quotes made by the Bidens were taken out of context by MFSO, and my own assessment of the interview was also taken out of context and for this reason I must retract and delete the article.

As a member of MFSO, and writer of the above mentioned article, I also apologize to the Vice-President Joe and Mrs. Jill Biden for taking their responses to questions asked by Larry King out of context. The article will be removed from all locations it was posted and replaced by this retraction.

I also apologize to our readers and acknowledge those who read the entire article and responded that it was taken out of context regardless the reason. I belief that there are underlying reasons that some MFSO leaders came to the original perspective they (and I) did. I expressed some of the rationale in the article I now retract. I still do believe that it is the underlying frustration of having voted for President Obama and lining up with the Democrats as being the best bet for getting ‘completely’ out of Iraq and eventually out of Afghanistan then the feeling of being ignored by the Obama administration and Democratic Party are ill feelings that remain within the rank and file membership of MFSO.

To me these are hard feelings and disconnects that will do more harm than good to Democrats than Republicans for it remains a given that not too many members of MFSO are going to vote Republican regardless ill feelings toward the Democrats.

Maybe forming a Peace Party modeled on the Tea Party passion and anger will be the only way to go to end the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Obama administration (or more appropriately the Bush Pentagon that Obama chose to inherit) are now bouncing around 2014 are a test the waters leak to see how much public outrage or apathy there will be.

If the Obama administration bows to former Bush administration power in the Pentagon and ultra conservative Generals he just may fear, regardless this retraction about what the Biden’s said or did not say, Obama stands to lose the rest of the potential Democratic Party base going into 2012.

One responded pointed out that I had an agenda for taking the interview out of context and to that allegation I must admit. However, the only agenda I have is the same as that of MFSO above: THE WARS ARE COSTING US TOO MUCH – Bring Our Troops & Our Tax Dollars Home

Robert L. Hanafin, Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired, GS-14, U.S. Civil Service-Retired

Clarification on Biden interview

Late last week [MFSO] let [Member and Supporters] know about an interview that Jill Biden had with Larry King Live. It appears that [Mrs. Biden’s] statements were more ambiguous than [MFSO] represented.

The text of the interview is below.

KING: We just heard your husband talk about Iraq and Afghanistan. Now you talk to military families, right?

JILL BIDEN: I do.

KING: Wives, husbands, children.

JILL BIDEN: Children, yes.

KING: We know we always hear about the military families who say, we support them. Do you hear from people who say we don’t support them?

JILL BIDEN: Never.

MFSO asks: Who or what is “them?

Did Larry King ask Jill Biden whether she hears from people who don’t support the wars or the troops?

Of course MFSO supports our troops. And we believe that supporting the troops means bringing them home now.

But if her response meant that she has never heard from military families who don’t support the wars, this is not true.

There are military families opposed to the wars who have personally communicated that message to her.

We apologize if our characterization of the interview was misleading.  and we have changed the website and letter to the editor to accurately reflect what happened.

We believe that we must take every opportunity to communicate with Jill Biden and the rest of the country that there are military families who absolutely support our troops yet are solidly opposed to the wars, and we hope that you will continue to join us in that effort.

Deborah Forter
National Director
Military Families Speak Out

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.