Rep. Lamborn urging generals who disagree with Obama to resign

By
John Tomasic
-

Colorado U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn said that “behind the scenes” he and other Republican members of Congress were encouraging military officers to resign in protest over President Obama’s foreign policy.

“[L]et me reassure you on this,” Lamborn told a small gathering of so-called liberty voters in Colorado Springs on Tuesday. “A lot of us are talking to the generals behind the scenes, saying, ‘Hey, if you disagree with the policy that the White House has given you, let’s have a resignation.’

“You know, let’s have a pubic resignation, and state your protest, and go out in a blaze of glory. I haven’t seen that very much. In fact, I haven’t seen that at all in years.”

The comments were first published by reporter Corey Hutchins at Medium today.

Hutchins played the tape he made at the event over the phone for the Independent.

The Colorado Independent also confirmed the quotes with at least one other person who was in attendance. Hutchins told the Independent that among the rough 50 people that night at the bar-basement event, at least a few were videotaping the speakers.

Lamborn sits on the House Armed Services Committee. The 34 Republican members of the committee include South Carolina’s Joe Wilson, who made headlines around the country when he shouted out with a red face during President Obama’s September 2009 address to Congress “you’re a liar.”

Also on the committee is Colorado 6th District Congressman Mike Coffman, who is running for re-election this year in one of the closest races in the country. While running in 2012, Coffman, a former Marine, told a crowd at a fundraising event that, although he didn’t know whether or not the President was born in the United States, Coffman believed that the Commander in Chief “in his heart was not an American.”

Neither Lamborn nor Coffman’s offices returned messages seeking comment this afternoon.

Lamborn represents the conservative 5th District, which is home to a host of military bases and contractor businesses. He has easily sailed to victory in general elections against Democrats, but he has struggled against repeat primary challenges.

The “liberty voters” at the event on Tuesday are exactly the Tea Party-leaning libertarian voters Lamborn has to work to win over.

Retired Air Force General Irv Halter, a conservative Democrat, is running against Lamborn in the general election this year and is wooing disaffected conservatives in the district.

“It is inappropriate for Congressman Lamborn to politicize our military for his own gain,” he said in an email. “When I joined the Air Force, I swore an oath to execute policy – not make policy. All of our service members take seriously their obligation to serve our nation honorably and follow the chain of command.

“Our elected officials should not be encouraging our military leaders to resign when they have a disagreement over policy. Congressman Lamborn’s statement shows his immaturity and lack of understanding of the American armed forces. Someone who serves on the House Armed Services Committee should know better.”

Hutchins said Lamborn’s remarks immediately jumped out at him but that they barely made a ripple in the room.

“No, no, no, I mean, nothing. A rustle or something, but really no reaction,” he told the Independent.

“I think he was a guy in a small room with a small crowd and he was just, you know, trying to show that he was one of them.”

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23 COMMENTS

  1. It’s alarming what morons have been allowed to sit on the House Armed Services Committee.

    Actually, it’s alarming the hustlers, morons and losers who have managed to take chairs in the legislature. It’s time to clean that up.

    There’s an election coming. Teabaggers, we’re coming for you!

    “Our elected officials should not be encouraging our military leaders to resign when they have a disagreement over policy. Congressman Lamborn’s statement shows his immaturity and lack of understanding of the American armed forces. Someone who serves on the House Armed Services Committee should know better.” ~ Retired Air Force General Irv Halter

  5. I never thought the GOP would or even could sink to depths so low. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) should be tried for Treason! We also need to know who else he is conspiring with. If any Generals want to quit, go for it. there are well qualified, and trained Generals ready to take over.

  6. Just saw this on TRMS. I am not shocked at all by these off-the-rails opinions and remarks from the far-right voter and the far-right politician. Please remember that it is election season. Tell your reasonable friends and family to vote absentee or vote early or vote on Election Day for Democratic candidates including Vic Meyers, Udall and Hickenlooper. VOTE VOTE VOTE :)

  7. How ENTIRELY inappropriate of a sitting official. But then, I don’t really expect anything else from republicans, they have gone so far off the rails of sanity that anything is to be expected. These vermin don’t even CARE about the damage they are doing to this country, they are just Hell bent for our destruction so they can blame everything on Obama and the Dems. It doesn’t matter to them just how far down the toilet the force us. In fact, they WANT us to go further and further. They won’t be happy until we are all at the mercy of any sociopathic rich person or company exec that wants to screw us for a buck. And ain’t capitalism GRAND when you start off at the top?

    Want to keep social security? Too bad, Dougie says it’s not good for you. Want health care? Too bad, it’s just a commie plot. Oh, and the president is a fraud, in spite of doing a FAR better job than any republican since Eisenhower. Too bad, but the numbers prove it. And Ike didn’t have a TREASONOUS congress.

    Time for the Koch Brothers to take their money and go home. They shouldn’t have ANY say in how Colorado votes, THEY DON’T LIVE HERE. Why should THEY get to shove money in here and get who THEY want at OUR expense?

    Just remember, “Americans for Prosperity” is nothing but a Koch brothers front group. They don’t care about YOU, they have their own agenda, and they want YOU to pay for it. Don’t shell out.

  8. Lamborn is encouraging American generals to resign? Wouldn’t this be helping our enemies during wartime? Isn’t that the definition of treason?

  9. Whew!! Treason!! First word I thought while watching. He will claim congress had not voted for war. A treasonous weasel like him does not belong on the public payroll.

  12. I have a suggestion. All you congressmen and women who disagree with President Obama let’s have your resignations. All of you gather together at one time and resign. Go out in a blaze of glory. Do us proud. It will be the first positive act you’ve accomplished in the last 6 years. Go, get out, spend time with the family, take a long vacation. We will thank you for it.

  13. This is excellent news if the anti-democratic GOP crowd have some luck. It means right-wing war-monger types will step down (ie the kind of people that shouldn’t be in charge of guns etc.), the American “left” will appoint more generals, and then when Obama’s term is up soon a military will be left that is less Bush more Obama. Not great, the rest of the world will still resent the US[1], but perhaps if there had been less crack-pot generals in the military in 2002/3 then America’s middle eastern forays might have played out differently, or not at all.

    [1] The rest of the world has a flag to symbolise their position. It is identical to the USA flag, but on fire.

  14. Doug is corrupt and is trying to corrupt those around him…where is the Law enforcement??? the insane are running the asylum…

  15. 18 U.S. Code § 2388 – Activities affecting armed forces during war
    US Code
    Notes
    prev | next
    (a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully makes or conveys false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies; or
    Whoever, when the United States is at war, willfully causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty, in the military or naval forces of the United States, or willfully obstructs the recruiting or enlistment service of the United States, to the injury of the service or the United States, or attempts to do so—
    Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
    (b) If two or more persons conspire to violate subsection (a) of this section and one or more such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in said subsection (a).
    (c) Whoever harbors or conceals any person who he knows, or has reasonable grounds to believe or suspect, has committed, or is about to commit, an offense under this section, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
    (d) This section shall apply within the admiralty and maritime jurisdiction of the United States, and on the high seas, as well as within the United States.

  19. Oh, for God’s sake, Joe Wilson did NOT shout “You’re a liar”!! He shouted “You lie”. It’s not really that difficult to look up. Makes one wonder how much of the rest of this story isn’t correct.

  22. “Oh, for God’s sake, Joe Wilson did NOT shout “You’re a liar”!! He shouted “You lie”. It’s not really that difficult to look up. Makes one wonder how much of the rest of this story isn’t correct.”

    Hi, there is a video of the “REP” talking about this. Sorry, unlike Wilson, the video shows a partisan taking every possible step to sedition.

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