What was the lie that Sestak is referring to?

Sestak’s self-worship is beyond belief. This self-admiring, self-important, narcissistic egomaniac grouses and gripes whenever he receives any adverse criticism. So vain, so conceited, that he cannot acknowledge any failings or past errors in judgement. So big-headed, so overweening, that he believes he is above reproach. Meanwhile, the pretentious 7th District megalomaniac lodges unsubstantiated accusations against the incumbent Democratic President of the United States – the leader of the Western world – without hesitation! So imperious – and so hypocritical.

Navy Times: July 2005 (before Sestak ran for any office)

http://www.navytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-995180.php
Title:
“Deputy CNO Sestak Is ‘Reassigned’
New CNO Reportedly Makes Move Because of ‘Poor Command Climate’”

By Christopher P. Cavas
Times staff writer

Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) Vice Adm. Joseph Sestak was ‘administratively reassigned’ July 25 by new Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen, according to Rear Adm. T. McCreary, chief of naval information.

‘Rear Adm. Mark Edwards, currently serving as director of the Surface Warfare Division, will serve as the acting DCNO until such time as a relief can be identified, nominated and confirmed,’ McCreary said.

A source within the Navy Department said there were no allegations of misconduct on the part of Sestak. Rather, he said, the move is being made because of poor command climate.

‘Command climate and how people exercise their leadership responsibilities are key priorities for Admiral Mullen,’ the source said, ‘and this position is one of the key jobs that will help determine the success of the Navy, its people, and its future force structure.’

Sestak’s removal is one of the first moves made by Mullen, who was sworn into office on Friday.

Widely viewed as an intellectual within the Navy Department, Sestak has been a key figure in fashioning the Navy’s role in the quadrennial defense reviews conducted by the Pentagon, acting as director for the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review and in an advisory role for the current review, to be completed in September.

Sestak moved into the DCNO role last October. Before that, according to his official biography, he served as director of the Navy’s Assessment Division/Capability Analysis Group, and was the first director of the CNO’s Navy Operations Group, known as ‘Deep Blue,’ charged with coming up with new and inventive ideas for naval warfare.

A Navy official said that ‘while the CNO truly appreciates and supports the analytic rigor Vice Adm. Sestak brought to the his job, CNO feels a change is needed during this critical time.

There was no lie in Specter’s ad. What did Sestak expect? This is an election, of course, there’ll be some negative ads. Sestak sounds like a whinning kid by complaining. Why is Sestak whinning to a local paper anyway? Why not pay for more TV ads to counter Specter’s ads? Unless he doesn’t intend to pay for any more ads…

Mr. Diano: Empirical facts are of no consequence to the swollen-headed, supercillious, overbearing Sestak. He CANNOT stomach any criticism – even if the criticism is valid. He will grumble and snivel and whimper like an adolescent, until we all bow before him, and hail his greatness and sublimity!

Like that? Thought I’d try to imitate HateSestak!

I don’t get it – what was the lie, exactly? If Specter’s ad is false, Sestak should explain exactly why. I’m just asking.

BTW, Specter’s a Veteran himself.

The great thing is that this ad is only 30 seconds. Specter can run two of them for every one of Sestak’s one-minute ads, for the same cost.

It would be funny if Specter did a ad-buy where he asked to bookend his 30-second ad around every one-minute Sestak ad. LOL!

Chesco Dem: Bravo – though “swollen-headed” is actually not a term in my lexicon. The question you posed earlier – why not raise these concerns in a TV ad – is a burning one. If a Sestak ad blitz is truly imminent, why clamor to a Pittsburgh newspaper?

Mr. Diano: Your point is well-taken. Sestak has an authoritiarian personality, and always has. And his absolutist, autocratic ways have cost him dearly. He has no respect for others – precisely why he pays his lowly staff below minimum wage. He does not even respect the incumbent Democratic President of the United States; if he he did, he would not have repeatedly made unfounded allegations against Obama.

Mr. Diano: Imagine if Specter were to become impatient, and began to run ads hinting at…you-know-what. It is within the bounds of possibility, from what I understand.

I saw the Specter ads several times. I haven’t noticed any lie. The ads are factual. If Sestak doesn’t like it, let him purchase his own ads!

Sestak has a double standard. He can say whatever he wants about anyone else…but the moment someone makes a negative remark about him…he cries foul or goes running to the local media. Cry baby!

BTW, I think the recent postings about Specter’s age and health are dispicable! Specter seems to have all of his faculties. These comments are tantamount to age discrimination. We use to respect our elders for their knowledge, wisdom and experience. Shame on you people.

BTW, the elderly are a large portion of our population. They usually vote in primaries and general elections.

Everybody who thinks Oliver North served honorably, raise your hands.

Sestak wants to run on his career, but not on the reason it ended. He wanted to cherry-pick the honors, and hide the skeletons.

Why doesn’t Sestak release his service records? If he’s so proud of his service, let’s get the full story.

If sestak is willing to use his service as a prop for votes, which is a big turn off… he should be held to his record. He was relieved of command, a fact.

No foul. what is really disgraceful is sestak desperately wanting to interject his military service and try to use veterans for his own gain.

It’s funny when puppets all talk to each other. Sort of like Sesame Street.

It’s not funny how how many staffers and supporters have left Sestak-the-Grouch because they didn’t like being treated like garbage.

I agree Bruce, all those posts and different alias and only two real participants.{hater:chesco dem:mr wiggles} cute. and his loyal sidekick sychophant d d

Its even funnier when puppets try to defend characterizing a Navy Times article written well before sestak even ran for office as swiftboating.

To “what” and “Thomans J” I suggest you not pay any attention to the choir,I sure that the campaign will answer mr.specter soon.

I object to be called a side-kick. I’ve been on Sestak like white on rice since his betraying Iraq vote in May 2007.

Bill, you may enjoy being Bruce’s side-kick, but please don’t try to saddle me with that dubious distinction.

BTW, did you catch the news how the House Ethics committee opened up a formal investigation into who knew about Eric Massa’s behavior?
I’m waiting for the negative Specter ad about how Joe Sestak was endorsed by Eric Massa.

BTW, speaking of Massa, here is “The Hill” quote of the day from Sestak:

“I intend to make Toomey look absolutely naked,” Sestak told the Allentown Morning Call.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/93519-quote-of-the-day-pennsylvanias-senate-race

David, I’m going to ask you to expand on something here:

– what exactly do you think would have been accomplished if Joe had voted in favor of cutting off funding for the Iraq War or for cutting funding for Cheney’s office?

– is it possible to oppose the Iraq war or to oppose Dick Cheney’s abuses of office and still vote against cutting their funds?

– And what did Specter do in these two areas that elevates him in your opinion?

Try to do this without propaganda. I’m interested to hear your perspective.

Healey-
First of all, I am not anyone’s “puppet” or “sidekick” so stop trying to categorize me. At least I’m an independent person and a “Sestak puppet” like yourself. Why do you defend the man at every turn? Are you one of his underpaid staffers?

Second, why are trying to get us off-topic?!? Specter’s ad is totally legitimate! I don’t see the “lie” or the “baseless allegations.” It’s a fact that Sestak was removed for “poor command climate.” (BTW, why doesn’t he release his military record?) It’s also a fact that Sestak missed all those votes so he could conduct his fruitless campaign.

Team Sestak sounds like a bunch of whinners – it’s a campaign for godsakes. There are going to be negative ads. BUT AT LEAST THIS NEGATIVE AD IS TRUTHFUL.

If Team Sestak doesn’t like the ad, they should purchase some ad time and run a rebuttal.

Ooops. I can’t type. That should be NOT a “sestak puppet.”

Dave,

Would you defend George W Bush as having served in the armed forces?

“During the Korean War, he served stateside in United States Air Force as an officer within the Air Force Office of Special Investigations from 1951 to 1953.”

Not to belittle his service, but this does not compare with Sestak’s record.

In addition, the article written for the Navy Times was a subject of controversy when it was published. Well before Sestak was a candidate there was speculation that the article was a hatchet job.

Bruce-
1) He would have honored his campaign promise, shown integrity on the issue, and he wouldn’t have been providing cover to other Blue Dogs who could point to Joe.
On the floor, when he explained his vote, he claimed that he still believed that timetables were the only viable option, and then voted for a bill without timetables.
I just think Joe should stop pretending that he has an integrity when it comes to standing up for principle. His ads should read: “I’m Joe Sestak. I don’t stand for principles, so I’ll fit right into the Washington establishment.”

2) No, I don’t think it’s possible, if you really believe those points of view.
I’m convinced that Sestak is a supporter of the Iraq War and is a complete f*cking liar when he claims opposition. I also think that Sestak supports unchecked executive power and secrecy.

3) Specter did not campaign against these policies and then turn around and vote for them. Specter voted for the original Iraq War authorization, as did Hillary, Kerry, Edwards and many other top Dems.
Sestak solicited funds, time and other resources from me and my friends. He lied to our faces and then turned around and stabbed us in the backs. Specter voted exactly as he campaigned (which is why I voted for Hoeffel).

Sestak has proven himself time and time again to be an unprincipled liar interested in his own political ambitions over the welfare of those around him. Specter at least understand what it means to be part of a political party and helps out (like he did with 2009 candidates).
If I’m going to wind up one of two pieces of sh*t, I’d like the one that’s going to beat Toomey. That’s Specter.

HaverfordDemocrat-
Being a member of the Armed Service does not absolve anyone from criticism. There are plenty of @ssholes serving in the military, especially in the higher ranks. Abu Ghraib didn’t happen in a vacuum. There are abusive commanders, people that order attacks on civilian targets then cover it up, and guys in the motor pool selling spare parts on the black market.
My point in mentioning Arlen being a Veteran, is that Sestak is sending letters to Veterans crying about Arlen’s attacks. Some of these Veterans have no more service than Specter. I wonder if Specter will get one of Joe crybaby letters?

The only “controversy” about the Navy Times article is from Sestak himself. It preceded this Senate contest by nearly 5 years. It not a “Swift Boat” attack that Specter just made up. It’s been on the record for years and never debunked. In fact, it’s been reinforced by how Sestak has treated his Congressional and Campaign staffs.

The Sestak’s sacking is an albatross around his neck.

Why not have Joe release his service record and any complaints, reprimands or reports on file?

Setting aside the pro and anti Sestak/Specter sniping for a moment, look at what we have here.

Sestak holds his tv ads for the last 4 weeks and starts with a positive introductory ad. So, is that what he is discussing one day later? No he’s not. He’s on the defensive as the result of Specter’s negative ads. His positive intro is being lost, or at the very least diluted significantly, because the political chatter is about Specter’s charges; not Sestak’s positives.

This was so predictable. People here have been saying it for months. Intro ads have to start much earlier to be effective. Sestak could have made a good senator for PA; but he has no clue how to get elected.

You have to give credit where it is due and Specter has once again demonstrated his masterful political chops.

Healy: Its actually been 24 years since I was awarded tenure (my spouse reminded me). Sestak and his minions really do harbor ill will toward senior citizens, don’t they? Or more accurately, anyone who has the temerity to voice any adverse criticism of the conceited, narcissistic, self-important Joe Sestak. You’ll have to forgive the rest of us if we look upon Sestak as a MERE MORTAL, and little else. You may be continue to deify and immortalize Sestak if you wish, but PA voters recognize that he is just a man – and a FLAWED man at that.

Chesco Dem your not a sidekick,your just one of the many faces of “hatesestak” or mr. wiggles just the same noise box making the same unsubstantiaed claims. No I am not a staffer,just a solid volunteer. I bring in the cupcakes for Jared.

Hater you are so in love with your supposed intellect,really impressed with yourself. I can’t imagine that any political science class you would teach,could impart anything useful,you don’t seem to have a very good grasp on your supposed area of expertise. I find you a pompous,overbearing,narcisstic,ego-manic. Do you keep records of how many of your textbooks are used for birdcage liner,or wrapping fish?

Lee-
That’s a smart analysis. Specter captured the conversation and put Sestak on the defensive. Sestak’s campaign is sending out letters (or requests for letters to be written) to newspapers asking them to condemn Specter.
He had to put together a quickie press conference with some Veteran he rounded up at the last minute.

Specter totally took Sestak off message.

Bill-
Jared is supposed to get only ONE cupcake. Don’t overpay him, like the sibling staff.

Why do we keep fighting over this Little Admiral when people know by now just what a ego-matic man he is. He sadly is MY congressman and has done nothing for the people in the district at all in 2 terms in Congress. I have gone to several meetings over those two terms with a open mind but every time left knowing I could NOT ever support him again.He is very rude and self centered and should NOT be elected to any office, ever. He always arrived late at the meeting, left early and only called on his little group of supporters, what would you call that. I remember many times that he would not ask any woman as he knew the question would be out of his grasp and then he would just leave with his lowly aid as he thought he was just too important to stay.
He was able to fool the Navy for many years on our dime, but not the people that has heard him speak or should I say dictate ?
As a mother, the last straw was his add that brought his little daughter into it as HIS poster child. I am glad that she overcame her illness but had no place in the add at all. He only wanted sympathy but that was the final end for me. What kind of man uses his child for a job. He is just soooo bad that even the GOP would not touch him with a 10 foot pole. No Show Joe is all that Specter said he was and even worse if you live in his district. The 7th CD has paid a high price for getting a Democrat into Congress but now so many have buyers remorse.
All people in the Commonwealth deserve much more than a guy that will collect the big paycheck but doesn’t show up for important votes. We can all have a big party the eve of May 18th when we say goodbye to the little admiral and hope we have learned something from it.
If you have any questions about this guy and his tarnished back ground all you need to do is to find out the truth in Fact Check or maybe you just want to believe Sestak and his lies.
Please don’t let this evil fool, fool you but you have to do your homework to find the truth. If I can so CAN every voter in Pennsylvania. I wonder how much he has paid these So called veterans as that would be the only way they would defend him.
What about those that served under him, all are very quite ! Joe you are gone and are forgotten, bye, bye our NO Show Joe.

One thing is true that Arlen will do just about anything to burn an opponent to the ground. Sliming and swiftboating was protyped by Arlen since 1965.
I cring at a dem trivilizing the credentials of a retired three star admiral. Most snarky blogsters havent even been a meeter maid.
This should be about substance so the nominee[‘ positions are understood and vetted.

Sestak got a “swift dismissal” thats a fact… no swift boating.

All I have to say is that it’s not swiftboating if it’s true. Joe Sestak retired with two stars, not three. I’m pretty sure you don’t get demoted for doing a good job.

Lana, better get to work on those phones,calling for that repub Arlen to hostile democratic voters is hard work. Guess those internal polling numbers scared the bejebbers out of specter to go negative so fast, guess he never heard that people who live in glass house’s shouldn’t throw bricks.

Joe Sestak was never demoted.

The truth is that Sestak has been running around the State, unfairly criticizing Specter(he’s a Republican, he is old, I’m more qualified, elect me because my daughter had a health problem and I understand, and by the way–he’s too old, and even worse-I’m more qualified and he has had his day.) The truth is that Specter finally hit him back-I guess that’s the way you handle a bully.

Bill-
You are correct that Sestak was not “demoted” for the loss of the star. However, Mullen relieving him from his assignment was such a slap-down that it was a career ending move. Rather than stay, with no hope of advancement or a choice assignment, Sestak quit. Because he had not been a 3-star long enough, he had to retire at the two-star level.

As for a job he was fired from (or asked to resign), you should really ask Joe about why he left the Clinton White House NSC job to go back to the fleet. Ask for the real story. I’m sure it’s more exciting then the pablum of his other Clinton stories.

No,Joe,No-
Last year, Sestak was negative all the time about Specter and people were clamoring for him to respond. When Specter finally did, with his NoShowJoe, it was generally seen as long overdue and a sign that Specter wasn’t going to be a punching bag.
With the new ad, Specter made Sestak his b*tch.

Sestaks’ campaign should have seen the NO SHOW Joe ad coming from a million miles away and have been prepared for it. I mean Specter’s only had a NO SHOW JO section on his website for ever!

If Team Sestak had any sense or foresight they would have had a response ad ready to go.

But, obviously, he doesn’t and has had to resort to coaxing out the few veterans that he could find who would be willing to support him. Were any of them people who served for him?

Specter could make a great response ad by having former veterans who served with Sestak do an ad!

Although he is guilty of Character Assasination, at his decrepit age, Specter does nothing swift.

Dave, again are you expressing bitterness because Sestak relieved you of your position with him?

I have been a long time Sestak supporter for (4.5years)….
I and everyone else believed as Joe always put it, in his literature, commercials, ads and political signs, e-mails, you name it, that he was a Three Star Admiral!

Now I have confirmation from the Chris Mathews show that not only was he actually a Vice Admiral but a Two Star Vice Admiral at that!

This is not Swift Boating, this is the truth! I had checked and he was relieved of duty in the Navy for creating a poor command climate. Joe never answered that remark on the Chris Mathews Show and just danced all around the question of him being fired and talked about everything else!

Joe let me and the democrat party down the moment he decided to take on DEMOCRAT Arlen Specter in the US Senate race.

The only thing Joe will succeed at in this race is dent the armor of Democrat SENATOR Arlen Specter, the Democrat party and himself!

I was very upset knowing Joe Sestak, some time ago, had planned to run for President in 2016. He put the “political cart far ahead of the horse” and because his future plan was being delayed, he decided to run roughshod through this Senate race that will and already has harmed his future!

Joe Sestak is SCUTTLING the Democratic Party ship, the question is why?
I’ll let you know the next time and you will all understand why Joe must go!!!

David: In all seriousness, thank you for clarifying this fact that is being grossly misrepresented daily here: “You are correct that Sestak was not “demoted” for the loss of the star”

A repost of my response to another thread with the details:

Sestak was indeed promoted to Three Star Vice Admiral. The US Navy has a policy that if an officer retires before putting in a certain period of time at that rank, they retire at their previous rank. Sestak did not have enough time as a Three-Star Admiral to keep that rank when he chose to retire in 2005 after Admiral Clark was replaced as Chief of Naval Operations by the Bush Administration and Admiral Mullen replaced Sestak and others with his chosen subordinates. Anyone who has worked in a hierarchical organization knows that bringing in one’s personal associates is standard practice tied to fundamental human nature. Fair or not, people are most comfortable with those they are most familiar with.

Another thing that hasn’t been noted is that this all happened at the height of Sestak’s daughter’s illness. So for several reasons, Sestak decided to retire, honorably, toward the end of 2005. He had not put in the requisite time of service as a Three-Star Admiral, so his rank reverted to Two-Star upon retirement.

Sestak did indeed serve as a Three-Star Admiral, but retired as a Two-Star Admiral. Not very complicated to understand for those who can stop and think for a minute, look at the facts, and make a sensible judgment.

This is a serious and well-written blog, so I’m confident that the haters aside, most people reading here will understand what actually occurred.

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

TheMortonMagician
They call them puppets or parrots, but right is still right!
• Military rank is a title, just as is Mister, Master, Madam, or Miss. An officer’s rank is in fact a commission given by the US Congress. Once a military person has retired, their rank is a permanent title. As anyone who a fifth grade education should know, the title comes first.
Ex: Dr. Physician B. Medicine, MD.
Or: ex. RAdmL. Phineas L. Richards, USN (ret.)
The affiliation comes last, MD for Medical Doctor or USN for United States Navy.
Rank Given Surname
Branch, Retired
Where:
*Rank = Last rank held
Given = First name
Surname = Last name
Branch = Branch of service (US Army, US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force, US Coast Guard)
Retired = self-explanatory
For example:
RDML. Phineas L. Richards
United States Navy, Retired
The error lies in the abbreviated version which is only partly incorrect as it should be for the above example:
RAdmL. Phineas L. Richards, USN (ret.)
Abbreviation for Rear Admiral, in fact RADM or RAdm are both acceptable, as is RAdmL (indicating 2 star admiral lower half – the USN has no 1 star rank, but has two, 2 star ranks, upper and lower half of Rear Admiral. A one star Admiral is called a Commodore, and this is only used in time of war.)
However, in using the formal method, neither the rank, nor the service should be abbreviated. So the example is most correct for the formal method as example:
Rear Admiral Phineas L. Richards
United States Navy, Retired
*Right is Right!

95 South-
I never had a position with the Sestak campaign to be relieved of. I was never a staffer to be ordered about. I did help set up the office’s computer network to get them off the ground and various other specialized volunteer activities that I was more uniquely qualified to do. I wasn’t the kind of volunteer who answered phones, stuffed envelopes, etc.
I was there as a Delco Dem helping a candidate and encouraging them to coordinate with other candidates, not as a Sestak-only like most of the others there. I actually made it a point that I was not an official member of the campaign so that my blogging activities couldn’t backfire on the campaign. The highest “official” title I had was “supporter”.

Mario-
On the time line we pretty much agree. As for Sestak’s motives, it’s speculation. While Mullen might be expected to be bring in his own people, the swiftness of Sestak’s sacking stands out in this story and is certainly indicative (if not conclusive) that Sestak was let go for cause, not internal politics.
Does the evidence amount to “beyond a reasonable doubt”? It’s not a murder trial. I think it meets: “Reasonable suspicion”, “Probable Cause”.
“Preponderance of the evidence” needs only better than 50% true. Boss in three different jobs (navy, congress, campaign). Frequently characterized as unreasonable in two (congress, campaign) with consistency in claims made about the third (navy).
“Clear and convincing evidence” is a bit stronger standard (ie: substantially more likely). Considering how the Navy Times article pre-dates Sestak’s political career, it’s certainly not swift-boating. Based on what I’ve seen of Sestak and heard from my friends, I’d say this standard is met for the claim that Sestak as fired for being a bad boss.

As for his daughter, I agree that was a reasonable factor in the timing of his decision to leave. However, if he wanted to catch-the-wave of a Democratic sweep, that was the time to get out as well and pick his race. Also, without the patronage/protection of Vern Clark, and the disfavor of Mullen, it wasn’t like Sestak had a lot of reasons to stay or expect choice assignments.

This leaves us in agreement on the facts of Sestak’s rank.
There is a “real” reason he was reassigned by Mullen, and someday we may get a documented answer on that. Until then, the reporting at the time has yet to be debunked and remains fair-game for political ad to counteract the image Sestak is campaigning on.
As for Sestak’s motives, those are known only to himself and I don’t expect him to confess to any ignoble ones. People will have to judge Sestak on the character he’s displayed for that one.

TheMortonMagician –

From what I have found out and explained numerous times, technically and officially the rank that one RETIRES AS is the official rank of the individual from there after!

Therefore Congressman Joe Sestak to me is a Two Star Rear Admial.

Congressman Sestak did not correct Chris Mathews when he was on his show and he referred to Sestak as a TWO STAR ADMIRAL.

Maybe the Daily Times can help on this one!

Get it Right:

We’ll have to agree to disagree on the stars and what significance or lack thereof that issue has, but I am curious about one other thing. You said you were previously a four+ year supporter of Sestak. That would take you right back to the start of Sestak’s congressional campaign. It’s pretty incredible that the question of 2 or 3 stars is the only motivator for your drastic change of heart after all that time as a supporter. What is the real reason? The most common one I hear is sour grapes from people who feel that Sestak “belongs” to the 7th District and his running for the Senate is some kind of betrayal. Is that it in your case or something else?

Mario Cimino
D – Morton Borough Council

Mario-
You know “Get It Right” very well from Delco Dem events, etc. as long time Sestak supporter. What you are unaware of is that he doesn’t actually like/trust Joe anymore because he came to realize/believe that Joe was in it for himself. He pretends to like Joe at events in case he needs to go for a constituent issue, because he fears he won’t get help for his cause if Joe found out how he really feels.

Basically, G.I.R. has the same reasoning as the RINOs in Delaware county who vote Dem, but register Republican because they are afraid their trash won’t get picked up. So, G.I.R. is a Dem who has to pretend he’s part of the “Sestak Party”. Also, G.I.R. has told me that the $4,800 Richard Mellon Scaife donation to Sestak does make him feel that Sestak’s candidacy is actually helping Toomey.

Mario, BTW, I don’t feel that Sestak belongs to the 7th. (Heck, I’ve been trying to return him to Virginia as defective merchandise.)
However, I do think that the $3 million he had left over after his 2008 re-election DOES belong to the 7th district. It should have been returned to donors so it could go to Bryan Lentz when Joe abandoned the seat for a (soon-to-be) failed Senate run. The donors should have had the option.