Levels of crazy and exploitation

One of the blogging waters that I haven't done much wading in is that of military bloggers, and, after reviewing a few today, I really need to change that. It's good quality writing that also comes with a great deal of institutional knowledge that most reporters and bloggers simply lack.

Anyway, it's how I was able to get a little more information regarding the curious case of Maj. Stefan Cook, the birther nut, er, Georgia solider who refused deployment orders to Afghanistan because he believes President Obama was born in Kenya.

Earlier today we learned that Cook's orders were revoked, which members of the kook fringe took as confirmation the military was nervous that the 'truth' would be revealed regarding the president's birthplace.

Of course, some good reporting and analysis by the military blog, Mudville Gazette started to connect some dots ... and it's now apparent that Cook was a part of some grand conspiracy to take down Obama ...

In short - Cook never had to go in the first place. Unlike most soldiers who deploy as part of a unit, Cook - a reservist - had volunteered to go as an individual augmentee. The Army generally seeks volunteers to fill such assignments first - if no one does so then a non-volunteer is tapped.

It may be helpful to recap the timeline here.

March: Cook acknowledges he's among the plaintiffs in a class-action suit "on behalf of 120 military officers" challenging President Obama's authority as Commander in Chief.

In May, Cook tells the Army he wants to be sent to Afghanistan.

In June, the Army accepts Cooks offer.

In July, Cook sues to "get out" of that assignment, based on the same grounds (Obama not qualified) and using the same attorney (who actively seeks military members to participate in such suits) for a previous suit he was involved in that pre-dates his volunteering to deploy to Afghanistan.

Even without going to court, the Army says - essentially - hey, no problem. You were the one who wanted to go in the first place.

Actually, there is one "Major" problem. Because Cook waited to the last minute to take this action, either someone is going to get a very short notice non-volunteer assignment, or else the unit in Afghanistan will have to get by without one soldier for a while. Since that soldier would be a field grade officer, it's likely that the position will be of some significance.

Interesting ... particularly the part about Cook being a regular poster at the conservative web site The Free Republic and being a member of a plaintiff suit filed back in March contesting Obama's citizenship.

Joe The Plumber. Stefan The Major. I'm sensing a pattern ...