Is the "Navy Seal's" book setting off your BS monitor?

[Gabby Hayes]

Actual journalists who are out in the world, walking their beat, run across a lot of people who claim to be current or ex-intelligence agents, special operatives, etc. To hear them talk, you'd think half the country was in the CIA. Which brings me to "Mark Owen," the purported ex-Navy Seal and author of No Easy Day, the alleged account of bin Laden's death. The lack of curiosity in the national press is probably no big surprise. They never learned any lessons from "Wag the Dog," WMD's in Iraq, etc., and now they seem to be accepting Owen's claims at face value. Here's one example from CBS:

"A retired Navy SEAL who was present at the killing of Osama bin Laden tells Scott Pelley in a 60 Minutes interview that his book about the raid is not a political statement......."

Whoa there. Says who? I don't know this guy from Adam. Perhaps Mr. Pelley will at least offer an actual, reliable source who can vouch for "Owen's'" claims about being a Navy Seal. Then we'll see about that story he is telling.

Anyway, my search engine is starting to turn up some people who are also smelling BS. I've not done a scientific poll, just rooted around a little. Here's one example:

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=24&p=23220597

[NYC_SKP]

1. I Googled "Matt Bissonnette" and got hours of good reading.

He's an exploitative fool and probably a liar, and I hope he is prosecuted and sent to jail.

,,,

[Gabby Hayes]

2. He may be changing his name again

I seem to recall that some sites trumpeting the anti-Obama angle of Owen's story also ran with an earlier report claiming the entire team was shot down and killed in Afghanistan.

[woodsprite]

3. Sent to jail...in Afghanistan.

It fully smells like a swiftboat attempt to me. Maybe it'll
end up as $2 book in Books-a-million bargain bin, like Sarah's
book did.

[Scootaloo]

4. If I had a nickel for everyone i've ever heard claim to be a SEAL...

I'd have like, six bucks. Not much, but that's still a fucking lot of nickels, isn't it?

[madokie]

6. Maybe one in a thousand who try out for the Seals makes the grade

if it is even that good of odds, not sure it is. It takes a super healthy, strong willed, intelligent person to be a Seal or UDT member.
The UDT is the precursor to the Seals of today

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwater_Demolition_Team

In my day we still had both, Seals and UDT as the transformation hadn't been made yet.

[Scootaloo]

7. Yeah, but everyone who's played a military-themed video game seems to want to make the claim

And of course, every single fucking Republican in the universe was a navy Seal. They also test prototype racecars, sleep with the most gorgeous people, and occasionally visit Dr. Hammond at his dinosaur park in the Pacific.

[madokie]

5. After having spent a tour in training Seals and UDT teams in survival back in '68-'69

He sure doesn't seem to be fit as a true Seal would be, Grant you I haven't seen him in person but from the interview he doesn't seem to be fit, mental wise nor health wise.
Oh and my BS meter pegged immediately as soon as he came on Pelleys show

Navy Seals are a tough bunch of hardened individuals trained to act as a team so I doubt that a true Seal would write something such as this on his own.