Top 10 major media cover-ups of 2013

2. The purging of top military leaders

An in-depth series of WND reports found that as many as 200 senior officers have been dismissed since Obama became president.

Several former high-ranking military officers have told WND they believe the firings, while often citing real offenses, are politically motivated.

Military analyst Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness told WND that officers have gotten the Obama administration's message of political correctness – "and most have been virtually silent ever since."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely said Obama is "intentionally weakening and gutting our military, Pentagon and reducing us as a superpower, and anyone in the ranks who disagrees or speaks out is being purged."

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, told WND he believed Obama had fired a number of generals to mask his "serial scandals, all prefaced by lies – Fast and Furious, Benghazi, NSA, IRS."

Brady said Obama needs to apply the same standards to his political appointees as he does to the military.

"Just when you thought the leadership of this government could not get any worse, it does," Brady said. "Never in history has an administration spawned another scandal to cover the current one."

Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely (ret.)

WND reported that three of the nine firings of generals and flag officers by Obama this year were linked to the controversy surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the CIA special mission in Benghazi, Libya.

In one case, U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, who commanded U.S. African Command when the consulate was attacked and four Americans were killed, was highly critical of the decision by the State Department not to send in reinforcements.

Obama has insisted there were no reinforcements available that night.

But Ham contends reinforcements could have been sent in time, and he said he never was given a stand-down order. However, others contend that he was given the order but defied it. He ultimately was relieved of his command and retired.

Another flag officer involved in the Benghazi matter – which remains under congressional investigation – was Rear Adm. Charles Gaouette, commander of the Carrier Strike Group.

After he contended that aircraft could have been sent to Libya in time to help the Americans under fire, he was removed from his post for alleged profanity and making "racially insensitive comments."

Army Major Gen. Ralph Baker was the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, Africa. Baker contended that attack helicopters could have reached the consulate in time on the night of the attack.

Military personnel still on duty have told WND on condition of anonymity that the large number of senior military officials being relieved of duty under the Obama administration is part of the creation of a "compliant officer class."

A veteran Army intelligence official told WND that in creating a compliant officer class, the Obama administration has made it harder to find "senior officers with a pair of balls in there (the military) now that would say no to anything.

"Maybe at the rank of major or below, and possibly there are some in SOF (Special Operations Forces), but to make colonel and higher is all politics," he said.

Brady added that Obama's agenda is decimating the morale of the U.S. ranks to the point that members no longer feel prepared to fight or have the desire to win.

"There is no doubt (Obama) is intent on emasculating the military and will fire anyone who disagrees with him" over such issues as "homosexuals, women in foxholes, the Obama sequester," Brady said.

In addition, colonels – who are lined up in rank to replace outgoing generals – are quietly taking their careers in other directions.