Not exactly. All correct to my understanding until the end when you make the leap to “Which means that a NO GO from the President was needed to stop the operation.”
Not quite. Yes, the rescue begins, at full speed. Planes, jets and helos are scrambling, commando teams embarking, ships moving into position, all as if they are going full speed ahead to Behghazi.
But on the way, they need to punch the “cross border authority” ticket. No way around it....only POTUS can authorize a cross-border mission with armed forces. Hillary can’t do it and Panetta can’t do it and Dempsey can’t do it.
Only the POTUS.
My belief is that after hearing the “lull” report around 5pm DC time, Obama made a “no cross border military action” decision with Dempsey, Panetta and Hillary in the Oval Office, as reported.
If he was going to “take charge of the crisis,” reports would say he met them down below in the Situation Room, the bridge of the “American Eagle Global War And Diplomacy Machine, INC.”
That is the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Why did Capt. Kirk meet Spock and the others in the side office, and then disappear, while the Klingons are attacking Earth just below?
I have not seen one report stating that Obama ever went to the Situation Room, where he would have been sucked into the command vortext by proximity to dozens of people reporting new messages, requests, reports etc. Once in there, he would have stayed, just by being pulled into that power vortex, even though it’s not his style.
So he never took the elevator down, but instead hit the button for up, to the family quarters, where he could hide out with his Ipad watching ESPN, while Axlerod and Jarrett ran interference until he was down asleep for the night.
At any rate, he went to bed with a missing ambassador, in Alquedaville, and it sure looks like his “no outside military intervention” standing orders held for the rest of the night while he slept. So the CIA in Tripoli could send what motley crew they had, but all of the other external military QRF then streaming toward Behghazi from all points had to turn around in the end.
Because only the POTUS could authorize them to cross the international border, and he didn’t, or couldn’t, or wouldn’t.
I have no doubt that ya’ll know better than I do. I am basing what I said on something I read on another thread. I am not sure which one - I have read every thing I could find anywhere.
It may have been the transcript of that retired Lt. Col who called in to Rush’s program. He had 15 years of experience in special ops planning according to what he said to Rush.
I might have misunderstood, but anyway, I came away with the understanding that standing procedures would go forward, and only the President could do that.
I take your word for it. It still means he was advised within minutes, and could have sent additional resources to protect our people and did not.