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Obama Did Not Order the Kill That Freed Capt. Phillips
Gateway Pundit ^ | 4/12/09 | Gateway Pundit

Posted on 04/12/2009 8:19:45 PM PDT by Nachum

Sorry libs. Obama did not give the direct order to kill the Somali pirates. You'll have to wait another day for the cut-and-runner to earn his hero badge. Blackfive has the real story:

I just finished listening to the press conference w/ ADM Gortney about the rescue of Captain Phillips. At the time it happened the USS Bainbridge was towing the lifeboat to calmer waters as the sea state was deteriorating. One of the pirates was on board the Bainbridge as the talks about obtaining Phillip's release continued. The lifeboat was approx. 25 m behind the Bainbridge when snipers on the fantail observed one of the pirates in the pilot house of the lifeboat pointing an AK-47 at the back of a tied up Phillips and the other two pirates on board were visible (at least shoulders and heads). The standing authority gave them clearance to engage the pirates if the life of the captain was in imminent danger. The on scene commander deemed this to be true and gave the order to fire. All three bad guys were taken out and then a rigid inflatable boat went to the lifeboat to retrieve Phillips. It is unknown at this point whether the shooters were SEALs or Marine Scout Snipers as both would have been available.

This was not a rescue attempt ordered by National Command Authority i.e. the President. It was a reaction by the on scene commander under standard authority to safeguard the life of a hostage.

The AP is reporting that President Obama gave the order to use military force to rescue the hostage, that is misleading. They want so desperately for the community organizer to become a real hero.

More... They were pointing their weapons at the captain. Reuters reported:

"They were pointing the AK-47s at the captain," Vice Adm. William Gortney, head of the U.S. Naval Central Command, said in a Pentagon briefing from Bahrain.

Gortney also said Washington had rejected negotiations with the pirates. "The United States government policy is to not negotiate," he said.


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: bho44; gortney; kill; obama; order; phillips; pirates; snipers; somali; somalia; somaliapirates; somalipirates; usnavy
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To: Nachum

And AP’s story comes crashing down.


21 posted on 04/12/2009 8:41:02 PM PDT by wastedyears (April 21st, 2009 - International Iron Maiden Day)
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To: Nachum; Saint X; NormsRevenge; Grampa Dave; SierraWasp; BOBTHENAILER; BIGLOOK; Marine_Uncle; ...

Thanks...much!


22 posted on 04/12/2009 8:41:07 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Nachum

Were they Mirandized?


23 posted on 04/12/2009 8:41:12 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan (If Bishop D'Arcy finds out a priest is molesting kids, he will boycott the parish's Fall Supper!!!)
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To: Nachum

Were they Mirandized?


24 posted on 04/12/2009 8:41:13 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan (If Bishop D'Arcy finds out a priest is molesting kids, he will boycott the parish's Fall Supper!!!)
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To: Nachum

The MSM can’t allow Obama to fail because they have too much vested interest in him! After all, they were his biggest cheerleaders.


25 posted on 04/12/2009 8:42:27 PM PDT by kcvl
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To: Nachum
I just can't help wondering what prompted these 4 pirates to go after a US vessel after all these years of avoiding them.

I wonder where that order came from.

26 posted on 04/12/2009 8:44:24 PM PDT by There's millions of'em
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To: supremedoctrine

And peglegs and parrots sticking out of the edges.....


27 posted on 04/12/2009 8:44:45 PM PDT by hoosiermama (I support the "Easter Seals!")
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To: Nachum

BTTT


28 posted on 04/12/2009 8:44:46 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar (Atlas Shrugged Mode: ON)
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To: Nachum; Saint X; NormsRevenge; Grampa Dave; SierraWasp; BOBTHENAILER; BIGLOOK; Marine_Uncle; ...
From Drudge and Breitbart and the AP....spin starting already???:

Obama twice approved force to rescue hostage

****************************EXCERPT*****************************

WASHINGTON (AP)—Administration officials say President Barack Obama approved the military operation that rescued a U.S. captain held hostage by Somali pirates.

The officials say Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast.

The officials discussed this information on the condition of anonymity because they were not yet authorized to disclose the president's decision-making

29 posted on 04/12/2009 8:45:00 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Nachum
The first thing I thought when reading that AP article citing orders from Obama was "yeah, sure".

I half expect to see "war room" photos next:


30 posted on 04/12/2009 8:46:36 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham (What did Obama's Teleprompter know, and when did it know it...)
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To: Arthur McGowan
No, but 3 out of 4 pirates have nothing bad to say about the US of A.

/johnny.

31 posted on 04/12/2009 8:47:37 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (God Bless us all, each, and every one.)
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To: GSP.FAN

(G)Wild Turkeys

Dang that visible beard requirement!
32 posted on 04/12/2009 8:47:46 PM PDT by BlueDragon
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To: Arthur McGowan

I’m amazed by the pin point accuracy of the sharpshooters I see on the cop shows on TrueTV or whatever it’s called, and they are in a fixed postion. Regardless of how calm the sea was, for three separate shots to be that accurate with both the shooter and target moving is awesome.


33 posted on 04/12/2009 8:48:18 PM PDT by bleach (Wake me in 2012)
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To: There's millions of'em

“I wonder where that order came from”.
——Joe Biden-——


34 posted on 04/12/2009 8:49:45 PM PDT by supremedoctrine
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham

I bet some kind of photo with Obama looking Forceful and in charge of the military will appear ....


35 posted on 04/12/2009 8:49:56 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: ReneeLynn

not only that. we would be hearing how the US are the real pirates.


36 posted on 04/12/2009 8:52:41 PM PDT by farfromhome (Let us judge Obama on the content of his character rather than on the color of his skin.)
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To: Nachum

Dems whining about losing the Somali vote now.


37 posted on 04/12/2009 8:52:49 PM PDT by truemiester ((If the U.S. should fail, a veil of darkness will come over the Earth for a thousand years))
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To: Nachum

On the positive side, he didn’t order the Capt. killed either, did he?


38 posted on 04/12/2009 8:54:33 PM PDT by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all. -- Texas Eagle)
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To: Nachum

Where’s Murtha? How come we’re not looking to try and convict these soldiers? What gives them the right? /s

At least Carter gave the order to save the hostages. Choco-Carter waited for someone else to do his job.


39 posted on 04/12/2009 8:56:03 PM PDT by prismsinc (A.K.A. "The Terminator"!)
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To: Kansas58
I'm surprised obama hadn't ordered only non-lethal force in any rescue attempt. Seriously, that sounds like just the idealistic BS someone like him would pull. Thank God the Navy and/or Marines got it done before they got too much "help" from above.

So, for this successful surface action, what does the ship paint on the side of the wheel house? A lifeboat, or a turban?

40 posted on 04/12/2009 8:58:19 PM PDT by CodeMasterPhilzar (I'll keep my money, my guns, and my freedom. You can keep the "change.")
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