Navy snipers had multiple chances to shoot Somali pirates (Obama waits until Captain nearly killed)

LA Times ^ | 4/13/2009 | Julian E. Barnes and Greg Miller

[tobyhill]

Reporting from Washington -- Before ending a pirate standoff with three fatally precise shots, U.S. Navy SEAL snipers had passed on multiple opportunities to fire.

They had moved into position after the White House expanded the authority it had given the world's most powerful navy against a rag-tag foe holding an American hostage.

[IIntense]

I don't like the way every last detail leaks out...

This is far from the first time and I totally agree with you. As interesting as the details of this piracy attempt is, all we, as citizens, should have been told is that three pirates were killed and Capt. Phillips was rescued.

The details of how the Navy Seals pulled this off should be classified material IMO.

But then, what do I know?

[TigersEye]

If I was president I would have not needed a briefing. I would have told the DoD to take care of it any way they thought best and then tell them to get on it.

I agree. I would have simply given them a policy statement to follow and that would be "America doesn't negotiate with terrorists."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

And the media is trying to portray this as a take charge president....LOL!

He looks like a real wiener...to me!

[Ready4Freddy]

The SEALS apparently were not on the Bainbridge at that time.

Otherwise they could have intervened when the Captain jumped overboard the first time.

[Ancient Drive]

The details of how the Navy Seals pulled this off should be classified material IMO. don't you know? the Great One sniped all 3 of them at the same time. He did the time bending trick with one bullet, got all 3 at the same time. Don't ask me how that works. The most recent snapshot of the Great One performing the time-bending trick was in Saudi Arabia. here is a picture

[TigersEye]

Excellent recap! That is how it happened alright. heh

[OafOfOffice]

I am with you all the manc. Everyone needs to remember that nothing obama does or says is coincidental or unplanned in obama’s narcisstic mind.

[anglian]

Is Obama Bringing Dignity Back to the White House? Published 11 hours ago by ■ Sandy Sand Share: 17 votes | 10 comments Last week Fox News said the situation in the Gulf of Aden with Samali pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips hostage, is the first major challenge of Pres. Barack Obama to prove he’s got the right stuff. Obama proved it. Phillips is safe. Three pirates are dead. They may praise the phenomenal marksmanship of the Navy sharpshooters, but it’s a sure bet not a word will be uttered in praise of Obama by the Fox bloviators; they will hammer away at “what iffing.” [snip] Not only did Obama prove he can handle a crisis…multiple crises…but he did it with the dignity that the Office of the President demands. Dignity. Something George Bush had non of, nor displayed any in what he did. He couldn’t even do the simplest thing with dignity, http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/270888#tab=comments

[anglian]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/270888#tab=comments

[CaliforniaCon]

RE: “Before this is all over, I expect we’ll have about 999 different versions of what happened.

This one appears to come from yet another anonymous official.

But it does say that: “Obama was briefed on the crisis at least 18 times. But the crisis seems to have crystallized for the administration on Friday, not long after the White House got word that Capt. Phillips had tried to escape from his captors.”

In other words, Obama was micromanaging it, and only gave permission to shoot after it had gone on for days. Otherwise they could have intervened when the Captain jumped overboard the first time.”

***********

Agree — opinions as to what really happened are all over the place now —

When I heard the news Sunday, after being thrilled that the captain was safe, all I could think of was “What took our side so long???” Then I thought, “Oh yeah, OBAMA!!!”

[OafOfOffice]

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20090413T210000-0500_149344_OBS_OBAMA_VOWS_TO_CONFRONT_PIRATES.asp

Obama’s comments upped the ante in the struggle against piracy in the lawless shipping lanes off Somalia, hours after a pirate chief threatened to target Americans in revenge for the loss of his men.

“The American liars have killed our friends after they agreed to free the hostage without ransom... this matter will lead to retaliation and we will hunt down particularly American citizens travelling our waters,” chief Abdi Garad told AFP by phone from the pirate lair of Eyl.

“We will intensify our attacks even reaching very far away from Somalia waters, and next time we get American citizens... they (should) expect no mercy from us.”

[OafOfOffice]

http://www.theweek.com/cartoons/index/95332/Barack_Obama_takes_on_the_Somali_pirate_hostage_crisis

[IIntense]

the Great One sniped all 3 of them at the same time.

I don't take lightly to being described as naive. The obvious explanation is that the Commander in Chief is well-versed in sleight-of-hand.

What most of us saw as a bow, wasn't. Ask Robert Gibbs!

[Mojave]

I’ll bet that Hussein was furious when he heard that his Muslim comrades were shot, before his advisors convinced him to try to take credit for it.

[KTM rider]

"The situation was resolved successfully. Kvetching about it looks petty in the eyes of people who don’t have an ideological axe to grind. Obama didn’t perform the rescue himself, but it happened on his watch, and he deserves a measure of credit, just as the ultimate responsibility would have been his if it had failed. Trying spin this as anything other than a success is counterproductive and ultimately won’t work. Time to move on to other issues. JMHO. quote from the liberal article, the truth speaks for itself ,

acording to the timeline here is how Obama was coerced into giving up on negotiating for the Somali pirates' release

NSC officials visit obama and sit him down and explain what the deal is and how it is going down,

after trying to get his way by negotiating with the pirates , but realizing, FINALLY, the consequences, Obama gives in and goes sits in the corner with his dunce hat on and says meekly, (EVEN AFTER BEING EDUCATED) "'Have we tried everything to make this reach a peaceful conclusion?",

YES, the SEALS will take care of it mr president , now sign this and go back to your pizza and video game

[Kenny Bunk]

POTUS (locum tenens) played this just right for himself. Had this affair gone badly (i.e., a dead Phillips) it would have been the Navy's fault.

When he finally gave his carefully parsed "Permission to Shoot," the rather vague words still left that "it's the Navy's fault" option wide open.

Now that it's over, Obama be the hero. Call me cynical, but IMHO, our POTUS (Pro Tem) is positioning himself as a "Wartime Leader." Remember "The Last refuge of a scoundrel is patriotism?"

This guy isn't going to wait that long.

[Talisker]

Trying spin this as anything other than a success is counterproductive and ultimately won’t work.

YOU are spinning it - hard.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

Haven’t read the whole thread yet, but:

“if we had to take kinetic action”

Nice turn of a phrase!

[tobyhill]

The whole point is not to denigrate the success but the fact is that Obama gave 2 orders and why was that necessary? Instead of immediately killing these little pissants, Obama chose to have our highly trained forces talk nicely to them first. These are not misunderstood miscreants, they are dangerous terrorist.
The only message Obama gave to these terrorist are that we'll play tinker-toys before we get serious. Had he ordered them blowed up immediately, the SEALs would have succeeded and that would be a more powerful message.

[Riley]

A'RRRRRR! We be quantum pirates, and we'll make ye walk the Planck!

LOL!