Memo Reveals The 'Gutsy' Bin Laden Call That Wasn't

Killing Bin Laden: Like so many others, the final decision to pull the trigger on the world's most-wanted man was delegated to an admiral who undoubtedly would have been thrown under the bus had the mission failed.

It's been almost a year since President Obama's leadership and foreign policy bona fides were allegedly established by the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. A campaign film narrated by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks tells of the president's alleged solitary, agonizing decision.

With apologies to Vice President Biden, maybe President Obama doesn't carry quite as big a stick as Joe would lead us to believe.

As reported by Big Peace, Time magazine has obtained a memo written by Leon Panetta, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency and now-Secretary of Defense, that says "operational decision-making and control" was really in the hands of William McRaven, a three-star admiral and former Navy SEAL.

"The timing, operational decision-making and control are in Adm. McRaven's hands," the memo says. "The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the president for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and, if he is not there, to get out."

Some would say that this is a distinction without a difference, sort of like a head coach in football drawing up the game plan and letting his offensive coordinator actually call the plays. Then, technically, President George W. Bush gets the credit, since it was on his watch our war on terror was declared, Navy SEALs and Special Forces funding was increased and the hunt for Osama bin Laden began.

The Obama team has Bill Clinton as the narrator praising Obama's courage--they expect everyone to be unaware of the fact that the Sudanese government offered to hand over Osama Bin Laden while Clinton was President (Clinton even admitted that once--it's on tape).

The risks to his political popularity (the only thing Obama cares about) were minimal. Carter wasn't rejected in 1980 because of the people who got killed on the failed attempt to rescue the hostages.

The Democrats are alleging that Romney would not have ordered the strike on Osama. I think it was Krauthammer last night who was pointing out how implausible that claim is--people think any President in that situation would have given his approval. It took Obama 16 hours to decide--it would have taken Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush 16 seconds, or less.

Time magazine has obtained a memo written by Leon Panetta, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency and now-Secretary of Defense, that says "operational decision-making and control" was really in the hands of William McRaven, a three-star admiral and former Navy SEAL... Some would say that this is a distinction without a difference, sort of like a head coach in football drawing up the game plan and letting his offensive coordinator actually call the plays. Then, technically, President George W. Bush gets the credit, since it was on his watch our war on terror was declared, Navy SEALs and Special Forces funding was increased and the hunt for Osama bin Laden began.

Zero had been told the location of his coreligionist some time earlier, and hadn't given the go-ahead. One tip from the NY Slimes, and Osama could have run for it before the raid. Thanks raptor22.

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