Obama Did Not Order the Kill That Freed Capt. Phillips

Gateway Pundit ^ | 4/12/09 | Gateway Pundit

[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.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Oh yes, I did see it. More flimflam from the phony usurpers.

[Political Junkie Too]

He does... ever since he was embedded with them during the Iraq war.

-PJ

[patriot08]

A Navy rebuilt by Ronald Reagan, revitalized by George Bush and held back five days against four pirates by Hussien Obama.
_______________________

VERY good!

[1035rep]

“Gee color me suprised. Our terrible leader wouldn’t have the cajones to order it.”

bttt

[patriot08]

All well and good: but did they have to KILL them? The SEALS were apparently crack shots: why not shoot the pirates in the arms and legs? Muslims around the world will be angry, negating the president’s outreach efforts. No good can come of this......
_______________________________

WTH?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?

[Darkwolf377]

So I guess now it's:

Terrorists killed by our military under Bush = Thousands

Terrorists killed by our military under Obama = Three

Which of course will have Chrissy and Olberman grinning from ear to ear, Wheeeee! Our fellow metrosexual done killed bad guys! America, the pride is back!

I am getting depressed about the state of this nation, and may have to give up the internet just to get through the next four years.

[Kansas58]

A jolly roger with Mohammed's face as the “skull” would be cool!

[Homer1]

regardless of who gave the order, I’m just glad the light of common sense came on, and I’m hoping that this success will be a model for future policy.

[Kansas58]

Of course, the MSM does not have brains enough to ask:

IF THE FIRST “AUTORIZATION” WAS WORTH A DARN -— WHY OH WHY WAS a SECOND “AUTHORIZATION” required?

Obama did not order the Navy to stand down.

That is all that happened here.

[Kansas58]

We need you to do a Jolly Roger with a turben on the skull

And a Jolly Roger with Obama’s face

And a Jolly Roger with Mohamed as the Skull

LOL

I hope you take requests.

[Kansas58]

Actually
STANDING ORDERS allow the use of deadly force to protect life.
It would take an order, from the top, to rescind the standing orders or SOP.

[Kansas58]

OHHHHHHHHRAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Semper Fi

[Kansas58]

Actually, if you don’t shoot to kill, it kinda could look like torture -—

[Kansas58]

They still hate Geraldo in OKC, after he put on fatigues to sneak into the triage areas, after the OK City bombing.

[americanophile]

Oh I don’t think Obama wants the world to believe that he’s a ‘cowboy’ president and he doesn’t want his Muslim kin to think he ordered the death of other Muslims. This way, the U.S. population thinks he tough, but the world knows it wasn’t him...Obama wins all around.

[fso301]

From Drudge and Breitbart and the AP....spin starting already???:

If Obama authorized force, that means a time existed when force was not authorized.

The CIC should only have to issue an order once. Twice means the two authorizations were different.

[philetus]

Gobble gobble gobble

[roses of sharon]

LOL, I really wish I could...but I snatched this earlier, got busy, and now can’t remember who I stole it from, sorry!

My bad...

[az_gila]

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

---

This - but only three for now...:^)

[Brucifer]

Very good point. I'd love to know how they train snipers to shoot as well as they do from one moving object to another. It must be hellacious trying to call your shots in that situation with boats rolling.

Do you think it's possible that was the reason the USN was towing the pirates to calmer waters? The Navy might possibly have towed them back to calmer waters where it would have been easier to shoot them.