U.S. ship captain held by pirates off Somalia, has been freed,

CNN ^

[Ladycalif]

U.S. ship captain held by pirates off Somalia, has been freed, senior U.S. official says. Three of four pirates killed.

[TET1968]

I think the one and only plan Obama agreed to was for a multi stop, photo op tour, code named MPC2........”Milk Brave Captains- Part II.

[fanfan]

Are the other pirate ships still headed to the area?

Good question.

Anyone know?

[Syncro]

Yes I have been following that also.

I don't know if it is the one you referenced, but on ship that repelled pirates with water hoses were attacked again.

They sprayed the wheel house with AK fire to discourage the crew from repelling them with water again.

I didn't see the follow up on that, if the pirates got on board or not.

[mojitojoe]

OMG just heard the operation was code named WATER DOG in honor of Obamas new pet

This is news to me. I thought he and Michelle have been married for years...
_____________ The Portie( Portuguese Water Dog) looks very similar to michelle when she hasn't straightened that mop on her head.

[trumandogz]

Would you have preferred Phillips be held for 444 days if it were to destroy Obama’s presidency?

[mojitojoe]

THANK YOU OBAMA

_____________
WTF? He didn’t do it

[tobyhill]

While this is a great day, these terrorist will not retreat knowing Obama’s weaknesses and his unwillingness to commit military might to resolving the problem. The other problem will arise now because the terrorist won't even bother with negotiations if their demands aren't met immediately.

[Canedawg]

WTH are you trying to say?

[Riley]

Enclosed boat, not one of the open ones that they typically approach ships in. This was one of the fully enclosed motor lifeboats that the Maersk Alabama carried.

[kabar]

Time was working against us. The lifeboat was drifting closer to shore by the hour, which would allow the other pirates to render assistance. I think Captain Philips saw what was happening and made a personal decision to try a second escape. We had SEALs and folks on the ships observing the lifeboat 24/7 and under orders [ROE] that allowed them to react immediately to any possible opportunity to react to a change in circumstances

In a way, Captain Philips forced our hand. I wonder what we would have been the outcome if Philips didn't try the second escape attempt.

[mojitojoe]

Did he send you a veggie pizza?
____________
I heard he ate leftover pizza today because the WH chefs made baked ham.

[TornadoAlley3]

Obama has released a press statement, CNN just read it on air.

[Miss Didi]

What's Barry going to do now, Rod? If he comes out and takes credit, he looks like a jerk. He can't just brush this story away and say—we're talking about the Easter Egg Hunt, guys. America loves a hero and Capt. Phillips is going to become the next Sully. Breathless coverage on the First Dog will make the Drive-Bys look pretty dumb, too.

[Riley]

What was the gist of it?

[Billthedrill]

...he jumped out anyway, and was replaced by a bunch of SEALS.

Yeah. Surprise! That had to be a very bad, and very brief, feeling...

[ichabod1]

We just need the GOP to revert to conservatism.

Well, that ain't gonna happen, pal.

[Syncro]

It didn't take the SEALS/Special forces 5 days to get there.

[dirtboy]

Until and unless it is clear that they did have the support and authority they deserved and needed, I'm afraid I will continue to have my doubts.

And that's quite rational as well. For all we know, the captain realized all his captors were asleep, jumped out of the boat, and this time you had guys with night-vision googles manning .50 cals on the destroyer and turned the lifeboat into Swiss cheese and one guy just happened to survive. We just don't know - it seems like special forces but it could be something else and this was a happy accident. But the point is, we did get a good outcome and we know absolutely nothing at this point whether or not Obama played any role in ordering an active attack/rescue plan. But too many folks are ripping into Obama at this point from a position of complete lack of knowledge of the actual events.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Fox reporting the crew of the ship went wild when they got the news and put their fists in the air. “WE ARE AMERICANS! They shot flairs in the air and were escstatic!

[trisham]

Obama is NOT taking piracy seriously becuase he set it as a mere FBI investigation.

Obama was conting on a NON-military solution to vidicate his fluffy weakling ivory tower left wing world view. This is a terrible outcome for Obama and now he has to figure out how to jump in front of the parade to simulate leadership.

******************

I'm inclined to agree with you and I am eager to see what happens next. Whatever the truth is, if nothing else, it's going to be interesting.