[kabar]

You're arguments are undermined by the fact that there still were several days before the lifeboat drifted to within Somali territorial waters (not that there is a Somali Navy to do anything about entry into such). I disagree that we needed to do something right away.

You make up a phony strawman and the proceed to dismantle it. I expect any such operation to be well planned with all of the necessary resources on scene. I don't know how you define right away, but IMO five days were too long. Somehow we were able to get the FBI negotiatiors on scene "right away."

There was no compelling interest to act faster, and the fact that we saved the captian demonstrates we have the ability to do the difficult.

You are making the assumption that Captain Philips second escape attempt was planned and that we would not continue to negotiate. Estimates are that the lifeboat was about 20 miles from shore. Time was not exactly on our side. Other pirates were trying to assist they and they held hostages, whose safety they could link to the fate of Capt Philips'" hostage takers. We allowed this incident to grow in importance and significance. And it may be far from over in terms of the other hostages.

The Israelis could have just bombed the crap out of Entebbe airport to kill the terrorists. But they pulled off a much bigger defeat to terrorists by saving almost all the hostages.

Comparing the challenges posed by the rescue in Entebbe to what we faced with the Somali pirates is pure nonsense. No comparison.

[tc45a]

I don't know how you define right away, but IMO five days were too long.

The Seals planned it to last that long. The hijackers would make mistakes from lack of sleep and nerves.

[dirtboy]

You make up a phony strawman and the proceed to dismantle it. I expect any such operation to be well planned with all of the necessary resources on scene.

I think the planners estimated how long it would take for the lifeboat to get close to the Somali coast and used some of that time for tactical planning and possible a couple of practice training runs.

The FBI has counterterrorism offices all around the world. And I imagine they work out of Nairobi considering its proximity to Somali. But you would not have SEALs based on foreign territory, and there are no Navy bases close-by that I know of.

You are making the assumption that Captain Philips second escape attempt was planned and that we would not continue to negotiate.

I am not assuming the former, and from posted articles I have seen, we cut off negotitations. I also have seen that SEALs were in fact involved in the rescue. You just don't have SEALs on every ship in the Navy. The nearest ones would have been in Iraq, and they could have done a practice drill or two before leaving.

[dirtboy]

Comparing the challenges posed by the rescue in Entebbe to what we faced with the Somali pirates is pure nonsense. No comparison.

I am comparing the outcome and the effectiveness of rescue as opposed to just killing the perps and the hostage(s) as well.