Be interesting to find out. I really don’t want to believe that though. I’d rather not think Obama is so crazy as to give an absolute ‘don’t shoot’ order. If he told them to give the negotiators a shot first, I could abide that - after all if the situation is resolved without a single bullet fired there’s no risk of harm to the hostages.
The story has developed quite a lot since I posted my thoughts on Captain Phillips' rescue.
It now appears that there were Rules of Engagement in place during this whole episode which gave the Captain of the USS Bainbridge the authority to use deadly force "if Captain Phillips' life was in danger".
Still, we don't know how much undue pressure might have been put on the naval personnel from FBI and other agencies involved, which kept them from ending this sooner.
We also don't know what sort of communiques were coming down through channels to the Navy. I can only imagine how crazy the real behind-the-scenes story is.