The Story of a Successful Rescue (and the Obama Adminstration’s Attempt to Claim Credit)

Pajamas Media ^ | April 13, 2009 | Jeff Emanuel

[happygrl]

April 13, 2009 - by Jeff Emanuel Page 1 of 2 Next ->Support Pajamas Media; Visit Our Advertisers

After four days of floating at sea on a raft shared with four Somali gunmen, Richard Phillips took matters into his own hands for a second time. ... the captive captain of the M.V. Maersk-Alabama took his second leap in three days into the shark-infested waters of the Indian Ocean.

This diversion gave the Navy Special Warfare operators all the opening they needed. Snipers immediately took down the three Somali pirates still on board the life raft, SEAL operators hustled down the tow line connecting the two craft to confirm the kills, and a Navy RIB plucked Phillips from the water and sped him to safety aboard the Bainbridge, thus ending the four-day-and-counting hostage situation.

Phillips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well.... The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable.

[jch10]

“unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger”

Uh, wasn’t that from the minute he was captured by armed pirates?

[kalee]

to 12

[Non-Sequitur]

Now the news is saying that he didn’t jump from the boat, that he was tied and had a gun on him. I don’t imagine the true story will come out until the captain himself tells it.