The sharpshooters couldn’t shoot without the okay from the Commander-in-Chief. They got it. I hope they get it faster assuming there’s a next time, and I expect they will, since their performance this time certainly must have given the Commander-in-Chief confidence in their abilities.
We will not win the various wars against barbarians if we’re constantly focused on battling our own President. That’s just playing into the barabarians’ hands. Obama wasn’t my choice for President by a long shot, but until we manage to get a better one elected, he’s OUR President and we need to support him whenever he gets anything right, even when he’s a bit slow to get it right.
I was willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt, and the SEAL snipers were not on-scene until after dark Saturday, so Sunday appears to be the first viable tactical day to have a chance to take out the pirates without killing the captain in the process (lobbing a five-incher from the destroyer is not conducive towards that goal).
However, the LA Times reported yesterday that the snipers had many opportunities for shots but passed on them because of the constraint that they could only shoot if the captain's life was in danger - Obama wanted a peaceful resolution. By the time that happened, the shots apparently were far more difficult - it was dark and the lifeboat was pitching strongly up and down. IMO Obama should have authorized force at the first opportunity, and that is where he errored. I am a believer that in these situations, saving the life of the American as soon as you can should take precedence over some kumbaya goal of not killing pirates. And that is where he errored here.
Because that is exactly the extent of his role in this scenario. He allowed standard rules of engagement to apply, as anyone in the world would do. I understand your point, but when we allow the bar to be set so low when it comes to strong leadership, we all suffer.