Posted on 04/16/2009 7:09:51 PM PDT by mrmargaritaville
Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation. 2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger 3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction 4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in. 5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams 6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead raggies 7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behaviour. As usual with him, it's BS.
So per our last email thread, I'm downgrading Oohbaby's performace to D-. Only reason it's not an F is that the hostage survived.
Read the following accurate account.
Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken.
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.
After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough.
Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.
Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.
There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and [1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.
I think the eventual outcome was rather peaceful.
King Obama is a real treasure. Lies are all he knows. And this whole Administration is one big rotten pile of trash.
I understood him to have 17 briefings over 4 days and a pizza flown in from Saint Louis.
when I think about those three fatal shots I have this image in my mind of of what happens to three watermelons at a Gallagher concert.
When Capt. Phillips jumped the first time, he was shot at by the pirates. Why wasn't that considered 'imminent danger'?
Piracy is so peaceful, you know.
America is under occupation; we have no president; long live the president.
OH, but you miss the wisdom of The One! HE knew that after 5 days, the yutes would be very tired— not getting much quality sleep. Then the time came and it was time to kill those children.
Agreed, he is toast (but he knew that when he gave the order) The next “overseas contingency operation” may have a very different outcome (Maybe like ‘Desert One’) because a CO will be unwilling to act independently.
That did occur to me too. I would hope that Obama is smart enough not to make an issue of it, because it would not reflect well on him if it came out. He would be stupid to take vengeance on some relatively unimportant guy he’ll never even meet if it might threaten to reflect badly on him.
But apart from that, Obama will predictably promote as many of the wrong guys as he can. clinton went out of his way to promote a**holes and timeservers, of whom Wesley Clark is probably the best known. Obama will also screw up the chain of command and the Pentagon, as much as he can.
thanks and bookmark
What's the difference between a Somali pirate and 0bama?
One is an African-born, black, Muslim hell bent on seizing assets and extorting money by any means possible to redistribute to his friends and the other is....
...hang on....
the same thing..
BTTT
Greta just mentioned that the captured pirate is 19 (not 16) as was reported. I’ve said all along that these guys were all coached to say they were under 18-so the would not be treate\tried as adults.
Obama walks into a bar with a parrot on his shoulder.
The bartender looks up and says, “Hey, where’d you get that?”
The parrot replies, “In Kenya - they’re all over the place!”
Well, I wasn't one who criticized you but did mistakenly (mea culpa) believe that no action would have been taken without the WH's OK. If this report is true, and it makes sense in view of the climate in D.C., then the fact that the on scene commander took the action within the confines of his instructions rates him high marks. Probably something Obama didn't count on.
There's bound to be another situation like this and it will be interesting to see if Obama & Crew hogtie that commander even further.
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