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Obama’s Order Not To Rescue Hostage Confirmed by National Security Advisor and Pentagon
Flopping Aces ^ | 04-24-09 | Alec Rawls

Posted on 04/24/2009 3:55:12 PM PDT by Starman417

Stung by the widely circulated “SEAL pals” account of what really happened in Somalia (discussed here last Friday), the Obama administration had National Security Advisor James L. Jones and a number of anonymous Pentagon sources give their side two days ago in a Washington Times exclusive. Their mission, according to reporter Bill Gertz, was:

... to dispel Internet reports that the military was delayed from taking action by indecision inside the White House.
Clintonesque parsing of words is evident throughout the Jones-Pentagon account, amounting on more than one occasion to outright dishonesty. Yet the actual information they provide (as opposed to the lawyerly spin they try to put on it) actually confirms the most damning details in BooBooFan’s purported SEAL report.

Exhibit 1: The Rules Of Engagement.

BooBooFan states the ROE this way:

Once [SEAL teams] arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger.
The Pentagon’s rebuttal states the ROE without any requirement that the danger be "imminent":
"It took awhile to get facts and then to get the military on scene," said one senior military official, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of discussing special forces operations. "As the picture got more clear and commanders' requests went back down the chain, the guidance was: 'We would like a peaceful resolution. However, if Captain Phillips' life is in danger you can take appropriate action.'
But we know from Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, speaking at the time of the incident, that the ROE did specify "imminent danger," and that this was interpreted literally:
Navy officers aboard the USS Bainbridge were in the midst of a drawn-out hostage negotiation when Navy snipers saw one of the pirates aim his AK-47 machine gun at Capt. Richard Phillips's back and concluded the American was in "imminent danger," said Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of naval forces in the Middle East.
Gertz’ report includes Gortney’s earlier statement, but without any comment on its inconsistency with the current rebuttals. Intead, Gertz just relays the interpretation that is presented to him, where the Pentagon dismisses the “imminent danger” claim by denying that the ROE was in any way restrictive:
The posting also stated that rules of engagement imposed by the president prevented action unless the hostage's life was in imminent danger.
The military official said the commander had authority to take action at all times because Mr. Phillips was being held at gunpoint.

Yes, but as soon as the pirates took their weapons OFF of Philips, our sailors were barred from taking action. This is exactly the opportunity they would have been waiting for in order TO take action. So the ROE was, you are free to take action, UNTIL you have an opportunity, then you can't, as actually occurred when Philips briefly escaped his captors.

Jones and the Pentagon spokesman try to cover this up, Jones by mis-stating the ROE, the Pentagon spokesman by pretending that the ROE did not really restrict anyone, but Vice Admiral Gortney's statement makes perfectly clear that the crazy ROE was followed to the letter. Instead of taking out the pirates at a moment of minimum risk to Captain Philips, they actually waited until Philips was in maximum peril. With all due credit to our soldiers for following orders, that is absolutely insane.

Exhibit 2: The passed-up rescue attempts

Here our anonymous Pentagon spokesman takes the lawyerly parsing of language to new heights, pulling off an amazing bait-and-switch.

BooBooFan’s claim is devastating if true:

The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction.
The Pentagon's reply seems to be equally devastating:
However, military officials at the Pentagon involved in the operation said Navy SEAL snipers had not arrived on board the Bainbridge at that time and therefore could not have fired on the pirates.
Except BooBooFan never said it was the SEAL sniper team that had the Islamofascist pirates sighted in, and the Pentagon’s own account verifies that regular SEAL teams were already on site. In Gertz' paraphrase:
Mr. Obama first authorized a few Navy SEALs from a base in Africa to deploy to the Bainbridge and take necessary action. The team was flown by transport aircraft and parachuted to waters near the warship, officials said.
The arrival of the first SEAL team gave the military an emergency capability if the pirates holding the ship’s captain became violent. Mr. Jones said the Pentagon requested a second, more complete SEAL team to be dispatched from the United States and Mr. Obama approved that request as well.

Once Captain Phillips leapt in the water, it did not require snipers to take out the pirates. As I put it in my own initial remarks on the subject:

WTF? No one was ready at the machine gun to waste the pirates when this guy got clear?
According to BooBoo, a SEAL team WAS ready, and Jones' account confirms this detail. It is only some slippery use of language on the part of the Obama-defending military spokesmen that make this sound like a debunking, when it is actually a confirmation.

Exhibit 3: It was either Obama himself, or his immediate underlings, who devised the ROE

The administration’s rebuttal effort takes pains to paint the controversial Rules of Engagement as coming from CENTCOM, not the president:

(Excerpt) Read more at Flopping Aces ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bho44; bhodod; bhonsa; captain; gertz; jamesljones; maritime; obama; pirate; rescue; richardphillips; sealpals; seals; somali; somalia; somaliapirates; somalipirates; usnavy
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To: All
Seems to me that everything Obama does is done with political calculation...Related thread:

WaPo: Release of torture memos political

41 posted on 04/24/2009 11:35:36 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Cheese and Crackers, Ernest....the Feebies are domestic LEOs.

This is the same kind of blundering ineffectual response that Clinton initiated after the Cole attack. The results would have been similar hadn't the Navy parsed the orders.
42 posted on 04/24/2009 11:43:40 PM PDT by BIGLOOK (Keelhaul Congress! It's the sensible solution to restore Command to the People.)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Thanks for the info Ern........good post !!


43 posted on 04/25/2009 4:12:59 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; LucyT
I hope you found the above informative as best I know it-- and, please excuse me in that after more than 50 years the Navy is still in me. I submit that AMERICA is going to make a comeback, and more than likely it'll be on the back of our cherished youth serving with honor in Our military. So, let's Look Up, Get Up-- and, Never Give Up!

Brilliant, I read it twice. ( Needs to be posted as an article maybe?)

44 posted on 04/25/2009 4:28:50 AM PDT by Fred Nerks (fair dinkum!)
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To: LS

Jonah also said Republicans need to give up family values, I heard him say it with my own ears!


45 posted on 04/25/2009 4:35:19 AM PDT by Friendofgeorge (Thank Rick Warren and Joel Osteen for Obama)
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To: Starman417

Good report!!!

When will I hear about this on Fox,CNN or MSNBC?


46 posted on 04/25/2009 4:37:00 AM PDT by Friendofgeorge (Thank Rick Warren and Joel Osteen for Obama)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Good GOD the man is inept and ignorant. A dangerous combination.

When the good captain made his brief statement at the airport with his family, he had a long list of people and groups that he wanted to thank. Notably absent was the president. It struck me at the time- you know those moements when silence is soooo loud? I found it telling..


47 posted on 04/25/2009 4:42:08 AM PDT by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: Starman417

The teleprompter was in the repair shop for a couple of days,so he twiddled his thumbs till he got it back.


48 posted on 04/25/2009 4:47:06 AM PDT by Uncle Meat
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To: Starman417

Bttt


49 posted on 04/25/2009 4:54:30 AM PDT by novemberslady
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach; Squantos

Great post. It hints at some other Navy inside baseball that goes on, not just the SEASs vs FBI, but the ST-6 (DevGru) vs the “regular” SEALs who might have already been on scene. I wasn’t there, so I’m purely guessing, but back in the day (Greneda, for example) there was a push-pull between DevGru (then ST-6) and the “regular” SEALs. In Greneda, this led to a fatal snafu, when SEALs were parachuted into a rendesvous at sea similar to this Somalia situation, and a boat crew was lost. ST-6 just had to get into it, even though “regular” SEALs were already on scene as part of the ARG (Amphib. Ready Group).

To my thinking, having been out of this for many years, “regular” SEALs could have resolved the situation just as well as the hotshots from DevGru (ST-6). They were already there.

For that matter, the ships own self-defense weapons such as there (I believe it is) 25mm rapid fire guns, could have blown the lifeboat to confetti the SECOND that the captain jumped clear and started swimming. It is beyond my belief that they were not focused on that lifeboat second by second 24/7 with that gun, using advanced day and night optics.

The SECOND that the captain jumped for it, in a rational world, that lifeboat would have been confetti. If the situation was not being run by CYA JAG lawyers, instead of by SAILORS. (Surface Warfare and SEALs.)


50 posted on 04/25/2009 5:54:48 AM PDT by Travis McGee ("Foreign Enemies And Traitors" will be ready the first week of May.)
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To: Travis McGee

Man ....even the best of the best is crapped up with elitism .......damn !

We used to have EOD teams that were and weren’t dive and jump qualified. We went out of our way to make sure we could support any and all missions handed to us, easy or tough with any alphabet agency or sister service. When we were given ammo to destroy we did it one round at a time to hone our skills with all of our tools from 45 auto to 50 BMG M82A1’s. We offered training for dynamic entry and demolitions etc to those who had training we needed. We may not have had all the skills of those we traveled with but we could get the job done albeit none to quiet at times.....:o)

Stay safe !


51 posted on 04/25/2009 6:08:53 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet)
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To: Squantos

At least back in my era, ST-6 called themselves “The Jedi Knights” among other things. They were the only SEALs authorized to wear only civvies and have long hair / 365, not just on certain deployments.

Their training budget was HUGE even compared to “regular SEALs.” So there was a tendency to hold out and wait for the “best” SEALs to arrive, even when perfectly fine “regular” SEALs were already on scene and fully prepped.

This is especially foolish considering that ST-6 / DevGru is not a career path. SEALs go into and out of DevGru, and back to the “regular” teams. So most “regular” platoons (16 guys) have a couple of former ST-6 guys in them already. And since 9-11, the “regular” SEALs are all combat tested operators. Bigtime.

Not too mention, Marine snipers on the Boxer could have helo’d over to the Bainbridge and done this job easily even if the “regular” SEALs deployed on the ARG were not available. This was the easiest mission ever.

My first choice would have been to have standing orders in place, so that when the captain swam for it, the 25mm gunner would have smoked the lifeboat into smithereens.

But no, everybody back in CONUS wants everybody on scene to wait for the “hotshots” to arrive. This counts the FBI and DevGru.

The forces on the scene could have handled it, but the White House and SOCOM want to maintain control from afar.


52 posted on 04/25/2009 6:18:52 AM PDT by Travis McGee ("Foreign Enemies And Traitors" will be ready the first week of May.)
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To: Kathy in Alaska; MEG33; Old Sarge; txradioguy; SandRat; HiJinx; beachn4fun; StarCMC; Lady Jag; ...

I got this in an email last week.


53 posted on 04/25/2009 7:12:48 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (It took almost 250 years to make the USA great and 30 days for "The Failure" BO to tear it down.)
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To: Starman417; mewzilla

Bump fer later.....


54 posted on 04/25/2009 7:15:35 AM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
And, let me comment on time-late: In that the SEAL's quick response-- departing ready-alert in less than 4 hours from Norfolk-- supposedly surprised POTUS's staff, whereas President Obama was miffed not to get his "cops" there before the Navy. He reportedly questioned his staff, "Will 'my' FBI people get there before the Navy does?" It took the FBI almost 12 hours to put together a team and get them packed-up-- for an "at sea" rescue. The FBI was trying to tell him that they are not practiced to do this-- Navy SEALs are. But, BHO wanted the FBI there "to help," that is, carry out the Attorney General's (his) orders to negotiate the release of Captain Phillips peacefully-- because apparently he doesn't trust GW's military to carry out his "political guidance."

Oh, boy....

55 posted on 04/25/2009 7:20:42 AM PDT by mewzilla (In politics the middle way is none at all. John Adams)
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To: Friendofgeorge

schumer said so too! family Values are a thing of the past


56 posted on 04/25/2009 7:40:18 AM PDT by philly-d-kidder (May the good saints protect you & bless you today & may troubles ignore you Each step of the way)
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To: Arrowhead1952

Thanks Obama is indeed indecisive inconsistent and scary!


57 posted on 04/25/2009 7:47:45 AM PDT by philly-d-kidder (May the good saints protect you & bless you today & may troubles ignore you Each step of the way)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

Good writeup by FA.


58 posted on 04/25/2009 7:53:45 AM PDT by Marine_Uncle (I still believe Duncan Hunter would have been the best solution... during this interim in time....)
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To: Marine_Uncle
At least one of the writers at FA ( Scott) are serious writers...books out...speaking of the writer of this...FR Related thread:

Jonathan Landay and McClatchy Newspapers Still Ignorant About Saddam’s Ties To Al Queda

******************************************EXCERPT of BIO ******************************

He’s also written several books on the Global War on Terror and Iraq under the pen name, Sam Pender. These books include: Iraq’s Smoking Gun, The Ignored War, America’s War With Saddam, How Did It Come To This?, and Saddam’s Ties to Al Qaeda.

Link to Scott’s books

Link to Scott’s “Sam Pender” books

Link to Scott’s videos

59 posted on 04/25/2009 9:27:05 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach (Support Geert Wilders)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach

You cannot even trust the media to get the basketball score correctly these days


60 posted on 04/25/2009 10:15:16 AM PDT by GeronL (TYRANNY SENTINEL. http://tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com LIBERTY FICTION at libertyfic.proboards.com)
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