It was a tough decision.
I’m sure the ghost of Carter’s failed Iranian hostage rescue attempt haunted him. He is already being compared to Carter.
A failed mission would have turned him into an undisputed lame duck over night.
He’ll get a temporary bump...but it won’t last.
I strongly disagree with this. A failed mission may never have been brought to the public's attention.
For that matter, Carter's failed hostage rescue mission in 1979 may never have been made public were it not for the fact that Iranians had begun to issue public statements about what happened in the desert. I believe there may have been some unexpected contact between the U.S. forces and Iranian civilians on that mission that sort of "blew the cover" a bit.