Panetta: Obama Couldn't Watch Bin Laden's Death but Heard 'Geronimo' Signal(video)

PBS ^ | May 3, 2011

[Free ThinkerNY]

In a newsmaker interview with Jim Lehrer on Tuesday, CIA Director Leon Panetta describes the final tense seconds of the commando raid on the compound housing Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

[PghBaldy]

What if that was the best they could do? There have been other photos released the past few years which made him look bad. Contrary to what many think, I think he is lousy at politics, and has a hard time disguising his true feelings.

[caww]

It reminds you of that because there are many similarities...BO bucks every ones advice...and he did in this matter as well it would appear. I'm beginning to think some of these theorists and such do have some points worth looking at anymore. Heck I'm seeing it before they even report it!

[PghBaldy]

Yesh, that sounds right. Somewhere I read what they were watching in the Sit Room was Panetta on the screen, giving updates.

[caww]

Maybe he did more than dither, I question how far OUT of the loop he’s actually become!

[PghBaldy]

I would love to know what is true and what is not. If one takes ALL of the evidence (inclding supposed off the cuff remarks of people like Sarkozy) and adds in the bowing and the voting present etc, he does not appear the commanding figure he tries to portray. It really is amazing how much trouble he culd get us into with his behavior, or lack thereof.

[caww]

Hey that’s right! Clinton took over then too.....only Mr. that time. Are we seeing the Clinton machine in action and running things at the whitehouse? Bo just seems to appear in the wrong places at the wrong times and says the wrong things..where Hillary keeps on smelling like a rose.

[over3Owithabrain]

But that's not what Brennan said in his Monday presser, and he was in the Sit Room w Obama and Co.

MR. BRENNAN: "We were able to monitor in a real-time basis the progress of the operation from its commencement to its time on target to the extraction of the remains and to then the egress off of the target...We were able to monitor the situation in real time and were able to have regular updates and to ensure that we had real-time visibility into the progress of the operation. I’m not going to go into details about what type of visuals we had or what type of feeds that were there, but it was — it gave us the ability to actually track it on an ongoing basis."

Doesn't sound like Panetta's version of 25 minutes of not knowing what was going on inside the compound

[caww]

I looked at the other situation room photos and stunned the other group one also shows Bo standing alone and everyone else flanking Hillary.

[meadsjn]

This is an insult to Native Americans. Geronimo ...

You, and some other thin-skinned people are missing the whole point of the "Geronimo" operation name.

"Geronimo" is what kids yell when they jump off the high dive for the first time, or jump out of a plane, or swing out over the water on a long rope and go splash. Nothing about it is insulting to Geronimo -- quite the opposite.

[paul51]

He is saying NO ONE watched it:

They all watched it. They did not see OBL shot. That is what he is saying very clearly. Just because they were watching what was transmitted, not every aspect of the operation was transmitted uninterrupted

[April Lexington]

You, and some other thin-skinned people are missing the whole point of the "Geronimo" operation name. "Geronimo" is what kids yell when they jump off the high dive for the first time, or jump out of a plane, or swing out over the water on a long rope and go splash. Nothing about it is insulting to Geronimo -- quite the opposite.

Well.... maybe they should just yell out Little Black Sambo next time! Geronimo is a big deal to some of us and his name should NOT be used to tag Obama Bin Laden. This an INSULT to AMERICANS. Why didn't they code name him Hiter?

[ItsForTheChildren]

Why would he even be on the golf course if they knew this was coming down?

I'm sure someone told him to act natural. ;-)

[caww]

lol...oh yeah!

[caww]

I use to yell Geronimo when running to jump over the creek we use to visit...anytime there was enthusiasm about a ride or jump of any kind...biking down a hill til our feet couldn't keep up with the pedals. Standard to yell out Geronimo as we began our ride. We all knew he was a great Indian Chief...it didn't matter we didn't know the story, to us we were as Geronimo....same as yelling charge...only better as it was "our" word.

People really do need to get off these sensitivity issues and “feelings” about vocabulary used....it's Historical ...most is...people had sides...and if one is American they are ‘American’...nothing hyphenated...just living along side each other. Simple.

[caww]

BTW...making it a race issue isn't even close...some people like to create issues. Besides...little black sambo wasn't a hero like Geronimo...no comparison.

[over3Owithabrain]

Daily Mail linked on Drudge says clearly that Obama watched the actual killing of OBL and they have a pic showing him with clenched fist in his hand. Panetta says they had a 20-25 minute window when they didn't know what was going on in the compound. Brennan said Monday they were following the events in real time every step of the way.

So I guess it's pick your truth time

[SparkyBass]

naw, just a misunderstanding.

After the SEAL shot Bin Laden he said "Dang, dude looks like Janine Garafalo!"

[meadsjn]

Well.... maybe they should just yell out Little Black Sambo next time! Geronimo is a big deal to some of us and his name should NOT be used to tag Obama Bin Laden. This an INSULT to AMERICANS. Why didn't they code name him Hiter?

You're still missing the point, probably deliberately.

"Geronimo" wasn't the code name for Osama; it was the code name for the operation.

Operation Overlord was the code name for the D-Day invasion -- certainly no insult to whomever might have been named Mr. Overlord.

Operation Fortitude was the code name for a couple of the fake invasions -- certainly no insult to Mr. Fortitude.

We have military units nicknamed "Geronimo". You're trying to create an "offense" where none exists.