I read last night on several Military blog sites that such a standing order has been in place for a long time - predating Obama's reign. I post this earlier...
Several of the Military blogs I read last night said that there is a standing order (since before Obama's time) that, in a hostage situation, where the hostage is an American citizen, the military commander on the scene has authority to use deadly force if the hostage is in lifethreatening danger.
Obama may have been involved, but the point is he didn't have to be.
I believe, from all we know about Obama, his abundance of caution, his slow decision making and his upbringing which made him sympathetic [at the very least] to Muslim causes, his involvement, if any, would have been a negative toward the outcome that eventually occurred.
There is a wee part of me that wonders if the military commander used a very broad interpretation of “imminent danger” so that he could do something to save Captain Phillips without breaking the rules.