Somehow, I think any sensible conservative, like Governor Palin, would have gotten this one right. When a pirate kidnaps an American citizen at gunpoint, the American is in imminent or immediate danger. The correct answer is to "resolve" the danger at the first good opportunity, and rules of engagement should reflect that fact.
There have been a lot of hostage situations in the world, long before anything to do with these pirates in Somalia. They range from dedicated Islamists, to opportunists, to something that is “spur-of-the-moment” to — you-name-it.
And the authorities have developed methodologies and procedures for the best way to secure a safe return of hostages (for the most part and things that are seen to be successful).
Two components (or maybe three or four... LOL...) of that kind of successful operation comes down to (1) patience, (2) negotiation, (3) assessing by using these first two, (4) setting up for possible storming, (5) creating best conditions for securing hostages [by setting up storming or simply getting them released].
So, no..., I don’t think — rushing things and doing something — without “developing” the situation in order to create conditions for the highest probability, is the best route. And neither do the authorities, who deal with these kinds of situations all the time...