I little bit of background concerning Obama getting so much credit for allowing the military to actually do what they had authority to do in the first place.. so tacky.. just couldn't wait to rush out to the press conference to strut his "foreign policy" credentials. They are using this incident to say, "See, Democrats are strong on defense".. right.... I have a bridge I want to sell you..
The AP is reporting that President Obama gave the order to use military force to rescue the hostage, that is misleading. WASHINGTON (AP)—Administration officials say President Barack Obama approved the military operation that rescued a U.S. captain held hostage by Somali pirates. The officials say Obama ordered the Defense Department to use military resources to rescue Richard Phillips from a lifeboat off the Somali coast.
He did affirm the military's authorization to use force if the captain's life was in danger, but they already would have had that authorization as part of their standard rules of engagement. If there are innocents about to be slaughtered the same reasoning that authorizes self defense also covers an imminent execution unless the ROE specifically forbid it.The AP is making it sound like there was an active rescue ordered by the President. It was not, there was an imminent threat and the local commander gave the order to fire. Good on Obama for ensuring their authorization was clear, but let's also be clear that he did not authorize or order an active rescue attempt.
UPDATE: Good gravy, the Kossacks are trying to spin Obama up for a medal or something.
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