Friday, April 17, 2009

Real Story Behind Obama's Somali Pirate Rescue Plan

Baylor Fans is reporting the inside story of Obama’s handling of the Somali

pirate crisis:

Subject: The real story of Obama's Decision Making with the hostages.

Subject: AH, now it comes out

Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking

why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:

1. BHO wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36

hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.

2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they

couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger

3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted

in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction

4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire

was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the

RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.

5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN

and SEAL teams

6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and

OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead

raggies

7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behavior. As

usual with him, it's BS.

So per our last email thread, I'm downgrading Oohbaby's performance to D-.

Only reason it's not an F is that the hostage survived.

Read the following accurate account.

Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t

worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s

Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling

Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors and none

was taken.

The guidance from National Command Authority the president of the United

States, Barack Obama had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only

acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear,

extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on

by the Somali pirates and again no fire was returned and no pirates

killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel

thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a

mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man

with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of

decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a peaceful solution

would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the

on scene commander decided he’d had enough.

Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to

the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet

another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before,

the Navy officer unnamed in all media reports to date decided the AK47

one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life

and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and

Philips was safe.

There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the

last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American

hostage.

Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration

and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and

[1] declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of

the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.

Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin

yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the

inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should

have been a standoff lasting only hours as long as it took the USS

Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location became

an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of

criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.