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Obama declines comment on US hostage crisis off Somalia

I expect all of you folks that were bashing Obama to now say "Job Well Done Sir!":)
 
It's kind of amusing coming on here a few days after the thread started and reading all the "OMFG Obama isn't filling me in He's showing how pathetically weak we are He's giving in to pirates/terrorists/thieves!!!" bs.

Obviously he talked about it with people who , unlike reporters, actually have experience in the field and authorized the Seals to do what they do best and we have had the best solution to the situation possible. Score one for Obama, and another right-wing complaint is now obsolete once the situation has been resolved.

And Reverend, since this was well short of 444 it's time to change avatars ;)
 
Kali said:
I expect all of you folks that were bashing Obama to now say "Job Well Done Sir!":)
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Well done..... to the Navy Seals, the Navy, then Obama in that order.


Now he needs to send a strong message that this will not be tolerated in the future.
 
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Joby said:
It's kind of amusing coming on here a few days after the thread started and reading all the "OMFG Obama isn't filling me in He's showing how pathetically weak we are He's giving in to pirates/terrorists/thieves!!!" bs.

Obviously he talked about it with people who , unlike reporters, actually have experience in the field and authorized the Seals to do what they do best and we have had the best solution to the situation possible. Score one for Obama, and another right-wing complaint is now obsolete once the situation has been resolved.

And Reverend, since this was well short of 444 it's time to change avatars ;)
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Score one for the Navy? the Seals? or just Obama here?



He got the Captain back, good.


Now he needs to send a message, or the next hostages taken won't be so lucky.



Will he follow through?
 
Lerxst said:
Wait a minute. This is just too funny. You should have your nose rubbed in it, not because you were wrong, but because of how over the top you were in your condemnation of Obama without having a clue as to what would happen. Rather that hold your judgement until the crisis was resolved, you chose to play the role of Carnac the Magnificent because you just knew how this would end.

Well, you do in fact deserve getting your nose rubbed in this. It has nothing to do with others making themselves feel big, it's about you. Maybe you will learn a lesson about rushing to judgment.
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What did obama actually do? He said "yes".


What happens next is what Obama needs to "do"
 
Hatuey said:
Uh dude....

Reverend
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Uh dood. he still has not addressed the problem, he solved the crisis, but it is what comes next that sets the stage for future pirate attacks on American Vessels.

You can whine all you want. but you look foolish, when you try to quote me as if you have a point.


Good job Obama for making the right decision, Lets see if he follows through now.
 
Hatuey said:
I'll explain.



Because they have no other choice. If the situation had ended with a dead hostage they'd be right on this board flaming Obama nonstop for doing exactly what they were bitching to do only with the results they were all hoping for.


No. Eat crow. It's a lot more satisfying.



Meh. Nobody is perfect.


Which is why this feels so sweet and I can't wait to watch them all play the 'well I'll act classy' card until they find something else to bitch about to.



Nope. They'll talk about teleprompters and NCAA meetings and then eat crow. It's fun to watch them though.



Oh no. I actually like it. Obama just basically shut them all up just like he did in the elections with that Alaska chick who was supposed to bring conservatism back like a bad rash. What's her name?



No common ground on this. They ALL shot at Obama. Now they can ALL bow their heads in shame. It all comes down to what they said. It's clear to anybody who reads this thread that the majority of right wingers in this thread had their bets on Obama to lose. End of story.



Good for you?



Oh whatever the **** ever. MrVicchio has no choice but to act like he wasn't the one saying that Obama didn't have balls and that he needed a teleprompter and that he wasn't going to do ****. I could care less what his new revised stance due to his epic fail is. He talked **** until the very end. Now he can drown in his own words and I'll bring them up to him whenever I see it fit :)



Rats with feathers aren't all that appetizing to me.
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Talk about hyperpartisan :lol:


Obama did a good job, we admit it and applaud him. now he needs to send a message to dissuade these barbarians from considering American vessels in the future. Your tantrum is most humerous though. :2wave:
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
What did obama actually do? He said "yes".


What happens next is what Obama needs to "do"
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You clearly don't understand presidential responsibility. By "just saying yes", Obama accepted responsibility for the deaths of these pirates. He exercised his authority to become judge, jury and by extension, executioner. Most of us will never face that kind of pressure, but it's his job to deal with it every day. And so far, I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.
 
Hatuey said:
Oh no. I actually like it. Obama just basically shut them all up just like he did in the elections with that Alaska chick who was supposed to bring conservatism back like a bad rash. What's her name?
.
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Wait so the guy who starts BN threads about eminem making a parody song about palin and cant shut his mouth about her, is now going to pretend not to know her name?


got integrity? :lol:
 
WillRockwell said:
You clearly don't understand presidential responsibility. By "just saying yes", Obama accepted responsibility for the deaths of these pirates. He exercised his authority to become judge, jury and by extension, executioner. Most of us will never face that kind of pressure, but it's his job to deal with it every day. And so far, I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.
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What are you on about? :lol:



my point is, as POTUS, he needs to go that next step and take it to the pirates.


He made the right decision at the right time, he now needs to follow through.
 
WillRockwell said:
You clearly don't understand presidential responsibility. By "just saying yes", Obama accepted responsibility for the deaths of these pirates. He exercised his authority to become judge, jury and by extension, executioner. Most of us will never face that kind of pressure, but it's his job to deal with it every day. And so far, I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.
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Actually, the lack of understanding is yours, not his.

To begin with, he did not "accept responsibility" for the deaths of those pirates. That responsibility was theirs, and they accepted it the moment they attempted to seize the Maersk Alabama--this was no problematic Lindbergh baby kidnapping where there was distinct possibility of innocent men being wrongly convicted and executed. He was not a judge, nor was he a jury, and their executioners were the Navy SEAL snipers who gave them a far more merciful end than was their due.

Further, the good Reverend has a point. This was one good call, but the problem of piracy remains. As good as Navy SEAL snipers are, they are not the constant solution to what is at this point a constant problem. The pirate nests need to be cleaned out and the Somalis need to get the hint that, no matter how much poverty sucks, piracy is not the pathway to prosperity. What has the President said or done to advance that larger objective? So far, nothing.

Finally, even if the responsibility of making such decisions is awesome and weighty and all the rest....so what? Any man who stayed awake in high school history class knows at the very least that being President is not an easy job. He asked for the job anyway. If he is burdened by such responsibility, he should not have run for the office.

Of a certainty the job is weighty and challenging; a man who fails to appreciate that going in has no business sitting in the Oval Office. This incident is nothing compared to the enormity of the challenge of Iran, or the delicacy of the difficulty that is North Korea, or the complexity that is Russia. I do hope that the current occupant of the Oval Office is not as weighted down by this crisis as you suggest, for that indeed does not augur well for the real crises to come.

The President made a good call--but let's not pretend this call was major league. It wasn't. The REAL challenges in foreign policy are still yet to come.
 
WillRockwell said:
You clearly don't understand presidential responsibility. By "just saying yes", Obama accepted responsibility for the deaths of these pirates. He exercised his authority to become judge, jury and by extension, executioner. Most of us will never face that kind of pressure, but it's his job to deal with it every day. And so far, I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.
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The Pirate asked to get shot when they held hostage a US citizen. How stupid do they have to be to not expect death.
 
celticlord said:
Actually, the lack of understanding is yours, not his.

To begin with, he did not "accept responsibility" for the deaths of those pirates. That responsibility was theirs, and they accepted it the moment they attempted to seize the Maersk Alabama--this was no problematic Lindbergh baby kidnapping where there was distinct possibility of innocent men being wrongly convicted and executed. He was not a judge, nor was he a jury, and their executioners were the Navy SEAL snipers who gave them a far more merciful end than was their due.
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are you God, to decide who accepts death the moment they make a bad decision? The President had a choice whether or not to have these men killed and he made it, the Almighty did not assure him they were already doomed.
Further, the good Reverend has a point. This was one good call, but the problem of piracy remains. As good as Navy SEAL snipers are, they are not the constant solution to what is at this point a constant problem. The pirate nests need to be cleaned out and the Somalis need to get the hint that, no matter how much poverty sucks, piracy is not the pathway to prosperity. What has the President said or done to advance that larger objective? So far, nothing.
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The "good Reverend" rarely has a novel opinion, and less so in this matter. I think everyone would agree Somalian piracy is a problem, but how do you know the President is doing nothing about it? Or did you inadvertently leak Top Secret information?
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
my point is, as POTUS, he needs to go that next step and take it to the pirates.


He made the right decision at the right time, he now needs to follow through.
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Since any idiot can see this logic, I have a feeling the president is already on top of it.
 
celticlord said:
The pirate nests need to be cleaned out and the Somalis need to get the hint that, no matter how much poverty sucks, piracy is not the pathway to prosperity. What has the President said or done to advance that larger objective? So far, nothing.

.
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And what if the pirates just move?
 
WillRockwell said:
are you God, to decide who accepts death the moment they make a bad decision? The President had a choice whether or not to have these men killed and he made it, the Almighty did not assure him they were already doomed.
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I am not God. I do not judge these men's souls. I merely say their souls need to be presented to Him for judgment. The Navy SEALs did an outstanding job of making the appointment for them.

WillRockwell said:
The "good Reverend" rarely has a novel opinion, and less so in this matter. I think everyone would agree Somalian piracy is a problem, but how do you know the President is doing nothing about it? Or did you inadvertently leak Top Secret information?
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You don't scare people off in stealth and in secret. You do it loudly and in public. If it ain't being seen, it ain't being done.
 
celticlord said:
-- What has the President said or done to advance that larger objective? So far, nothing --
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There's a tradition during such operations (by British forces and Govts) not to say or do anything while an operation is ongoing. I read this thread and couldn't believe how people were demanding a statement or some form of action. All that does is jeopardise the people at the sharp end - hostages and rescuers. It warns the captors that something is going to happen and they either kill their captives or prepare a better defence.

Anyhow - I think Rev posted on the other thread what is being proposed. I suspect a whole lot of activity has been going on away from media outlet eyes which we will find out about with time.
 
Infinite Chaos said:
There's a tradition during such operations (by British forces and Govts) not to say or do anything while an operation is ongoing. I read this thread and couldn't believe how people were demanding a statement or some form of action. All that does is jeopardise the people at the sharp end - hostages and rescuers. It warns the captors that something is going to happen and they either kill their captives or prepare a better defence.
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It's fine not to comment on the specifics of the Captain Phillips matter prior to his rescue. What's not fine is to be silent on the larger issue that the Somalis need to stop being pirates, or it will end badly for them. The stakes need to be raised in this game; the Somalis figure they have a winning hand in this, they figure that still, by recent news accounts, and they need to be moved off that perspective. That's not an objective accomplished by stealth and secrecy.

Infinite Chaos said:
Anyhow - I think Rev posted on the other thread what is being proposed. I suspect a whole lot of activity has been going on away from media outlet eyes which we will find out about with time.
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Perhaps. If I read in the very near future of some nice strafing runs on pirate villages I will change my mind.
 
winston53660 said:
And what if the pirates just move?
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Well, if they move inland to get away from naval bombardment that rather resolves the problem, doesn't it? Can't be a pirate when you're not on the ocean.
 
WillRockwell said:
Since any idiot can see this logic, I have a feeling the president is already on top of it.
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Obama announced they were going to "interdict" and "prosecute".... This is treating it like a police action, not doing what is neccessary to stop it.


You just called Obama an idiot. :lol:
 
celticlord said:
-- What's not fine is to be silent on the larger issue that the Somalis need to stop being pirates, or it will end badly for them. The stakes need to be raised in this game; the Somalis figure they have a winning hand in this --
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Some of the pirates are simply thieves - no better than that, some have been driven to it by the loss of fishing grounds and toxic waste damage stopping them living their usual lives. Then there's also the complete failure of the "state" of Somalia produce a Govt that can operate in a civilised or organised manner. The solutions to this go beyond mere military action - however showing that the US can act ruthlessly to rescue its own sends a serious message.

celticlord said:
If I read in the very near future of some nice strafing runs on pirate villages I will change my mind.
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The pirates are robbers... strafing villages is completely over the top.
 
carter-obama.gif


Get out the popcorn people, we are in for a show.
 
Reverend_Hellh0und said:
Obama announced they were going to "interdict" and "prosecute".... This is treating it like a police action, not doing what is neccessary to stop it.


You just called Obama an idiot. :lol:
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"Interdict" and "prosecute" are used by the military as synonyms for engage/destroy/kill.
 
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