The Royal "I:" The Osama bin Ladin Raid and Obama's Stolen Valor

The buck stops with Admiral McRaven.

A recently disclosed memorandum from then-CIA Director Leon Panetta shows that the president's celebrated derring-do in authorizing the operation included a responsibility-escape clause: "The timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven's hands. The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the President. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the President for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and if he is not there, to get out."

Which is to say, if the mission went wrong, the fault would be Adm. McRaven's, not the president's.

The writer, Michael B. Mukasey, notes how previous presidents have announced military victories -- the "I" was strongly disfavored, with presidents preferring to give credit and honor to the men who'd actually risked something more than political fallout.

But not for King Obama I.

"I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority . . . even as I continued our broader effort. . . . Then, after years of painstaking work by my intelligence community I was briefed . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . And finally last week I determined that I had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . ."

While Obama claims sole credit for the Osama raid, apparently everyone and everything is to blame for the economy-- Bush, obstructionism, automation, tsunamis, cold weather, warm weather, sweater weather-- except Obama.

posted by Ace at 02:27 PM

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