Gutsy Call: Obama Waited a Month Before Giving the Greenlight to the Rescue of James Foley

Intelligence, like milk, goes bad after a couple of weeks.

According to a Defense source who spoke to the NYT last week, the Pentagon knew that the hostages were being moved periodically. Another Defense source claimed that it may have been "a matter of hours, perhaps a day or two" by which the the troops had missed Foley when they finally arrived at the prison in Syria. Time was obviously of the essence, yet if you believe Harnden’s source, it took 30 days for a green light. How come?

Because we can say with certainty that the President's main strategy for handling crises is avoidance, and hoping the problem will go away on its own.

He is proactive only about the couple of things in life he actually wants to do, either because they're fun and stimulating ("Get me some interesting Italians") or because they're cherished agenda items of the progressive left and will burnish his legacy.

Everything else will just have to sort itself out, he figures.

posted by Ace at 11:44 AM

| Access Comments