Althouse: "At the urging of Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on three separate occasions..."

July 30, 2012

"At the urging of Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama canceled the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on three separate occasions..."

"before finally approving the May 2, 2011 Navy SEAL mission, according to an explosive new book scheduled for release August 21...."

The Daily Caller says it's seen text from the book, which is "Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him.

ADDED: The Daily Caller link is setting off a malware warning now. I wonder why....

53 comments:

John said...: I am shocked!; 7/30/12, 8:17 AM
KCFleming said...: Good God.; 7/30/12, 8:18 AM
Crimso said...: What do you expect from someone who either mistakes a general for a server, or treats a general as a server (either possibility demonstrates she is unfit for her position).; 7/30/12, 8:23 AM
ndspinelli said...: It would appear the Seals, who are livid about the leaks which endanger their lives, have become leakers to endanger Obama's reelection. Revenge is a dish best served cold.; 7/30/12, 8:31 AM
David said...: I get a malware alert at the kink!!!; 7/30/12, 8:32 AM
David said...: At the link.; 7/30/12, 8:32 AM
David said...: I doubt this will have much political impact. The final result is what counts and the holdbacks can be explained with the usual bullshit.; 7/30/12, 8:34 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Each president's administration has its Svengali, according to the press. Reagan had Nancy; Carter had...well, Carter; Bush II had Rove; Nixon had Kissinger; Clinton had Hillary; Obama has Jarrett.

My limited understanding of human nature tells me this theme is foolish pop-psych stuff. These are/were the most powerful people in the world, with egos the size of Russia. They wouldn't seem to easily fall under the spell of a clever advisor, as Nicholas II supposedly fell before Rasputin.

The simpler explanation is that Obama made the decisions himself. He was the decider.; 7/30/12, 8:35 AM
Mark O said...: Much of this story was available at the time of the incident. This history certainly fits the Obama personality better than the official, often changing, story. Obama dithers. He procrastinates. He votes present. He favors sanctions. He is far from heroic. If there is a “wimp” running for President, it’s not Romney. Seriously.

The contemporaneous story also included the suggestion that Obama was forced into the move at the end and dragged off the golf course to watch it. That helps to explain the look of terror and dread on his face in the photo in which he is a shrunken, incidental player.; 7/30/12, 8:37 AM
MayBee said...: No wonder he thought it was such a gutsy call. He did it against the wishes of his mommy.; 7/30/12, 8:37 AM
dbp said...: A gutsy decision, eventually.; 7/30/12, 8:37 AM
Anonymous said...: apparently the magic 8 ball normally deployed was inop.

find and read o's final instructions to mcraven. it's completely chickenshit.; 7/30/12, 8:41 AM
Anonymous said...: I'd want to hear more about the reasons for the cancellations before I start with the egad-how-awful. Sometimes it's a good idea to pass up a bad shot and wait for a better one later.; 7/30/12, 8:44 AM
LoafingOaf said...: At the urging of Dick Cheney, Bush invaded Iraq based on a bunch of propaganda.

At the urging of John McCain, we were supposed to vote for him because he'd "bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran".

Candidate Obama told us in 2008: "If Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should."

And the right wingers attacked him for saying that!

Then he got elected and did exactly what he promised. And now the world is rid of bin Laden.; 7/30/12, 8:59 AM
Original Mike said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/30/12, 9:00 AM
Original Mike said...: "I'd want to hear more about the reasons for the cancellations before I start with the egad-how-awful. Sometimes it's a good idea to pass up a bad shot and wait for a better one later."

Yes, but I don't think Valerie Jarrett was giving operational advice.; 7/30/12, 9:01 AM
AllenS said...: LoafingOaf said...
At the urging of Dick Cheney, Bush invaded Iraq based on a bunch of propaganda.

You mean like these propogandists?

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." -- President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." -- Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -- Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.

I have more if you want to see them, Loaf.; 7/30/12, 9:05 AM
Brian Brown said...: LoafingOaf said...
At the urging of Dick Cheney, Bush invaded Iraq based on a bunch of propaganda

Hilarious.

You never miss an opportunity to descend into self parody.; 7/30/12, 9:06 AM
traditionalguy said...: I for one think President Jarrett has done the best she can under the intense pressure to change the USA from a rogue state guilty of using the world's energy resources for a strong military into a sleepy UN Province without a military and that has rationed its energy usage back to the average usage of mud huts in Kenya.

That's social justice and Progressive Peace in Our Time,folks.

We should thank gaia that President Jarrett serves the greater world's agenda so well.; 7/30/12, 9:13 AM
MaggotAtBroad&Wall said...: Loafing Oaf:

As AllenS points out, the "propaganda" started in 1998 with the Clinton administration. And virtually every high ranking Democrat banged the war drum right up to the start of the war.

If you don't believe me, Listen to them in their own words:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5p-qIq32m8; 7/30/12, 9:14 AM
Rob said...: Obama approved a Navy Seal mission. I thought he killed Osama himself.; 7/30/12, 9:14 AM
rhhardin said...: Generals as waiters.

The common man can play too.

Summon a stewardess with "waitress!"; 7/30/12, 9:16 AM
The Drill SGT said...: The big problem is that once General Jones left, there are no folks in the WH who have a clue about military operations. It's only politics and perception. Let's list them:

Obama, Lawyer
Biden, Lawyer
Jarrett, Lawyer, Chicago string puller
Donilon, Lawyer, Fanie Mae Lobbyist
Axelrod, Political Journalist, Chicago Media guy
Clinton, Lawyer
Panetta, Lawyer

Begin to see a pattern?

The closest any of them has been to the military is that Biden's son, is in the Delaware Guard, as you guessed it, a lawyer :)

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against lawyers, I'm married to one, but my wife, the National Guard Colonel Lawyer is a Command and General Staff College Grad, which literally makes her more experienced in the planning and conduct of military operations than the entire Obama senior leadership.

But predicting what the focus group will say about both a successful and unsuccessful Osama raid, they have that knowledge for sure...; 7/30/12, 9:16 AM
edutcher said...: And this sounds like it's just the beginning. I'm wondering when it comes out those rumors of Panetta doing an end run around Choom are for real.

LoafingOaf said...

At the urging of Dick Cheney, Bush invaded Iraq based on a bunch of propaganda.

No, he did it at the urging of Willie's CIA chief, Tenet.

And those WMDs that weren't there, that were trucked into Syria by the Russkies, are clearly the ones the Syrians are threatening to use now.

Be careful of October Surprises. Some could surprise you.; 7/30/12, 9:19 AM
rhhardin said...: Obama's war on terror has been surprisingly good.

Maybe he takes it as a Chicago style problem.

Whatever it is, it works out pretty well. The bad guys are watching their backs instead of planning.

Omitting the fall of every sand lot country to the Muslim Brotherhood, a back door Obama has overlooked.; 7/30/12, 9:21 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Paul Z is right.

If it turns out to be true thought... I wouldn't be surprised.; 7/30/12, 9:28 AM
AllenS said...: Please, everyone, it's Navy SEALS not Navy seals.; 7/30/12, 9:56 AM
Anonymous said...: VJ was right, if he could hold off until October 2012 to make his F*cking Gutsy Call, he would have a Big F*cking Bumpoff and a Big F*cking Deal to bump up his polls to WTF re-election.; 7/30/12, 9:57 AM
edutcher said...: Actually, just SEALs. Our Navy is the only one that has them.

Kind of like putting Army in front of Special Forces or Rangers.; 7/30/12, 9:58 AM
AndyN said...: The contemporaneous story also included the suggestion that Obama was forced into the move at the end and dragged off the golf course to watch it. That helps to explain the look of terror and dread on his face in the photo in which he is a shrunken, incidental player.

With all the documents that have been leaked that make Obama look good, isn't it odd that the closest thing the press has gotten to documentation that Obama gave the order was a memo from Panetta saying that somebody else on the Obama team had said that Obama gave the okay for the commander on the ground to make the call? Plausible deniability much?

Even at the time the order was given, everybody involved had to know this was one of the most momentous decisions of the presidency. It's pretty hard to believe that Obama knew it was about to happen and decided to be on the golf course.; 7/30/12, 9:59 AM
AllenS said...: I'm just as bad as everyone else, I guess. edutcher is right > SEALs. Sometimes I get carried away with the capital letterS.; 7/30/12, 10:00 AM
AndyN said...: Omitting the fall of every sand lot country to the Muslim Brotherhood, a back door Obama has overlooked.

lol

Aside from that whole "the reformers we were backing are actually all Islamic extremists who until last week were in Iraq trying to blow up US soldiers" thing, our war on terror has been a smashing success.; 7/30/12, 10:07 AM
Mark O said...: “It's pretty hard to believe that Obama knew it was about to happen and decided to be on the golf course.”

You really need to pay attention. Although, I agree it is pretty hard to believe NBC.

“On Sunday, May 1, 2011, the president’s advisers gathered in the Situation Room at around 11 a.m. Half a world away, the SEAL team waited for nightfall.
So as not to arouse suspicion that a major gathering was under way in the West Wing, the team ordered pizza from several different places and also sent someone to Costco to get food.

The president played nine holes of golf at Andrews Air Force Base before heading to the Situation Room at around 2 p.m.”

http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/02/11493919-president-obama-bin-laden-raid-is-most-important-single-day-of-my-presidency?lite; 7/30/12, 10:13 AM
Will Richardson said...: I am reminded of this story posted May 3, 2011 which I dismissed as unfounded. http://goo.gl/zFTW4; 7/30/12, 10:23 AM
tiger said...: Who's surprised?

Considering the man voted 'present' what? 75 times? 125 times? while in the Illinois senate it's not a shock to learn he couldn't make this decision, either.

And this: 'ADDED: The Daily Caller link is setting off a malware warning now. I wonder why....'

Seriously, Professor?; 7/30/12, 10:24 AM
Joe said...: As a side note, their official site states "NAVY SEALS" and the mission statement of the site reads:

"The Navy SEAL and SWCC Scout Team identifies high quality potential SEAL and SWCC candidates, makes them aware of a career in Naval Special Warfare and assists them through the recruiting process."; 7/30/12, 10:29 AM
edutcher said...: Will Richardson said...

I am reminded of this story posted May 3, 2011 which I dismissed as unfounded. link

Same one I mentioned. Linkified it.

Thanks, Will.; 7/30/12, 10:35 AM
Levi Starks said...: Just did a little research on the Daily Caller warning, and all I can say is that it reeks of desperation.; 7/30/12, 10:37 AM
MayBee said...: Why is the press apparently so disinterested in Valerie Jarett? From her hospital dumping scheme with Michelle, to her using an SEIU official to negotiate with a (now) felon for Ibama's senate seat, to this...
She certainly garners a lot less hostile ink than Rove did.; 7/30/12, 11:22 AM
AndyN said...: Mark O said...

“It's pretty hard to believe that Obama knew it was about to happen and decided to be on the golf course.”

You really need to pay attention. Although, I agree it is pretty hard to believe NBC.

/snip/

http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/02/11493919-president-obama-bin-laden-raid-is-most-important-single-day-of-my-presidency?lite

I saw that when it first came out. The problem is, all it tells us is that Obama was on the golf course and already scheduled to return to the White House before the raid, and that he and a few people who owe their jobs to him claim he gave the order. Even if I'm wrong, the most charitable possible interpretation of this is that Obama plays so much golf that missing a single round would be a clear signal to our enemies that something earth-shaking was about to happen.; 7/30/12, 11:41 AM
Ralph L said...: Drake had to finish his game of bowls.; 7/30/12, 12:02 PM
Dagwood said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 7/30/12, 12:11 PM
Mick said...: OBL was already dead for years. Whoever was killed that day was not him. Pure political theater.; 7/30/12, 12:27 PM
Cedarford said...: David said...
I doubt this will have much political impact. The final result is what counts and the holdbacks can be explained with the usual bullshit.
================
Except that disgruntled ex-SEALs have already formed a PAC that will run ads saying that Obama leaks jeopardize future missions, landed a Pak doctor in jail, and that Obama was hardly decisive..but was scared and diffident about giving the green light given Holder and Jarrett being adamently against it.

(What happened was Leon Panetta outmanuvered Obama's cronies and cut them out after the 2nd time they got Obama to give a thumbs down...And BTW, Drill SGT, Panetta was in the Army as an intellegence officer in Vietnam)

The leaks can hurt Obama....being under the sway of enemy rights lover Holder in particular can hurt.
But perhaps the biggest damage is from shifting public perception away from Obama, killer of bin Laden!!! - to the weak, diffident, rather be golfing guy that finally was cornered and forced by Panetta and Spec Ops and the CIA into ordering the mission.

Imagine a nervous, simpering Richard Nixon scrubbing the
Moon Mission twice..because certain advisors worried about risk or had their feet planted on the idea that the UN flag should be planted, not the US one!
Then imagine when forced to give the green light, coming out and bragging that He, Richard Nixon, succeeded in personally getting the moon mission done...where JFK and LBJ before him had failed..
Nixon was a bigger man than Obama. He spread credit widely, including to JFK and LBJ - but kept most of his praise and his press flacks praise directed at NASA, the people that built Apollo equipment, and the astronauts.; 7/30/12, 12:48 PM
Cedarford said...: MayBee said...
Why is the press apparently so disinterested in Valerie Jarett? From her hospital dumping scheme with Michelle, to her using an SEIU official to negotiate with a (now) felon for Ibama's senate seat, to this...
She certainly garners a lot less hostile ink than Rove did.

===============
You are surprised that Obama's liberal and progressive Jewish media lapdogs give not only their Black Messiah, but his squalid flunkies like Holder and Jarrett and Donilon a pass from criticism?

Well, bowl yourself over with a feather...so shocked!! you should be.; 7/30/12, 12:51 PM
jungatheart said...: For God and country — Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo. Geronimo. E.K.I.A. Enemy killed in action.; 7/30/12, 12:52 PM
jungatheart said...: AndyN said...
Even if I'm wrong, the most charitable possible interpretation of this is that Obama plays so much golf that missing a single round would be a clear signal to our enemies that something earth-shaking was about to happen.
---

lol which is so pathetic, when you think about it.; 7/30/12, 12:55 PM
Mick said...: If you think it was an accident that ST6 was killed, think again. Dead men tell no tales of the false killing of OBL narrative. OBL was dead for many years.; 7/30/12, 1:17 PM
Paul said...: Uh oh...

Looks like Obama has been 'Swiftboated'

But in the real Swift Boat saga,the ones who did it were right as they did serve in the unit.

We will see if this book turns out to be true (I bet it is but I'll wait to see what proof they have.); 7/30/12, 3:32 PM
AllenS said...: From Wiki: In 1964, he joined the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant, where he served as an officer in Army Military Intelligence. There he received the Army Commendation Medal, and was discharged in 1966 as a First Lieutenant.

Where did you get the Viet Nam service from C4?; 7/30/12, 4:28 PM
AllenS said...: I'm talking about Leon Panetta's service time in my post.; 7/30/12, 4:30 PM
jungatheart said...: I heart Leon Panetta. Does that make me a sap?; 7/30/12, 6:52 PM
Michael said...: May be Barack Obama has any other different strategy to kill him Obama 2012 t shirts; 8/8/12, 4:55 AM