Comments on: Ship Captain Free; Three Pirates Killed, One Captured http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2009/04/ship-captain-free-three-pirates-killed-one-captured Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:39:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Macswain http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2009/04/ship-captain-free-three-pirates-killed-one-captured/comment-page-1#comment-51006 Macswain Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:52:33 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=8325#comment-51006 The right's behavior on this issue was absolutely abhorrent. They rushed or "Rush-ed" to preposition themselves to grasp at a political opportunity they envisioned coming upon Captain Phillips' death. They would've loved Phillips as a martyr. They were setting up Phillips' anticipated death as more important than any of the 4,000 plus dead Americans in Iraq or hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis. We all know it was a kick in the gut to many of them when they heard "Capt. Phillips Rescued!!!" In reality, this rescue is not Obama's success ... it only seems so because of the political positioning of the right and a media that banked on Phillips' death. Likewise, Black Hawk Down wasn't Clinton's failure and the Iranian hostage rescue attempt wasn't Carter's failure. The right’s behavior on this issue was absolutely abhorrent. They rushed or “Rush-ed” to preposition themselves to grasp at a political opportunity they envisioned coming upon Captain Phillips’ death. They would’ve loved Phillips as a martyr. They were setting up Phillips’ anticipated death as more important than any of the 4,000 plus dead Americans in Iraq or hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis.

We all know it was a kick in the gut to many of them when they heard “Capt. Phillips Rescued!!!”

In reality, this rescue is not Obama’s success … it only seems so because of the political positioning of the right and a media that banked on Phillips’ death. Likewise, Black Hawk Down wasn’t Clinton’s failure and the Iranian hostage rescue attempt wasn’t Carter’s failure.

]]> By: Buck Naked Politics http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2009/04/ship-captain-free-three-pirates-killed-one-captured/comment-page-1#comment-50998 Buck Naked Politics Mon, 13 Apr 2009 04:31:07 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=8325#comment-50998 <strong>It's Just a Reflex: Capt. Phillips Rescued from Somali Pirates Following Obama's Orders for "Decisive Action"; Wingnuts Decry Obama Anyway...</strong> by Damozel | Happily, the five-day stand-off is over.. (AFP) Obama ordered the Navy snipers to take "decisive action" if at any times Phillips was at risk.(AFP) That's what they did and not a moment too soon, according to MSNBC. The pirates were poi... It’s Just a Reflex: Capt. Phillips Rescued from Somali Pirates Following Obama’s Orders for “Decisive Action”; Wingnuts Decry Obama Anyway…

by Damozel | Happily, the five-day stand-off is over.. (AFP) Obama ordered the Navy snipers to take “decisive action” if at any times Phillips was at risk.(AFP) That’s what they did and not a moment too soon, according to MSNBC. The pirates were poi…

]]> By: Chief http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2009/04/ship-captain-free-three-pirates-killed-one-captured/comment-page-1#comment-50996 Chief Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:13:27 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=8325#comment-50996 First, no matter how good a sharpshooter may be, shooting from a moving platform (which a ship at sea is) is incredibly difficult. Killing the 3 intended targets while not hitting the Captain is either very good shooting or very lucky shooting. Second, now that the US has intervened, does that make us Enemy Number One for the rest of the pirates, or might they leave us alone. Does that mean we need to put "ship marshals" on all US flag vessels transiting those waters, along with a couple of deck mounted rapid fire guns? First, no matter how good a sharpshooter may be, shooting from a moving platform (which a ship at sea is) is incredibly difficult. Killing the 3 intended targets while not hitting the Captain is either very good shooting or very lucky shooting.

Second, now that the US has intervened, does that make us Enemy Number One for the rest of the pirates, or might they leave us alone. Does that mean we need to put “ship marshals” on all US flag vessels transiting those waters, along with a couple of deck mounted rapid fire guns?

]]> By: TigerHawk http://commentsfromleftfield.com/2009/04/ship-captain-free-three-pirates-killed-one-captured/comment-page-1#comment-50988 TigerHawk Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:13:58 +0000 http://commentsfromleftfield.com/?p=8325#comment-50988 It certainly was a "best case" outcome, right down to killing three of the pirates on the spot and capturing the last for interrogation. The question remains, though, whether the <i>remedy</i> of recovering the captain -- an unalloyed good thing, to be sure -- and the killing of these particular pirates is adequate to restore our deterrence. If not, we will be left with interdiction, which is not always going to go so well. It certainly was a “best case” outcome, right down to killing three of the pirates on the spot and capturing the last for interrogation. The question remains, though, whether the remedy of recovering the captain — an unalloyed good thing, to be sure — and the killing of these particular pirates is adequate to restore our deterrence. If not, we will be left with interdiction, which is not always going to go so well.

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