chickaree wrote: I doubt either president had a lot of input other than "go, no go". The intelligence gatherers, the troops on the ground- the folks who painstakingly planned for the operation-in other words scores of men and women whose names we will never know deserve the credit for this. A tussle over Bush v Obama lessens the discussion.
I don't know of one single person who has in any way, shape or form discounted or disregarded the contribution of the troops on the ground.
But troops on the ground still need commanders, of whom the President, last I heard, was Commander in Chief. Military operations at this level are very dependent on whether that Commander in Chief chooses to prosecute the mission. It really looked to me like Bush gave up on trying to find Osama bin Laden, or at the very least no longer considered it as important. If Obama decided otherwise and succeeded, I think he deserves credit for that, and I fail to see how that takes away one iota of credit for the work of the many military and civilian people whose names we will never know.
I agree with you in a " the buck stops here" kind of way. I don't think Bush actively pursued BinLaden, perhaps he even preferred to have him loose to enhance Bushs status as a war president. I'm glad Pres. Obama made this a priority and I'm glad Bin Laden is no longer a threat.I don't think Obama had the time or the training to take an active hand in this mission. That was done by members of the military and intelligence community.
towermonkey wrote: Bush took a lot of heat for his acceptance and approval of enhanced interrogation techniques. Now it seems that these techniques yielded some vital information that allowed Obama to "Seal" the deal. While I don't believe that the U.S. should be engaged in torture, maybe, in extreme circumstances, it can produce a desired result. Was it worth it? In this case, yes.
Waterboarding is not torture.... Torture is getting put into a cage and then the cage is lowered into neck high water for hours upon hours.
major bean wrote: [ There is a huge difference between demanding respect and commanding respect. Using "I" as opposed to "we" tells quite a bit of a person.
What does it say about a person when they are so unwilling to accept that Obama succeeded where Bush failed that they are unable to give credit where credit is due and instead resort to desperate and petty measures to discredit him?
Exactly! I don't think Obama took any credit away from the Seals......EVER! He deserves credit and he was gracious and gave proper credit too. Perhaps those that didn't actually listen to his speech should.
" I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure. " Mae West
chickaree wrote: I don't think Obama had the time or the training to take an active hand in this mission.
I Totally, Agree, and have been saying that for years, He didn't have the "time", because he only has time for fund raisers, tee-times, & hoops.
He NEVER HAD, NOR WILL EVER HAVE THE TRAINING TO BE an effective leader, or Commander-in-chief.
I see the grapes haven't gotten any sweeter today. What a lot of effort is being expended to discredit Obama and his very gutsy call to go forward with this plan. What a bunch of whiners.
TPP wrote: [, NOR WILL EVER HAVE THE TRAINING TO BE an effective leader, or Commander-in-chief.
I think you just gave away an important truth about yourself. No amount of experience, success or results would ever make this President acceptable to you.
There is a huge difference between demanding respect and commanding respect. Using "I" as opposed to "we" tells quite a bit of a person.
, and we all know it!
