It's nice to have someone who knows how to get things done!

I know some people are thinking to themselves, "why are my tax dollars going to save people who put themselves in this situation...they hate us over there in africa, we need to stay away from people who hate us, blah blah blah....." but i would hope my country would do what it can to rescue me from these situation too... after all, i pay taxes too. I bet she does too!

I think someone was vacationing in Somalia. What a lucky two individuals. They were totally surprised that they were kidnapped.

Score another win for the good guys.

GCK- I agree, these people are only put in peril because of a violent minority. I think it is commendable to come to the aid of others and to devote so much time to a humanitarian effort that seems utterly impossible. I am glad to see that our armed forces extend a watchful eye to those who must put themselves in danger for the benefit of others; much like themselves!

Yay! The good guys strike back!

Obama 2012

@tom111:

You said, "They were totally surprised that they were kidnapped."

Wouldn't anyone be surprised to be kidnapped?

I think someone was vacationing in Somalia.

Yep, it's a real vacationers dream location.

I hear the food is amazing, and the nightlife exciting.

Great to read some good news.

I think someone was vacationing in Somalia.

tom111 - Below is the second paragraph of the story, which you may have been too rushed to read.

American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.

These were not thrill seekers, or vacationers, but people working to help others.

...and yes, they were two lucky individuals.

This is good news.

Now... how about a midnight raid on one or two of the pirate enclaves along the Somalian coast. Go in quick, sink anything that looks like it might float, free any hostages, shoot anybody who has an editorial comment. Then repeat as necessary.

This doesn't have to be a U.S. action. But the world community needs to step and end this 21 century piracy on the open seas.

But a job well done by the Navy Seals.

Hmmm... Very excellent job to all concerned. Side note: I'll bet that the guy with the bad rash on his head, Zawahiri, has to see a chiropractor every day - due to constantly looking over his shoulder no matter where he sits, stands, rides, or walks. More likely than not, he's next, and when that happens, it will definitely make my day.

This is Badddddd azzzzzzzz like like like!

If we can only get our politicians to act with such bravery and patriotism as our SEALS just imagine what we would be capable of.

I guess the Navy Seals are what the Marines used to be. Congratulations on another great mission.

To the people who are trying to address the monetary costs involved, I just shake my head. America is going to go too far with putting a price tag on everything until there is nothing left to be proud of in this country.

Wouldn't anyone be surprised to be kidnapped?

Maybe if that person is dumb enough to go into a lawless rogue nation like Somalia, FOR ANY REASON, sure.

Those SEALS could have been killed over these half-wits. But congrats to them.

Jerri, Not at all.

Marines are elite Combat Troops not Special Ops. Marines land on the beach first secure it and then the Army moves in. Navy ships carry marines or seals or sometimes both depending on mission.

You got to love how its always "I" when the Pres "orders" something like this. Bush always gave the credit to the brave men and women who were actually in harm's way. Not these narcissistic people.

ScoMata

Marines are elite Combat Troops not Special Ops. Marines land on the beach first secure it and then the Army moves in.

Interesting to know. Thanks.

I guess I just want to be proud of our military again. They've cost me a lot of tears in the past 10 years.

I guess I was too patriotic. Brain-washed, maybe. Do kids still say the Pledge of Allegiance in school every morning?

Very stealthy..

GO NAVY!

Maybe if that person is dumb enough to go into a lawless rogue nation like Somalia, FOR ANY REASON, sure.

HotTicket - These dumb people put themselves at risk to aid others, something few people, including myself, have chosen to do. I see no reason to assume they were unaware of the dangers.

If I met them I would express my appreciation for what they were doing in that very poor, lawless country, just as I would to the Navy Seals.

No.

Take that bitches! You're BADASS MR. PRESIDENT!

So, is there anymore speculation why he opened his speech thanking our military and praising them for knowing how to get the job done... hmmm.

Obama sucks, but way to go SEALS!!!!

Okay Mr Obama, now how about that poor guy that Iran is holding for no reason and claiming he's a spy? You going to leave him hanging on the ropes? Or is he just not high profile enough for your administration? We are most fortunate to have a military that knows how to get a job done. Now if we had a Commander-in-Chief that did, we 'd really have some progress!

You got to love how its always "I" when the Pres "orders" something like this. Bush always gave the credit to the brave men and women who were actually in harm's way. Not these narcissistic people.

Yes, skiddy, I remember that self-effacing George W. Bush, standing on the flight deck of a U.S. Carrier, in the flight suit he got for Christmas, with the "Mission Accomplished" banner flying behind him. Of course, there was still to be some 8 years of fighting and dying in Iraq, after that little grand-standing maneuver.

Yup, they broke the mold when they made that ass-clown, or so I hope.

It's like having a group of super heros on our side. I regret that I will most likely not live to read the autobiographies of these men. Thirty or fourty years from now, when things have been declassified, their stories may be told and I'm so very jealous that I won't be around to hear them. I am humbled that there are such people on this earth.

O'bama owes this Seal Team his political life haha. Marcinco's marauders!

This makes me proud to be an American.......the rest of you can quibble the politics!

Okay Mr Obama, now how about that poor guy that Iran is holding for no reason and claiming he's a spy?

Ed-NavDoc - I'd like it too if the U.S. could simply rescue him with such a surgical extraction. But keep in mind that Iran, unlike Somalia, is a country with an intact government, a functioning military and the ability to shoot down enemy helicopters flying in their territory.

This alleged spy's case has been much more widely reported than than the capture of these two relief workers, so it is not a question of being too low profile to care about. These rescue missions are a question of what is possible, not what you might like to do.

I hope this man is released, but if so, it will be through a diplomatic effort.

Our Military is fantastic..............our Pres...not so much.

This is how things should be done by US military: precise, surgical strikes by competent forces. As opposed to invading foreign countries and waging war there for ten years or more with absolutely nothing to show for except huge expenditure of US Treasury and loss of thousands of US soldiers.

Or is he just not high profile enough for your administration?

More like he is too high profile - not the opposite. An alledged spy being held by the official government of Iran is by far much more of a hot potato than some kidnapped humanitarians held by thugs in Somalia.

"The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice," Obama adds. "

Really? It wasn't that long ago that three (ignorant) hikers decided it would be a great idea to trip the light fantastic on the Iran border. Most everyone who was asked said, basically, "What the hell were they thinking? Let 'em rot."......and rightfully so. That was the prevailing opinion even in light of statements that they were lured over the (invisible) border line by Iranian troops. Where was President Chest Beater in that one?

This is/was a 32 year old American woman who joined a Danish group of altruistic individuals in one of the most dangerous regions of the world. SURE! Apparently we've run out of people in need of help in our own country. (On the other hand, if she was there because we needed "eyes on the ground" in that area the mission might be justified. Just a thought.)

While military missions are the the focus of our armed forces and Special Ops teams few stop to consider the number of American lives put at risk in this instance because of the ignorance of one person. Her altruism does not outweigh the potential of two Navy officers knocking on the door of a newly made widow, or the parents of a fallen warrior, offering the condolences of the president. Been there, done that.

Again...... While I like Mr Obama. As a former member of a SOCOM Mobile weapons team Mr. Obama's part was to take advice and say the words "Its a GO!" The rest is a direct result of the training and dedication of any of the seal teams specially Team 6.

she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being."

More meaningless drivel from the lead lip-flapper. If they showed no regard for her health and well-being she would not have been recovered at alive, let alone in relatively good condition.

Say what you want about the President. He has a good grip on foreign policy. Not perfect by any means, but still pretty darn good.

Great leadership Mr. President and way to recognize the guys who carried out the mission.

More meaningless drivel from the lead lip-flapper. If they showed no regard for her health and well-being she would not have been recovered at alive, let alone in relatively good condition.

Yeah, I bet they had her set up real nice in their Somali enclave.

Geeesh.... Jerri, the Seals play second-fiddle to NO ONE!! However, you are beating a "Dead-Horse" The Seals, and the Marine Corp, go hand-in-hand.... Study American/Military- History.... Knowledge is Power.... Ciao

Great job team! Hooah!

People need to remember that there were probably about 100 people involved in this raid. From the President all the way down to the aviation regiment mechanic that keep that helicopter running like a swiss watch. The President, the Secretary of Defense, all the military advisers in SOCOM, the whole chain of command, the SEALs, the Nightstalker pilots, and anyone else involved that we will never hear about.

People who have never served in a Spec Ops unit have no idea how much is involved with planning a raid like this.

They all deserve credit.

THIS IS THE WAY YOU DO IT!!!! If you wrong us, if you harm or hold our citizens, if you commit evil then you can run but you can't hide and we will get you.... If you are a government which allows terrorism or atrocities against others to be launched from your soil then you forfeit your sovereignty. As a retired veteran I am extraordinarily proud of all who serve in are Armed Forces. But the fact that this is the 3rd major operation conducted by NAVY SEALS, the rescue of the captain of the Maersk Alabama, the death of Osama Bin Laden and the rescue of these hostages makes me extremely proud to have been a sailor. GO NAVY

Lest we forget! This is something that former SecDef Gates deserves a huge amount of credit for. As late as the Bush administration, the military had been organized around the concept of fighting two and a half conventional wars simultaneously. That is, they could fight two conventional, isolated conflicts (think North Korea and Iraq) at the same time and still have enough strength left over for a cadre that could be used to expand the military itself. The problem with that thinking was that the scale of individual conflicts made this very much a hypothetical solution to a non-existent problem.

And to fight this 2.5 wars, the US was investing more and more in high-tech military hardware that actually was increasing our vulnerability and was literally breaking the bank. The problem with high tech toys is that they always become vulnerable to being overwhelmed by larger numbers of cheaper toys. (Military planners refer to ti as the Piper Cup Paradox. If you were to match a fully-armed F-22 against Piper Super Cubs carrying only one missile each, but in numbers that reflected the relative costs of each, the F-22 doesn't stand even the slightest chance.)

Gates fought long and hard to reduce the military to a rock-hard military expeditionary force with a larger cadre behind it as both a reserve force and a cadre. He wanted a great deal of balance between air and naval power and boots on the ground. He saw a good infantry rifle as more important that some high-tech piece of military hardware. Balance.

But he also took the lessons from Panama and Grenada and finished thniking those two disasters through. The increased emphasis on agile small teams that can wreck havoc in a foe's home town is a way of leveraging forces that is both cost effective and scarily eficient.

People tend to think of the SEALs and similar military forces as some sort of Rambo's. In truth, the special ops soldiers are some of the most intelligent, most mentally stable, physically well-conditioned, and well trained people on earth. The most powerful thing that special ops sodiers have going for them is sheer intelligence and the mental discipline to use their equipment, physical stamina, and training to best advantage. As time goes on, you are going to see more and more ex-SEALs getting into public life in prominent positions that require the intelligence, stability, and mental discipline.

But also you are going to see more and mor people in countries such as North Korea and Iran having "oh crap" moments where they have to weigh the risk that a small team or a drone might take them out without warning.

So, kudos to former SecDef Gates for changing the direction of the armed forces into a much more versitile and deadly and modern combat role. And kudos to Pres Obama and SecDef Panetta for having the wisdom and political courage to see that this is an appropriate way to do military business in the modern world.

It was very gutsy of Obama to give his State of the Union speech knowing that this operation was underway. One only has to remember Carter's failed hostage rescue attempt to realize how much political capital was at risk.

If you're President you don't have to know everything in the world. You have a lot of excellent people around you that you can parcel out those duties to. But you do have tohave the ability to listen to those excellent people and winnow out the good ideas, the workable solutions, and the right, legal and just actions from the chaff. Often it is the matter of deciding between several correct solutions in the search for the best solution.

If you're going to get involved with screwing with this country or its citizens (or for that matter anyone we take a liking to) you're going to have to get used to wondering if an engine backfire is the start of your assassination or if that distant airplane is a drone that has already launched its missile. And when you lie down at night you will seriously have to wonder of you will see the dawn.

I f Bush had done this they would have dressed him up in his Junior Flyboy suit and shuttled him out to some aircraft carrier where once again they could have unfurled his own special "mission accomplished" banner for the world to see. Of course this would have only been after we had sent in thousands of troops, spent billions of dollars and killed thousands of civilians and hundreds of the American military.

The right wing republicans HATE the fact that Obama and his administration seem to have grasped the true paradigm of 21st century warfare. Drone strikes, Special Services raids and quiet hunter killer raids on specific targets, no matter where they are. The republicans like to spend tons of money and lives on their pathetic shock and awe wars. Big, expensive wars!

Of course Obama is merely is giving the go signal, while our courageous and well trained special forces are doing the dirty work. All the righties pointing that out have a great grip on the obvious. Well, I for one thank the President for having the intelligence and reasoning to understand what must be done and how to do it. They would have had to drag Gingrich out of his mistress' bed to get the wrong decision from him.

jollyoldsoul1

Again...... While I like Mr Obama.

No you don't, Jolly. You're just another person who is pissed off that president Obama is getting credit (worthy credit too) for a job well done.

Good job, Mr President! Good Job SEALs and good job to all of the other people who made the operation possible.

The President faced the lock jawed, lead assed, republicans during the "state of the union" speech and didn't mention this. He's a "Classy" Guy.

You got to love how its always "I" when the Pres "orders" something like this

Apparently 'skidmark' failed to watch the President's State of the Union address to Congress last night.

Otherwise he would have noticed that our President and Commander in Chief gave credit to every man and woman on the TEAM that took down bin Laden; from the helicoptor pilot, to the translator who kept Pakistanis away from the scene, to Seretary of Defense Gates who originally served under the Republican adminstration of President Bush, to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who ran against Obama for the Democratic Presidential nomination.

Basically, skidmark, I'm calling you out as a prevaricator and as one who "bears false witness".

hmmm, who do you think pushed for those programs that have been in place for many, many years before Barry came into office? Special Forces and Seals were started in the 60's, Delta in the late 70's. Nothing to do with Barrack Hussein Obama. He's just the currect commander in Chief.

Agreed, jollyoldsoul1. On the other hand, its always been that way, at least in the US. Civilian leaders get to sit back and make the call to go or not, the military unit is the group that has to make it happen. A lot of people say Obama didn't do anything except tell them to do it, so should get none of the credit. I disagree - the tough decision is and should be the call of the president, as he has to deal with the political fallout (both domestic and foreign). Doesn't take anything away from the Seals team that did all the heavy lifting, though.

Another note - I much prefer the fact that we have civilians making these decisions rather than generals. In a lot of countries, that's not the case.

It wasn't that long ago that three (ignorant) hikers decided it would be a great idea to trip the light fantastic on the Iran border.

Duh...

Those people have all been freed, so you should be happy if your a patriotic American.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44605964

And a commando raid would have been stupid in that situation. Thank God we have an intelligent Commander in Chief.

Go Seals!

Why do these stupid people go into areas where they know they will be in questionable situations. They risk our military and ask for government intervention to retrieve them and their bad judgements. The Navy Seals are to be commended for putting their lives on the line whenever they are asked to do a mission. They are truly heroes.

Great job Seals.

God Bless America!

Chris - I'm glad you gave such an intelligent explanation on this. Now I want to go read about Gates. I know I had heard that there was a time when special ops type teams were not utilized to the best advantage - I guess it's difficult for old dogs to adapt to new tricks. I had not realized how the transition to using this most effective "tool" came about.

Anybody not giving Obama credit for this, it is okay. I don't give your favorite President any credit for anything they did that was good either.

ROTFLMAO! Of COURSE that's just the DUMBEST thing ever. I'll give credit to any President who is directly or indirectly responsible for anything good, because I don't have to play 'toss the poopie' like a six year old child who has to throw crybaby tantrums whenever they don't get what they want. Which is exactly what someone sounds like when they don't like something good a President does.

None of that takes anything away from the SEAL Team, either. Holy S**T are they awesome. And lets not forget those who lost their lives in operations, whether they be SEALs or otherwise. It isn't asking a whole lot to be thankful to everyone involved.

LOL, that sure didn't take long.

Collapsing of 1.6 and 1.9?

Really conservatives? REALLY?!

Why do these stupid people go into areas where they know they will be in questionable situations

Because they care. These folks were working on a relief mission. Not everyplace on Earth is as hunky-dory as Hometown, USA. Their compassion should be a guiding light for you, not something to deride.

i remember the economy being pretty damn good when Bush was president.

Then your memory is readily defined as "suspect."

The GOP can cry foul or complain all they like, but THIS is a foreign policy the majority of people can get behind and support.

We (yes, WE) didn't just save two people. We saved two people, rid the world of scum, and continued to send one of the clearest messages to terrorists we've ever been able to muster... "don't f$%^ with us".

I don't care who you are or what side of the aisle you sit today, let's all stand tall and applaud our troops and the leaders that enabled and authorized such bravery!

@ Jerri, the Marines are still in the middle of the action, they are represented by a group known as Force Recon and are the people who usually are the eyes on the ground way ahead of the action. You also can 'google' scout-sniper and find that they have been responsible for taking out very many bad guys, they don't get the headlines, but do get a 'Semper FI' from Marine Corps HQ at Quantico, VA.

Really? It wasn't that long ago that three (ignorant) hikers decided it would be a great idea to trip the light fantastic on the Iran border. Most everyone who was asked said, basically, "What the hell were they thinking? Let 'em rot."......and rightfully so. That was the prevailing opinion even in light of statements that they were lured over the (invisible) border line by Iranian troops. Where was President Chest Beater in that one?

You make a good argument Anti-Lib, but you forgot one of the most fundamental American values. The 3 hikers looked like your ordinary everyday people, where this was a semi-hot blond lady. There fore she deserved public sympathy and a rescue by SEALs.

Ranger, And I'm sure you would have diminished his role just as much had the mission failed. I'm just so sure. You haven't a clue as to how much direct involvement he had. But even if it was just telling the military leaders to 1) Seek out these kinds of missions, 2) Brief me thoroughly to gain my approval, and 3) I have your back... that is enough... that is called being President.

To all of those crying that the president had nothing to do with this operation - if this operation had failed, if any of those seals had been killed, you would be the first ones on here shouting that it was the presidents fault. You can't have it both ways.

You know, I actually like everything President Obama has done, except when handling the economy. He doesn't have any economic experience, and doesn't really have an elementary knowledge about Finance or Economics. If it weren't for that I'd say he's the perfect president.

LMarcT and Sally Lu, you aren't talking to people who think. The most common mistake people make when responding to radicals. Here, let me translate what you said and dumb it down for the people who can't give the President credit:

GO HOME AND STOP TALKING, PEOPLE ARE USING BIG WORDS HERE. GO BACK TO YOUR SHACK AND EAT SOME BARBEQUE!

There, I think that should do it.

Its just like our President said in his state of the union address ... if we as Americans work together.. as our armed forces do.. OUR Country can do anything .. The Republican in the Senate and Congress need to tear up their pledge of alligence to Grover Norquist ..and Pledge alligence to America

@ Grammie you fool when you posted

"Wasn't it convenient that this happened the night of the State of the Union!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" .

Guess you don't remember just sworn in Reagan when, during his inaugural speech, he made the announcement the US hostages held in Iran had been freed. Talk about playing to the audience. History has shown that release was planned and negotiated to take place as Reagan was brought so as to discredit outgoing Carter and sprinkle magic dust on newly annointed Reagan. Oh, may I add the exclamation marks for emphasis too? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done. The last news I heard was that the hostages are indeed safe and there are at least nine sons of allah waiting for their allotment of virgins.

most people have no idea how these missions work. There were eyes and weapons on the ground before those stealthy weapons platforms made their approach. Im sure was a HALO drop of personal to clear out the perimeter for the main group.

I'm willing to bet my money on the fact that Delta Team was involved. I wonder how long the LURPs teams were sitting on the outskirts of this camp doing recon....probably quite a while.

And some of you GOPers on this thread are acting like a bunch of driveling fools.

blabber, blabber,.........and you just keep on guessing from your experience on some video game!? It's really making my gut turn that the media is told anything about which SpecForces is involved in a mission. This has just gotten to be really hollywood, and I'm very glad I'm no longer in!!!!

Yes Ray, it is just terrible that the public is told of the awesome things done by our special forces! Just terrible!

Reality and Fiction merge, read a Vince Flynn Novel :) Way to go Seal Team 6... as I read those books I always imagined our own brave soldier doing these amazing feats... and here is proof!! Thanks seems woefully inadequate but THANKS!

It is totally disgusting and UN-AMERICAN how the right-wing will NEVER get OUR President credit for anything. These right-wingers who are saying Obama doesn't deserve any credit are about as unpatriotic as you can ever get. This man had to make a hard decision to put our troops in harms way that could go terribly wrong and that takes more courage than the couch bound right-wing has ever had.

If this had gone all wrong with helicopters shot down with seals and hostages all dead you can bet these un-American, unpatriotic right-wingers would have been excoriating the president as being a failure and incompetent. It's disgusting how they think.

BTW, for all of the ignorant bubba's out there that rag the president excoriating means...

ex ·co ·ri ·ate€‚[ik-skawr-ee-eyt, -skohr-] Show IPA
verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing.
1. to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally: He was excoriated for his mistakes.

Fred Evil;

Yeah, we have someone who knows how to get things done. But, We've had them for quite a while now. The Rangers and SEALs are trained to do this sort of thing, and they don't have a 4 to 8 year shelf life. Just like the mission that took out Bin Laden, the joint chiefs and/or theater command staff could have authorized the mission. But since LBJ, Presidents feel the need to be personally involved.

Had Truman taken this approach we would likely still be fighting the Germans. He wisely, left the day to day prosecution of WWII to his capable Generals. Our last president to have personal combat experience was Kennedy. Obama said yes to the mission, he did not put on the uniform and go in with the SEALs on this action. Remember it's an election year, this is to help him look like the great protector. Put the credit were it belongs, with the men and women in uniform on the ground, taking the fire and getting the job done. Politicians of either party too often send in people to do jobs they can't do themselves. Like I said, our last Presidents with combat experience were Eisenhower and Kennedy.

For all those who got their panties twisted over Jerri's comment, I think you need to relax. I read it this way the first time, and still read it this way: "...to the shores of Tripoli" refers to the Marines taking down the Barbary pirates. Today, we can't send in the Marines so we send in the SeALs. Same mission (kick pirate ass), new team needed.

Would like to point out to all of us that this is what the military can do if the politicians get out of the way.

All of you who want to complain about the cost of the military, and all of the deaths of our troops, have to stop telling the military how to do their operations, micromanaging their operations, and let them get the job done.

Tell them what to do, and then get out of the way and leave them alone. Much cheaper, faster, and with almost no loss of life to us.

Tom111: You're an idiot....they weren't in Somalia on vacation (even if you were kidding). If you bother to read the article before making ridiculous statements, you'd see they were working for a Danish Relief Organization. Doesn't sound like a vacation to me!! I'm just glad that our Seals were able to go in and rescue them!

Ed-Nav Doc: How do you know that this isn't already being worked on? We don't know what's going on behind the scene with the Navy and the current administration. Knowing our media, they'd have it splashed all over the news before we could rush in and get the gentleman in Iran out of prison. I'm sure this is in the works and being planned as we speak!!

We all have to admit that Obama is pretty bad ass!

@Skiddy, you mean like when Bush dressed up like a pilot and stood on an aircraft carrier with a big sign behind him saying "Mission Accomplished"? Is that the humility and giving all the credit to others you're referring to?

Obama said yes to the mission, he did not put on the uniform and go in with the SEALs on this action.

No one implied he did, but he is their Commander in Chief. If the mission went bad, I GUARANTEE that conservatives would be trumpeting it from the rooftops (remember Carter and the hostage rescue attempt?). Since it went well, all they can do is cast aspersions, and say 'he wasn't actually THERE.'

Remember it's an election year, this is to help him look like the great protector.

No, it's to RESCUE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. The only politics involved here are your own.

Had Truman taken this approach we would likely still be fighting the Germans. He wisely, left the day to day prosecution of WWII to his capable Generals.

Totally irrelevant comparison, apples and oranges are at least BOTH FRUIT. Kidnapping American citizens was never the MO of the Germans, and as you said, I would bet dollars to donuts that Obama left everything but the go/no-go to the folks with the training.

Again, the only politics involved here are your own.

"Nany Seals..." Hah-hah! Good one MSNBC! Great editing on your home page!

ScoMata1964
Jerri, Not at all.

Marines are elite Combat Troops not Special Ops. Marines land on the beach

And the Seabees are there waiting to shake hands with them.

You know, Ray - you have made an interesting point (except for the "gut turn" statement).As much as I love hearing all about the missions any special ops team performs, especially the specific details..... I keep wondering,aren't the bad guys looking at this information too? I have to assume what they do give out to the press is information they actually want the bad guys to see.

As was pointed out early in this discussion, we shouldn't always jump to conclusions about "stupid people who put themselves in dumb positions". Just consider that some crazy hikers or idealistic humanitarians may not always be exactly what they seem. Or a plain old "businessman" in Pakistan who just coincidentally is extremely skilled in the use of 9mm pistol and can take out a few guys on motorcycles in the middle of a crazy chase through traffic in the middle of a city.

Things are not always what they seem. Throughout history there have been cases where true humanitarians have also realized that besides giving aid and comfort to persecuted citizens, supporting the efforts of a powerful government can also lead to improving the lives of these people. There was a lot of this throughout World War II, and other conflicts all over the world. Eyes on the ground intelligence is essential in battling these conflicts.

When some foreign government grabs somebody and claims they are spies, we immediately discount their claims as false because we don't like those governments. But if you use just a bit of logic, you have to consider that there is the distinct possibility that their claims may not be so far off base. The people who do this service to our country as eyes on the ground in troubled areas are pretty brave heroes that know from day one that they can never be acknowledged as such. In fact they know full well that should they be caught, they may actually receive ridicule for their stupidity for putting themselves in such dangerous places. They are extremely talented in that they can perform their duties without leaving an provable trace that they have done so.

I never discount the possibility that when things like this happen and it appears that maybe the people involved are total illogical idiots for putting themselves in those positions, that just maybe they aren't really as stupid as they appear. They could be the idiots that they appear to be, but likewise they could also be some very brave and patriotic individuals doing very dangerous work. We don't really know and I think it just deserves the benefit of the doubt.

1NewDay- Very good point! I think they are called local assets.

Osama bin Laden

American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted

This American has a SERIOUS love affair going on for my Navy SEALS. Muah!

"It's like having a group of super heros on our side."

I'm gonna leave this alone; It's prefect just the way it is.

"I wonder.was the oblundler on the golf course again when our military is out saving the world?"

He was giving his State of the Union address. Where were you? Visiting yer mom at the strip club?

"To all of those crying that the president had nothing to do with this operation - if this operation had failed, if any of those seals had been killed, you would be the first ones on here shouting that it was the presidents fault. You can't have it both ways."

HOLLA! Get 'em, Sally! ;-)

"prefect"

Oops! Typo. That should be "perfect".

While I SUSPECT these two people were only allowed to be rescued to bring up the President's approval rating; I am still very happy they were rescued unharmed. I hope none of the SEALS were injured or killed during the raid. I also think the rescue may make other would-be kidnappers stop and think before grabbing anymore humanitarian workers, who were only trying to help make THEIR country a better place to live!!

Skiddy, you basically said President Obama was patting his own back for this dangerous raid instead of rightfully giving credit to the Navy SEALS. Your claim is hogwash. It's as if you're willing to spout out any critical comment, with no regard to fact, merely at the mention of the President's name.

In this case the facts are plenty close as the article above quotes the President, "Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home," he says. "As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts."

Skiddy, I wish you and people like yourself would quit finding value in ignorance. It's a trait that makes it nigh on impossible for the dynamic of faithful negotiation followed by reasonable action.

Lmarc and Sallyhu - Actually, I'm not dimishing his role. It it what it is. How do you have any idea how much Special Operations experience I have? I'm a former Special Operator myself. I know how it works. And I can tell you that the President was briefed and he approved it. How is that diminishing his role? It's just a fact.

The President isn't hands on with every operation that goes down. It's too much for any 1 man to be aware of. That's why he has a whole bunch of people in the chain of command working below him with their own authority.

If the mission failed I would not blame Obama. Again, his role is minimal compared to SOCOM. They get the intel, plan the mission and train the operators. And then the men on the ground have to make the plays. Some of you people get so defensive about politics... You automatically assume I'm a Republican and want Obama out of office... All I was stating was a fact.

One thing is for sure. I'm glad none of you hot heads are leading this country.

Grammie-1803206#1.22: Bless your ill working mind. You allow the President sent someone to the Somalia government and/or those Samali pirates and made a deal with them to allow a team of American covert military operations to come into their country, kill several of their people, grab hostages they were holding, not pay them any money, take the hostages and leave unharmed, then tell the world about it just to make the President look good during his "State of the Union" speech, then, of all things stupid, He forgot to mention it during the speech. That about right Grammie? Well!, I'll just be goddamned Grammie! What an imagination!

Bluelake; I liked your comparison between our President now and Dubya. Your exactly right, bringing these two to saftey would of cost us tax payers a bundle. But one thing I see you forgot to mention. Halibuton, yep, he would of sent Cheney and Haliburton in there to rebuild it and yes, it would of cost us even more money. I would like to salute the President and the military, everyone that had a part in completing this mission safely and making the American people proud, (well most of us anyhow). Great job once again to the SEALS. One more thing before I end this, I like to salute the President for the speech he gave yesterday, it was awesome and I hope he continues to pressure the "NO" congress and senate we have right now. Hopefully we can help him the next election and get these smucks out of office and elect real people that want to see to the betterment of this country. I'm still haunted occasionally by the speeches Dubya gave. Now with President Obama once again the majority of the Americans feel proud of the countries accomplishments to date and the way the country is headed, except for the "NO" bozo's that should of left with Dubya.

Once again it shows you that a real commander n chief has a very thoughtful approach to these type of operations and that if we had Bush and Cheney in there or any of these other GOP Buffoons we would be in 4-5 wars right now instead of 1. Romney has 5 male kids and not 1 of them has served in our military, has any of the Romney clan going back to his dad served in the military? I think not, just a family of VULTURES

Ray, with an attitude like yours, there's probably a lot of other people that are glad you are longer in as well!!!!

Obama said yes to the mission, he did not put on the uniform and go in with the SEALs on this action.

nicodemus - I doubt seriously that the President was just presented with a plan and said "yes". Special Ops team are indeed highly trained and courageous soldiers. But do you really believe that they get to choose and plan their own missions? The president or somebody in his inner circle proposed the mission, and then planning and authorization flowed downward from that point.

Did you think a member of the Seal Team just wandered into the Oval Office and said, "Hey, I've got this great idea for a rescue mission..."?

Everybody did their part in making this rescue a success, including the man you hate so much to see in the Oval Office.

Four more years!!

Okay Mr Obama, now how about that poor guy that Iran is holding for no reason and claiming he's a spy? You going to leave him hanging on the ropes? Or is he just not high profile enough for your administration?

A world of difference between a lawless, disorganized country like Somalia, and someplace like Iran. Conduct a special ops missing in Somalia, a few bad guys die. Conduct one in Iran and a full on war begins in which tens of thousands of Iranians and a lot of Israelis die.

Very good point Chris

Bassai, I hear ya, my dad was in the Army Corps of Engineers in Korea during the war. First in last out.

Four more years? Can we afford that?

As far Obama taking credit for this, he should. If he had ok'd the mission and a bunch of SEALS died doing it, he sure as hell would get the blame. Thus by rights he gets to claim credit for it. You can't have it both ways.

Good job Seals!

@sloppy joe - weren't you banned once before for this kind of behavior?

You have nothing of significance to say, except name calling?

This is a great day...stop being so negative.

I'm glad we have an administration that takes out real terrorists instead of fictional ones. So many WMDs, how can we possibly find the time to take out the real bad guys?

Tom seriously? What chemical weapons that killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds and tens of thousands of Iranians and warheads containing these chemicals fitted for SCUDs that could reach Israel are not WMDs?

And the timing of all these SEAL raids that were once considered classified being release a little close to election time? Interesting...

Hey Roley, all those wmd's were used on the kurds, and the scuds were used in the first Gulf war. There were none lrft in 2003/

Great political timing! Nothing Barry does is without consideration of a maximum political benefit!

But a special and sincere thanks to our Military, best in the world!!!

Great political timing!

What do you mean, Robin ? That they should have postponed the rescue operation until after the elections ?

She means that operations usually considered clandestine are suddenly claimed by an administration for political gain. They happen ALL the time but are only publicized when its convenient.

Oh and only you, Starbuck, are NAIVE enough to believe that ALL Iraqs WMDs were exhausted before an invasion without a plan in mind. Even the stupidest dictator doesnt exhaust his stock

Come on people, think! If this were a re-election stunt, it would have been done in early Novemember. You folks just cant stand the idea that have a REAL President!

I am thankful for most of these posts are positive in nature. But to those that would turn this around, I say this to you. Little Bush could have given the ok to take OBL out several times according to the CIA. He was not going to kill a family friends son. President Obama has always been called weak on defense. I say Bull. This good man has taken more action against those that would hurt Americans then anyone in our past sense FDR. Yet there are still those red neck Teabaggers that say the President isn't an
American at all and has no right being in the white House. President Obama is American through and through, and I am so proud that he is my President. Much the same as I was ashamed when GWB was.

I believe she meant something similar to what:

riley-1759556

And the timing of all these SEAL raids that were once considered classified being release a little close to election time? Interesting...

meant. We have never in history been privy to SpecOps, or whatever missions you care to refer to them as, until much later. Not that night. Not in such detail anyway.

Thats how I took what the poster was stating.

Tom, even Saddam himself said he had WMDs. Why not try asking all those dead Kurds and Iranians if they thought he still had WMDs? Oh, that's right, you can't because they are all dead as a result of WMDs!

The President did not use the pending raid in his speech to score points. True enough someone could infer the President Obama timed the raid so that as his speech gets examined in the news media, the news of the raid began to be released. I however think actionable intelligence is often time sensitive. When you have the knowledge of where a target is at or will be at, you begin to act before the expiration.

So again, the reputation of the military of protecting Americans once again grows. I like it.....bc

Hey Roley, all those wmd's were used on the kurds, and the scuds were used in the first Gulf war. There were none lrft in 2003/

Article published on CNN on July 7, 2008:

The United States secretly shipped out of Iraq more than 500 tons of low-grade uranium dating back to the Saddam Hussein era, the Pentagon said Monday.

The U.S. military spent $70 million ensuring the safe transportation of 550 metric tons of the uranium from Iraq to Canada, said Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman.

The shipment, which until recently was kept secret, involved a U.S. truck convoy, 37 cargo flights out of Baghdad to a transitional location, and then a transoceanic voyage on board a U.S.-government-owned ship designed to carry troops to a war zone, he said.

How easily it is to forget some information over time. When was Iraq invaded? While low-grade uranium is not considered weapon quality, it should be noted the according to Saddam they did not even have that material prior to the invasion. I also believe that this is the same stuff that Iran is presently trying to enrich to the great concern of the world.

MY PRESIDENT! THIS guy knows how to take the 3AM call and make the hard decisions. What a great top-off for a fantastic speech.

@dmac: read the entire timeline....the story broke at 1:15 THIS MORNING, 4 hours AFTER the SOTU, where the president congratulated Panetta on a job well done as he entered the House Chamber to give his speech. The action occurred before the SOTU speech, and he was fully aware of the details and had given the authorization to go ahead with the mission, just as he did with the OBL mission. That is the job of the Commander in Chief. Read your constitution and history.

BTW, the final draft of the speech was completed just a few hours before it was given. How much you want to bet that the opening remarks were added then as a subtle hint to the news forthcoming?

I just love how because the raid happened on Tuesday night, a year before the election, it's political. Like seriously people, get real. In America, our voting population rarely (if ever) gives a crap about what happened 3 days ago, let alone what happened a year ago. Not everything in this world is done for the sake of politics. Be happy that we rescued two humanitarian workers, thank the troops on the ground, the officers commanding them, the president, the Somalians for being such bad shots, and move on.

Nice to see a clear cut win for the good guys every now and then - something to keep a tiny flame of hope and optimism alive in a vast ocean of dark cynicism.

Good job, Seals and CIC! Obama 2012!

Well obviously he did it just before an election. In this country, it seems that we are perpetually "right in front of an election". Even before Pres. Obama was inaugurated, the R's were working on the 2010 election. No time to govern, we gots to get to the next election! Same in January 2011--2012 is right in front of us!

As far as publicizing it, guess what? Two hostages were freed--one a foreign national--the story is GOING to come out. Sooner rather than later! Get over it.

For those who think that "saying yes" is easy for the President, get real. Every President who has to send in troops agonizes over the decision. Maybe not Reagan when he sent the Marines into Lebanon, but almost always. Desert One crushed Carter's spirit, the thousands dead and wounded in Iraq left it's mark on Bush the Lesser. Cheney? Not so much. He's ready to kill off even more of America's best and brightest and bravest.

Article published on CNN on July 7, 2008:

The United States secretly shipped out of Iraq more than 500 tons of low-grade uranium dating back to the Saddam Hussein era, the Pentagon said Monday.

The U.S. military spent $70 million ensuring the safe transportation of 550 metric tons of the uranium from Iraq to Canada, said Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman.

The shipment, which until recently was kept secret, involved a U.S. truck convoy, 37 cargo flights out of Baghdad to a transitional location, and then a transoceanic voyage on board a U.S.-government-owned ship designed to carry troops to a war zone, he said.

How easily it is to forget some information over time. When was Iraq invaded? While low-grade uranium is not considered weapon quality, it should be noted the according to Saddam they did not even have that material prior to the invasion. I also believe that this is the same stuff that Iran is presently trying to enrich to the great concern of the world.

The Iraqis didn't have that Uranium. It was under the control of the IAEA.

Yes, Iraq had Chemical weapons up until 1993-1994. They did not have any after that time frame.

dmac, do you honestly think that anyone in the military would take this type of action on their own? Hell no, it would be the end of their career if they did.

Chuck 2111043;

The same could be said for the dozen times OBL was in the sights of Predators drones during the Clinton Admin. He declined to prosecute due to collateral damage concerns. OBL was in the middle of a terrorist training camp on each of these occasions, so where's the collateral damage? A bunch of wannabe martyrs and they would be collateral damage? Sounds more like a target rich environment to me. Take of the Idealistic blue hue glasses and see what the real world looks like for a change. It wasn't politically expedient at the time, so he was left to plan and execute his plan against the trade center.

There is plenty of failures to go around for both parties in the last twenty plus years. Problem is you brainwashing and ideology prevents you from seeing things as they are. Instead, you see only one side of things.

Pedestrian-in-SF; When he put on the uniform and goes in with the M-4, then Obama can take credit. Until then, it's ALL SEALs, ALL the time. Politicians not required.

Raddave;

Yeah they could, they're called the Joint Chiefs. They are the operational heads of the U.S. military. The Joint Chiefs or theater command staff could have authorized this mission, it is their job, after all. Political expedience not withstanding.

The Joint Chiefs has no operational authority. You're wrong. No one in the military is going to send troops into another country without authorization from the President, it is NOT their job.

Also, OBL was never in the sights of Predators during the Clinton admin, because we didn't start arming drones until 2001. There were two times that during predator recon flights that a tall man in white robes at bin Laden's Tarnak Farm compound. Those predators were not armed though.

The Joint Chiefs has no operational authority. You're wrong. No one in the military is going to send troops into another country without authorization from the President, it is NOT their job.

Also, OBL was never in the sights of Predators during the Clinton admin, because we didn't start arming drones until 2001. There were two times that during predator recon flights that a tall man in white robes at bin Laden's Tarnak Farm compound. Those predators were not armed though.

stormrider54

Good thing the hostages weren't captured 1 - 3 years ago, they are lucky it is an election year. Funny how you pick now to "get things done" Mr. President. You Stink and are a disgrace to America. You should either resign or be impeached.

You left out how Bush should get the credit, he set it all in motion. Obama just gave the order.

Nicodemus - Wasn't Papa Bush in combat?? I thought he was shot down in the Pacific -Jima something,something Jima - but give him credit too! :~)

At Chichi Jima (sp). His B/N washed onto the island and was killed, Papa Bush managed to fight the tide until rescued by sub.

Thanks. I always liked that Papa. (what is a B/N ??)

The Iraqis didn't have that Uranium. It was under the control of the IAEA.

Yes, Iraq had Chemical weapons up until 1993-1994. They did not have any after that time frame.

That is not exactly true according to the Pentagon. I repeat a statement again made in the original article, "The United States secretly shipped out of Iraq more than 500 tons of low-grade uranium dating back to the Saddam Hussein era, the Pentagon...". Now you may argue that the Pentagon lied, but it was all agreed that the uranium was shipped out of Iraq to Canada. It was in a form that was processed, at least to the level of use as a fuel. And the question does arise that if you are correct and it was not Iraq, how did it get there in the first place? Did the US ship it in with the tanks just to have it shipped backout later?

@Katheryn A B/N is the bombardier/navigator (although the name may have been different in WWII, the function was the same), the second man in 2 seat fighters. His job is to navigate the plane and drop bombs/torpedoes; the pilot's job is to fly the aircraft.

Thanks -never would have figured it out on my own

The plane Bush flew, and its mission to basically, were among the most deadly on the Pacific war. It was a torpedo bomber and the pilot has to come in low and slow and CLOSE to the target.

And to be fair, the plane Bush Jr flew, the F-102 was among the most difficult and dangerous to fly pre F-4 jets. The reason he never saw combat was the fact that the Pentagon ordered them out of the war zone because of then loss rate, high maintenance and the fact they were standardising on the F-4. They rotated F-102 reserve squadronsto Vietnam prior to the orders. This is why he never saw combat, not the lie that reserve squadrons did not rotate and were a way out of combat. Since all the F-4s went to active duty squadrons not reserves, he never had a chance after the F-102 withdrawal to fly in combat.

Just some trivia the news never cared to report.

ah, yes the same way that the west virginia guard flew p-51's until the late 60's-early 70's...

George Orwell...

Actually, usually George Orwell, writing about Rudyard Kipling. However:

• Alternative: "We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us."
• In his 1945 "Notes on Nationalism", Orwell claimed that the statement, "Those who ‘abjure’ violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf" was a "grossly obvious" fact. "Notes on Nationalism"
• Notes: allegedly said by George Orwell although there is no evidence that Orwell ever wrote or uttered either of these versions of this idea. They do bear some similarity to comments made in an essay that Orwell wrote on Rudyard Kipling, when quoting from one of his poems. Orwell did write, in his essay on Kipling, that the latter's "grasp of function, of who protects whom, is very sound. He sees clearly that men can only be highly civilized while other men, inevitably less civilized, are there to guard and feed them." (1942)
  • "Yes, making mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep" – Rudyard Kipling (Tommy)
  • "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it." – Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men)
• Alternative: "We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." – Winston Churchill (miscellaneous quotation, no date)
• From Wikiquote

I didn't come here this morning for a repeat of my high school AP English Lit class!!!! (Pretend that was all capitalized)

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it.

F*%$ that quote and all the others, I wont let a soldier decide what I can and cant do thats basically "class-ism" and that dont fly well with me at all.

no orly......the solders do not tell you what you can and cannot do......they just make it so you can do what you want or don't want to do.....freedom is not free....

Hey Orley - we (the soldiers) aren't going to bother telling you what we do or don't do to secure your freedom. You obviously would surrender freedom for security (and here, I won't quote Benjamin Franklin, just so you won't get your panties in a twist.)

Orly,...it's ok......you can say whatever you want on here, because people like others, and myself have gone out and built that blanket of freedom you sleep under! I've done things that would seem like self torture to you, but I did it to secure "OUR" freedom!!!! I'm not a fan of talking about operations, but you taking a negative approach towards my brother's and sister's, and myself who served will only show your not really American. Because all real American's appreciate the sacrifice us military "classist" have made!!!! International Flights leave every hour!!!!

No soldier since WWII has done anything to secure OUR freedom. I understand it's a useful tookl to have the military think that while we are invading other countries but it simply is untrue. The military has performed police actions and nation building in other countries. Kudos to them for that but this "fighting for OUR freedoms" crap is over used. Do tell, what US freedoms were under threat by Iraq? Vietnam? Desert Storm? Somalia? Any place the us has sent the military since WWII, please, tell us all how dangerously close was the US to being invaded and taken over by any of these places? blowing the hell out of a county for the sake of protecting "US interests" aka financial interest, does not equate to protecting US Freedom.

DE OPPRESSO LIBER 1971-1973.

DO NOT FORGET THOSE WHO GAVE SOME & SOME WHO GAVE ALL.

fREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Sally: You obviously have NO idea what being in the military entails, so you have no reason to question what freedoms we've (I've served for 23 years) secured for you. If not for WWI & II and our warriors, you might be speaking German now; and if not for the war with Iraq, we may be overrun with Taliban or being bombed with nuclear weapons; and if it weren't for our military during the civil war....we may still be under the flag of the English kings! You need to get an education before you sit down and type out such ridiculous comments about things you know NOTHING about!!

Did, you're full of it. The Taliban was in Afghanistan, so how did attacking Iraq, get rid of the Taliban that was not there? Iraq had no nuclear weapons program, it hadn't had one since 1991. And you tell someone else to "get an education", but say " if it weren't for our military during the civil war....we may still be under the flag of the English kings" We didn't fight the British in the Civil War, we fought each other.

BTW, I served 25 years and secured some of YOUR freedoms as well.

Did, you're full of it. The Taliban was in Afghanistan, so how did attacking Iraq, get rid of the Taliban that was not there? Iraq had no nuclear weapons program, it hadn't had one since 1991. And you tell someone else to "get an education", but say " if it weren't for our military during the civil war....we may still be under the flag of the English kings" We didn't fight the British in the Civil War, we fought each other.

BTW, I served 25 years and secured some of YOUR freedoms as well.

Soldiers dont get any "special" treatment from me, nor do I expect any from them. Fine you go out and

secure my "freedom" if that's what your superiors are feeding to you these days. I'll continue to pay

my taxes and fund your "freedom" escapades.

When your done with your Indoctrination speech garbage come talk to me, plenty of people join the

army for other reasons...under the cover of "freedom or honor".

Because Soldiers are the paragons of human society, and they can never do wrong. /Sarcasm

And at that point I'll reserve the right to question everything about America, Soldiers, politicians, Presidents, People, oh wait I almost forgot "Civilians"........... nothing should ever go unchallenged.

Power Corrupts and if you think that does not apply to the military.....oh boy......

They did secure the freedom of Jesse Buchanan.

And at that point I'll reserve the right to question everything about America, Soldiers, politicians, Presidents, People, oh wait I almost forgot "Civilians"........... nothing should ever go unchallenged.

Don't forget to think of the generations that served in the military preserving that right that you are reserving. No expectation that you would actually appreciate their sacrifices and be thankful.

We didn't fight the British in the Civil War, we fought each other.

Notice that she did not capitalize civil war but you did?

Many families, of course, were united. Fractured families were, however, at times part of the civil war aspect of the revolution-father against son, brother against brother, sister against sister, and husband against wife. This was part of a larger social drama just as much a part of the Revolution as battles and heroes. Lives were changed forever by the American Revolution.

Looks like the National Park Service historians agree with her.

Before becoming a war against the British, the American war for independence was a civil war, a street-level conflict that pitted neighbor against neighbor

As does the above introduction to a lesson plan prepared by National Humanities Center Fellow, William Smith Mason Professor of American History, Northwestern University with assistance from the National Humanities Center staff.

And just for fun what PBS says about the Civil War:

The Civil War has been given many names: the War Between the States, the War Against Northern Aggression, the Second American Revolution, the Lost Cause, the War of the Rebellion, the Brothers' War, the Late Unpleasantness.

I understand what your saying and all, but I was born with that right to preserve..no one saved it, or gave it to me.

And if I must I will fight to defend it.

Eric Arthur Blair = George Orwell

There are no women in Naval Special Warfare!!!

@Ray:

A "D" for reading comprehension, "Special Forces" refers to the entire community, not just to "Naval Special Warfare!!!"

Or perhaps it was the sexist twist from 30 years ago "ain't no woman gonna fight in MY unit".

Either way, wow.

There are no women in "Special Forces" either.

Special Forces Goes Coed
July 3, 2011: Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Special Forces began recruiting women for the first time. The women were needed for "Cultural Support Teams" (CST) for use in Afghanistan. There, it has been found that, if you send in female troops to an area, you are much more likely to get useful information from Afghan women. This was a technique that was developed, and worked, in Iraq. The U.S. Marine Corps pioneered the use of these all-woman CSTs.
The Special Forces does it differently, by using the same selection and training routines (in abbreviated format) for the women as they do for the men. Thus the Special Forces Assessment for CST volunteers is nine days, rather than 24 for the men.

There have long been rumors of some women being assigned to some SOCOM (Special Operations Command) units, like Delta Force.

I still remember what a commander of mine said in 1983, he did a tour as an assignment officer in MILPERCEN: Don't think for a second that they don't have women and they are some stone cold killers.

Love it Bassai!

Good job Intelligence agencies also! This couldn't happen without excellent information.

With the SEALS charging in, I was so surprised to read that militants were killed.

GTR5

With the SEALS charging in, I was so surprised to read that militants were killed.

Considering how some rescue attempts have gone in the past, I thought it outstanding that the hostages weren't killed.

Truthseeker

When the militants knew the Seals were coming, they most likely shot themselves.

It is. Not the first time this has happened. Pirates would expect ships passing thru to pay a ransom, when they refused they would attack the ships take the cargo, and take the crew hostage. Our military is not just awsome now, it has always been awsome. And as a side note, the marines who landed where often killed as the barbari pirates had a short curved sword and would slash the thoats of marines. To counter this the marines invented a neck band made of leather and held on with straps. It protected them from the slash of the short sword. This is where the term for our marines came from and have been occasionally called ever since. LEATHERNECKS. Proud of our Leathernecks

The Barbary Wars were a series of wars between the United States of America and the Barbary States of North Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At issue was the Barbary pirates' demand for tribute from American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. If ships failed to pay, pirates would attack the ships and take their goods, and often hold crewmembers for ransom. United States naval power attacked the fortified pirate cities and extracted concessions of fair passage from their rulers. The administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison undertook the actions against the Barbary States. Jefferson led the first, from 1801 to 1805, against pirates' cities in what are today Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. Madison directed forces for the second war in 1815.

thanks thomas......it's nice to actually learn something from a poster....who is not interested in pushing politics........i always wondered why they call them leathernecks.....god bless the US marine corps!!!

The Barbary wars gave us the 2nd line of the Marine Corps hymn...'to the shores of Tripoli'...Ooorah

The pathetic right wing fear mongerers said Obama would cut and run. His administration took out the greatest terrorist the world has ever seen. He kept his promises to bring the troops home from Iraq. He keeps delivering despite the agonized cries of obstructionist Cons that would bring us all to defeat just so a president elected of the other party wouldn't succeed. Reelect Obama in 2012 and FINISH the job you started in 2008! Throw out the GOP Tea Party econoterrorists and let's get on with the reconstruction!!! The Right is WRONG.

Dang we gotta put up with 4 more years of sloppyjoe's cryin'?

Put him in a room with Beener, maybe they'll drown.

Great!! see you here on msnbc forums on January 20th 2017....

And don't forget to RUN!!!

Forrest Grumpvia Facebook

You pathetic left-wing liberal lunatic looney nutjobs make me sick to my stomach. Obama is a disgrace to this country. He has made this country worse. I look forward to the day him and his family are out of The White House.

I SERIOUSLY FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO GO HURT SOMETHING AND WRITE LIBERAL ALL OVER ITS DEAD BODY....

Forrest Grump, in what ways has Obama made America worse?

sloppy joe, maybe you should either get a life or have your computer put in storage til you grow up,

as for forrest gump, your just a racist, we should send you to africa and let those pirates give you a "booty" call maybe it would make you feel more useful

Congratulations one and all; we made it to post #9 without losing track of what we were talking about.... and bringing POLITICS into the conversation.

WA-Moscow

Forrest Grump, in what ways has Obama made America worse?

He didn't VETO NDAA or the Patriot ACT...mof...he signed just about every Constitutional violating bill the republicrats have passed...he is just a pale shadow of Bush/Cheney (war mongering neocon cheerleaders for the wealth uber corps)...nothing more than a mouthpiece of those wanting to get more wealth at the expense of 99% of the people lives...

ohwell...it could be worse...McCain could have won...lesser of two evils thing.

Good Job to all, you make us proud..... Now if we could just get the Tea Party to come on board maybe things would move faster.....

OHGuy, so if eveyone just agreed with you things would be great? Wow, that is so unAmerican its sad.

Sco, how is that different from you?

Good Job seals. Those guys are amazing. It's a good thing for the hostages it is an election year so you know who needing anything he can say "he" accomplished, he let the seals go in. Of course, consider this, we've had hostages in a lot of places in the last three years, but election year and he is more than willing to risk the lives of several of the best of our military to have something to say "he" did right.

I'm not real sure you all should be happy that our boys are now being used for political display.

alex cali

Now this has to be Obama's highest paid "volunteer" poster or maybe he is one who got a pass on going back home!

@Tom Don't.... "He took out the greatest terrorist in the world." Do you have any proof of that? The Navy Seals (not Obama) killed someone they were told was bin Laden but any chance to verify that it was him is forever gone.

"He kept his promise to bring the troops home from Iraq." While campaigning in 2008 Obama said he would bring the troops home from Iraq before the end of his first year. Did he? NO! In fact he did nothing. The troops were pulled out on the time schedule Bush had set.

"let's get on with the reconstruction" It amazes me that progressives believe turning the U.S.A into the old U.S.S.R. with it's "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" mentality is a good thing. Deny it all you want but it is obvious that if left up to you progressives you would tax everyone at 100% and have everyone live in identical 2 room government apartments. Each with the exact same furnishings. They would demand that everyone eat the same nasty government gruel. Progressives would jail (or execute) anyone who did not speak highly of their Dear Leader.

The U.S.A. is the most successful nation to ever exist. Our citizens (and 20 million illegal aliens) enjoy an over-all standard of living that is by far the highest in the world. Even our "poor" have running water, electricity, telephones, automobiles, $100 pairs of tennis shoes, cable/satellite television, video game consoles, computers, etc. and no one with a lick of sense has to go hungry..... and yet the progressives want to "fundamentally" change the system that created all of that into a system that has been shown to be a failure every time it has been tried.

Many Americans seem to suffer from memory loss. This is evident by Newt Gingrich being taken seriously as a possible candidate for president (the man is a proven liar and had to resign as speaker of the house due to ethics violations) and the desire to transform the U.S.A. into a replica of the old Soviet Union.

I have advised my kids to find a country to emigrate to before the progressives build a wall to keep people from escaping. I hear Australia is a nice place to live. It certainly beats where this country is headed.

dmac225,

First, Osama Bin Ladin was positively identified by DNA. Second, If the President had ignored the recommendations of the Generals running the Iraq war, then you would be calling him incompetent. As it is, he followed their advice and our troops are home. Third, I have read Ann Ryand also, and if the world was populated with men like the FICTIONAL charaters in her books, then you might have an argument. Your assumption that all democrats want a communist state is pathetic.

I would advise you to lead the way for your children.

Shaking -

Political display or not - the elite in the military are like racehorses that need to run.

Obama may now trust his gut a bit more where special ops are concerned after the Bin Laden raid.

Excellent work, >>~~TeamSIX~~:>

dmac,

You demand proof of Bin Laden's demise and yet you believe every hyperbolic word that spews out of the mouths of deranged morons like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck? You must be on the same meds as them.

The America imagined by the President in no way remotely resembles your mad hallucinations. Progressive doesn't mean Communist, just like you'd argue that Conservative doesn't mean Facist.

To go to such extremes like Romney did last week, suggesting anyone who questions his brand of capitalism should go to North Korea is just the tired old, 'love it or leave it,' bull@!$%#, non-argument.

That kind of talk belongs on a grade school playground, not in a real world discussion of history and politics. In the real world, this nation was founded on the cornerstone of freedom of thought, and specifically the freedom to dissent.

Everytime you or Beck or Limbaugh or one of the GOP presidential candidates openly slanders (LIES) Obama by claiming he's a foreigner, out to destroy this country, you prove yourselves further divorced from reality and worse, you trample on the constitutional right of loyal citizens to disagree with you.

I disagree with Romney about what this country should be doing... that does not make me evil or unpatriotic. You are so blinded by hatred that you can't see that Romney's vision also includes a colossal redistribution of wealth.

The Bush Tax Cuts transfer trillions of dollars from the middle class (who only get a tiny cut) to the ultra rich (who get a huge cut) simply because the tax cuts are not paid for. The broad base of low end taxpayers who outnumber the ultra rich (150 Million x 400) pay more (a higher percentage of their income) into the treasury than the rich do.

That is an effective redistribution of wealth. It is simply unfair. It is also wrong to slander anyone who feels it is unfair by calling them unAmerican or claiming they are only jealous. THAT is the real class warfare!

You want to measure national success in commodities... sneakers, TV's? Meanwhile, Russia is planning Moon Colonies, China is building the world's largest dams, the world's tallest buildings are now in the Mid-East and Asia.

America is falling further and further behind in educating it's children and our infrastructing is rotting out from under us, primarily because the super rich keep sucking out the wealth and just sitting on it. They aren't reinvesting in America... Romney has a huge chunk of his $150 million pile OFFSHORE... How patriotic is THAT?

They aren't creating any jobs either, or haven't you noticed?? No, I'm sure you haven't. You must be too busy finger painting with the contents of your DIAPER!

Jack,

Good post. Isn't it funny how many right wing nuts admire Rand... a Russian Atheist?

The U.S.A. is the most successful nation to ever exist. Our citizens (and 20 million illegal aliens) enjoy an over-all standard of living that is by far the highest in the world. Even our "poor" have running water, electricity, telephones, automobiles, $100 pairs of tennis shoes, cable/satellite television, video game consoles, computers, etc. and no one with a lick of sense has to go hungry..... and yet the progressives want to "fundamentally" change the system that created all of that into a system that has been shown to be a failure every time it has been tried.

You don't get out much do you? There are a couple of million of homeless in this country that goes to bed every night without any of those things you mentioned. There are people living in severe poverty in this country with none of those things mentioned. Wake up, there are no "welfare queens," driving Cadillacs in this country. Also, you have certainly NOT visited those "socialist" countries in Europe. If you had, you would know their standard of living is equal to and in some areas exceeds ours.

If its you they have to rescue next time, ill make sure to tell them what you said here.

Tom111 - Aug 2011. We lost almost 31 Navy Seals that were crammed into one slow moving huey target. Leon was not praised then but he should have been fired for allowing them to be placed in 1 slow moving huey.

Good job Leon.

Oops, Sorry. Obama doesn't accept responsibility for his actions.

Bump and Run

Tom111 - Aug 2011. We lost almost 31 Navy Seals that were crammed into one slow moving huey target. Leon was not praised then but he should have been fired for allowing them to be placed in 1 slow moving huey.

Good job Leon.

Oops, Sorry. Obama doesn't accept responsibility for his actions.

You are using what happened that day to make your case against Obama?? Some patriot you are...

tom 111: No! They are not two idiots. They are two people putting their security and lives on the line to help innocent people caught in a tragic situation. They were not tourists or hikers, as we've read about before. They worked for a legitimate NGO. They, too, are soldiers who combat misery and evil with butter rather than guns.

By the way, what have you done from the safety and comfort of your living room to make the world a little better? Don't even think about coming back on me with the same question because I'll tell you what I've done.

HOORAY for the SEALs and all those in uniform!

Its not about those two foo. It's about letting criminals know they will be killed if they try to make kidnapping an occupation.

I wish people would stop collapsing other people's comments. That's rude. We all have a right to say what we think. The left are collapsing the right, the right are collapsing the left. Let people decide for themselves. I keep uncollapsing comments because I'm interested in what others have to say, whether I believe it or not. That's why I love living in this country. People can have a difference of opinion and not worry about getting their head cut off.

Amen Deb!

USA! USA! USA! Obama 2012!!!

"One thing about Oblamea, he is carrying out Bush's Agenda and taking credit for it."

If that were true you'd be loving him. Obviously you don't and your statement is pure BS.

If you even can, read a book titled, " No True Glory", its about the Battle for Fallujah, Iraq. It shows the entire truth about Bush and his administration's total ineptitude in making decisions and involvement in any military conflict. Many Marines lost their lives because that idiot Bush can't even pick what color socks he wants to wear, never mind making a command decision. Barrack Obama can make the right decisions, truth can't be taken from him. The Battle for Fallujah would have went better for us if a kid working at Taco Bell was in charge and making the hard decisions instead of that buffoon Bush.

"Oblamea" ?? really ?? what are you 6 years old or 5?

Unlike heroic president Bush who said he didn't care and didn't think about Osama Bin Laden or McCain who said he'd never go into Pakistan and approve what Obama approved which was the killing of OBL.

@Sloppy Joe - Give it a rest. The President, Leon Panetta, & the U.S. Navy Seals did what they needed to do and all your nay-saying won't change it.

Only idiot I see here is you, sloppy, based on all your comments above.

You think Obama delayed approving a rescue mission to score political points.

I think your tinfoil hat is on too tight.

Truth is, it doesn't matter what Obama does, you're not going to give him credit for anything. You're a lost cause, an abusive moron, and a troll.

No the call was set eight dayas ago. OBummer delayed it and endandgered lives so it could be done on his Address night to eek political milege. What an idiot.

Look in the mirror Soppy joe.

By now everyone but you realizes the President is very successful and very cerebral in military matters, as he has consistantly shown. Again the mission proved to be dangerous, but the top-notch team work of our men in uniform makes all America proud. Your claim that this was a political manuver, timed for the State-of-The-Union address is bull...if it's so well timed, why didn't he mention it genius?

Give the negative bad-mouthing a rest for once sloppy, another American is coming home alive and we would rather spend our time saying Thanks to our Armed forces, from top to bottom, than continue to read your "sour grapes" rantings.

sloppy joe: Whether he delayed is not for you to say, you were not in on the White House and DOD briefings on this. The truth be told, the Special Forces usually set the timetable. They plan to optimize conditions to their advantage, right down to the a full moon or cloud cover.

Furthermore, Obama gave the go ahead. No fool in doing that.

Check out your mirror. There, you will find the fool!

Sloppy Joe.

Obama could save the world, feed all it's citizens, end disease (all as great leader of course) and you'd still complain.

Kind of renders your posts not worth even reading but since we all need a laugh once in a while keep it up....

Sloppy Joe, You Lie!!!!!!

When you have nothing to say of importance, or are unable to put together an intellegent sentence, you make personal attacks (with or without substance), usually in the crudest of ways. I guess that's why Sloppy Joe can't get a post to stick for more than 3 minutes. Maybe if everyone stopped feeding the troll, he'd just go away completely.

Which one is the Commander and which one is the Chief?

sloppy joe: Read my comment above numbered 12.6, it's addressed for you.

Calling you a fool would actually be a compliment to your ignorance, which you have given away in great abundance in this article!

sloppyjoe: Your comment 13.1: You must have sat and thought for hours to come up with that pearl of wit. Congratulations on reaffirming my two previous comments.

Yes sir, who ya gonna call? Obama!

ummm??? u sure you didnt forget anybody?? or you cant be proud of him?

gamer, you are such a looser, man up, and spit it out, Mr. Presient, a job well done, no lies about invadeing a soverign nation, no outing a C I..A. agent, NO LOOSEING JOBS AT OVER A RATE OF 500 thousand a month, just choke, and say Obama, job well done, go to the light.

gamer,

Your handle says it all. Life is not a video game. Did you know that? You rant about things you know nothing about. You're a typical keyboard commando.

Alex, give it a rest, already. What are you, his campaign manager? We can tell by looking at the varioius posts who the jerks are. You don't need to interject after each off topic post.

THANK YOU SEALS for your service!

Gamer - Politics comes into play to some extent in any decision a politician makes - that's a given,that's why they are politicians. It doesn't take away the validity of their actions. And some of the greatest "politicians" were the men who set up our government. Even Washington did his own politicking! I admire the men who worked to form our republic,but they had self interests too.We've just air brushed the human flaws away with time. Our government is still a vital institution - just as they intended.

But back to the Real Deal here - Hot Damn Seals!!!

Frankly I don't care when it happened or which party the President belonged to, just happy it happened.

THANK you, Kevin. Totally and happily agree!!!

Our wonderful Navy Seals have saved lives again. Can't we all just be proud of their accomplishments together - as Americans??? GOD Bless all of them.

Kevin,

It wouldn't matter when or who the CIC was if the GOP wasn't out there slandering this CIC by calling him a foreign born appeaser. They say he is weak and is bent on destroying the America they know... That unfortunately makes it very important to be able to say it is B.H. Obama who is taking the right wing to school and eating their lunch when it comes to foreign policy and the so called 'War on Terror.' So that every time they open their lying mouths about his abilities his accomplishments and his intentions they prove themselves to be further divorced from reality and less capable of leading this nation.

Yep... make us look bad.

Grats to all involved! Welcome home to the hostages as well and best wishes to their very relieved families.

It's good to have a smart President that thinks before acting.

He's making our military leaner and meaner.

Let's hope Congress and Senate will help him do that with the government too.

Awesome job, Navy Seals, Mr. Panetta, & President Obama!!!! Keep up the excellent work!

That's a ridiculous comment, comparing the rescue of 2 people vs the elimination muslim extremists in Afghanistan.

@EdwardWI - I didn't see anything that said Afghanistan until you wrote something completely out there.

Many rescues have had bombings before. You just jumped to a conclusion you wanted to use to ...what? be irrelevant?

@EdwardWI - you know that the OBAMA administration approved the troop surge that took down the Taliban, and led to the killing of Bin Laden, who was hiding out in Afghanistan, when 911 happened? You get that Bin Laden wasn't in Iraq where there were no WMDs or Iranian and Al-Qaeda backed insurgents right? Thanks for bringing up the ridiculous nature of our unfortunate GOP wrought legacy. Your argument wins in a way that makes America lose.

Tom you know and every other person with a Brain knows that Hussien had WMD's, Don't believe me , Ask the WHOLE CLINTON ADMINISRTATION , they all said that he had WND'S. So If Bush LIED than the Clinton Administration LIED. BUT we know Clinton doesn't lie. hehehehehehehehehehehe

The only WMDs found in Iraq were a couple ten year old chemical warheads so badly degraded that they were no more than Weapons of Minor Irritation. Saddam had nothing more than a big mouth and a reputation.

That's a ridiculous comment, comparing the rescue of 2 people vs the elimination muslim extremists in Afghanistan.

Not to mention the creation of muslin extremists in Iraq.

Sorry Deborah my comment was directed @ Moveforward. As you see we posted at the same time.

Comparing a tactical rescue of two people to a war on terrorists is ignorant. Of cource the war is going to require more resources. If President Clinton would have pulled the trigger this may be a different world, maybe not??

hey clinton only lied under oath......and apparently as president he felt like it was important to national security to determine whether or not oral sex was indeed sex.....according to bill it is not.....hmmmmmmm.........and since hussein had no problem gassing his own people as it were....to see if that stuff really worked..... and it did....and you know he did not use it all up.....oh no....and with all the artillery shells found that are used to deliver the stuff........and since you do not leave that stuff sitting around......and you do not tell the general public where it is.......and when congress says you have to warn the bad guys when you are coming.......they GASP! ARG! hide or move it!!!! so where is that sh@t now?.......its gonna turn up you bet and when it is used again.....THATS gonna be bush's fault too......oh yeah.....you know snatching a couple of hostages from the jaws of death (great job seals) does not a foreign policy understanding president make.......the fact that the president used this at his SOTU speech......is a little hinky.......he should have omitted it ......but he did not.... why?

@ Tom, you know the taliban are still there right? You know President Clinton failed this country by not taking out Bin Laden when he had the chance right? You know that President Bush didn't fire a single shot right? You know that President Obama didn't fire a single shot right? You know that Secretary Panetta didn't fire a single shot right? You know the brave people who did actually accomplished both the rescue of the two individuals and the termination of Bin Laden are that same people who's budget you want to gut so you can spend the dollars on more welfare right?

World biggest forex signal provider:

he does not know that.......but still willing to cut the budget.....our hero....

What Amazing men and women we have in the Arm forces. The President gave the go ahead to rescue Americans and Peneta sent the same bad azz team in that killed bin Laden. WOW Awesome

@EdwardWI @kilroy 63

You do know one war has ended right, you do know another is drawing troops down right, you do know if you end one war and draw troops down you do not need to spend the same amount of money right.

Do some subtracting while you don't add in this instance.

You mean to tell me you want children and old women to starve. While you tell the rich just sit there in your castle and keep your tax breaks and corporate welfare. Because the old women and children don't need help F-n them let them die we can't afford them, we can only afford to keep your tax cuts and not help them At-All

@Solutions,you know both wars were financed (added to debt), not a budget item right? Educate yourself.

No, I don't want children and old women to starve. I'm more than willing to help those that need it due to circumstance but totally unwilling to those who need it based on choice. I know a number of people who sat on their asses collecting unemployment until it finally ran out and they were forced back into the work force. Its been shown if you provide 26 weeks unemployment people will wait until the 24th week to actually get a job, if you provide 52 weeks they wait until week 50, etc.

As for the rich and "corporate welfare", I don't buy your class warfare BS. Get off your ass and create a job for someone if you want to be a "Solution". Put your home and everything you own up for collateral to finance a business startup and then come and tell me about tax breaks. I've been a small business owner for over 10 years and there is only 1 tax break I ever received, Section 179 back in 2004 for vehicle depreciation. This myth that businesses receive a bunch of tax breaks is exactly that, a myth. I'm sick of hearing how businesses are bad, profit is bad, employers are bad. I want companies to profit, that's where my 401K is invested. I want it to grow.

PS Since I'm sharing I haven't taken a raise in 4 years but my employees have every year. My lowest paid employee makes 55% of what I make. I laid nobody off during this downturn in the economy. Don't talk to me about castles because you are clueless. Get off your ass and create employment, don't wait for someone to spoon feed you.

well solutions, edward is right, i own a small business too, it is a constant struggle to keep it going, no small business loan, no government help, just me working my ass off, but it is mine, and i am proud of it,i worked hard to put where it is today, seems to me if really want to work you can find a job, that simple,the government should be teaching these people job skills, in other words just giving them money is not really helping, because then human nature takes over and they say why should i work? they just sit on their ass, do you realize that if was not for the welfare programs that the democratic party would cease to exist? because then there would be no way they could get anybody to vote for them, they tell you that the rich are evil why they give money away, (not their own of course) and don't the rich provide jobs? you cannot get anything done sitting around waiting for someone to do it for you, you have to do it yourself.that's how life works.....

ok ranger fc and to the general public, i will apologize for being an ass, losing my temper, and not letting this go, when it was just a simple post, i know people have better things to do than listen to me rant. hey fc if it made you laugh then it was not a total loss, whatever the reason.

And this group is the best of the teams. Formerly known as Team 6, or DEVGRU, (Naval Special Warfare Development Group)... You can't apply for it. It's invitation only and the only Spec Ops in the world that are in their league is Delta Force.

I can almost guarantee there was a Ranger QRF ready to go in.... or perhaps there helping as well. And Let's not forget about the Nightstalker pilots that flew them in.

marine recon.......look it up......para rescue look it up.....green berets......look it up.....etc.....

kilroy - The Marines are called MARSCOM under the SOCOM chain of Command. And they were just recently added in the last decade. I don't believe para rescue is part of SOCOM... although they do support. I know the Spec Ops units and roles pretty well... I'm a former Special Operator. But maybe you should "look it up" before you tell someone else to look it up. Here's a starter for you.

was trying to point out that there are many special forces and that they go in just as dangerous situations different missions correct?......looking it up.....will help them get the info firsthand....instead of taking my word for it......hey man i'm on your side.....!......since i am no way an expert on these matters......and i want people to seek out the knowledge instead of assuming...... i am not going to say i know when i don't.......as my mom always told me when i sought out knowledge.....look it up she would say.....at that time we had an encyclopedia set......today we have the internet......but people are too lazy to use that too....

kilroy - What's with the dots? Are you trying to write everything in such a way that it would sound like Shatner when read aloud?

capecodmom - LOL. Too funny.

kilroy - Doing a little research before opening your mouth is always good advice.

FYI - Special Forces (Green Berets), Army Rangers, Navy SEALs, Nightstalkers, etc. are all part of Special Operations. They also work with other Special Operations forces from around the world, like Australian SAS, British SASR, etc... When that happens it's called a Joint Special Operations Task Force.

Just a little info for you. You can google some of this stuff and find some pretty cool information on it...

the dots are just a bad habit. separates the words i guess so it makes it easier for simple minds to read it , and you still can't comprehend, too busy pointing out nit picky things.

oooooookay ranger rich, since you are an authority and you know everything you could at least be smart enough to recognize when you are wrong. you are so sure of yourself. YOU STILL do not get the post. really, pull your head out of your ass. and read one more time. look it up meaning VERIFY the information you are reading on this thread. i know more about the military than you think. i have a close friend who retired as a marine colonel, another is a retired seal , (bad joints from diving), my brother was 82nd airborne, and i had a good friend killed in Afghanistan., he joined the army to make a difference...i guess he did, one more thing before i go, i have a second cousin still MIA from vietnam. so those things do not make me an expert like you.....oh no....no way and you know what? these living veterans do not boast about how much they have done , they served their country, did their job....so yeah you can make your cheesy remarks, i have been around a lot of combat veterans and you do not fit the mold.

PS ranger........you really pissed me off, and i really do not give a rat's a$$ how mad you are, the way i see it you are just another a$$hole just like me. too bad cause you seemed like a good man early on....

lol, rofl, lmfao...did I miss any? My brother is a technical writer, so I know English. Another was a school teacher, so I know how to fix public education. My Father was an instructor for the B-52 at Ellsworth AFB, so I knew Cold War Nuclear Strategy.

Dang RangerRich, you just got schooled by an (associated with...) expert!

you know what? i lost my temper, which is something i said i would not do. you know FC you are right that does not make me an expert, and i never once claimed to be one, all i said that he did not fit the mold, meaning that the combat vets i know are not a bunch of blowhard, look at me , look what i did, guys, they are good people, and you really have to push to get them to talk about their service., it's a personal thing to them. if you really were there then i respect that, of course it is possible to spend your entire career in the military and NEVER see a shot fired in anger. what do they call them? , i think my man hank said they were referred to as REMFS.....and he also said the ones who talk the most about being out on the sharp end, USUALLY are not, but i do not know you guys from a hole in the wall, you could be anybody, so why am i wasting my time arguing with you?

Damn right!

That's far from an "Average " comment. very insightful, AG....He's been doing the difficult all along; but with the Republicans hanging from his leg every step of the way like whiny little kids, it's hard to get things done; Fortunately the Prez is used to dealing with small, crying children--and the girls have turned out just fine.

That's far from an "Average " comment. very insightful, AG....He's been doing the difficult all along; but with the Republicans hanging from his leg every step of the way like whiny little kids, it's hard to get things done; Fortunately the Prez is used to dealing with small, crying children--and the girls have turned out just fine.

"Obama going to schools and colleges is the same as having 'Little Hitler's' back in college?" Does anyone out there understand this gibberish? Go back to "schools" and learn to write.

This is not the first time I have heard someone comment that Obama did not kill Bin Laden, the Seals did. I have to comment on this because I can't listen to it anymore without saying something- even though I believe it is usually a good idea not to argue with a fool. First- do you really expect the President of the USA, himself, to go into Pakistan and personally take out Bin Laden on a highly dangerous mission, with his own hands? Give Obama credit for prioritizing this mission so that it could be carried out by the professionals that are supposed to do this work.

Insightful and intelligent. (and thanks to Tim for proving your point so quickly)

Our previous president led the attack in iraq, almost singlehandedly removing saddam from his palace, then made a daring carrier landing on a moving aircraft carrier to announce his success.