Off-Topic: This is interesting

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	Name:	Talullahhound -
	Subject:	This is interesting
	Date:	5/5/2011 8:18:41 AM

I think the author, while maybe reporting what went on correctly (although it would be interesting to know his source), is misinterpreting the environment.

First of all, the main objective would be to create a environment to protect the President. So the fact that Leon Panetta created a program with himself as the focus tells me that he probably was thinking of how he could put a program in place without affecting the President if it it was leaked. He was leaving the President with deniability.

Of course the military would be in favor of the action and pressing forward. They want to destroy the enemy -- that's what they do.

Secondly, it's not unusual for a senior official to not take a definitive position while a course of action is being developed. It's also not unusual to include the person that has a different view to present the counter point. Actually, reading this made me feel pretty good about how this developed. Because this tells me that the President is getting more than just one view and is hearing the cons as well as the pros.

Obama is a policy wonk at heart. He's going to want to look at every side of the issue before he takes a position. He's not a person that operates on gut or emotion -- he's cooly objective. I think what is described here supports that characteristic.
From my limited experience, I think that what the author describes is more likely to be the norm and that's a good thing. This was a very serious situation with a lot of ramifications beyond the immediate operation.