Richard Miniter: Panetta wanted to take out Osama bin Laden in 2009

Posted by The Right Scoop on August 21st, 2012 in Politics | 43 Comments

Richard Miniter said in his interview with Hannity last night that the first briefings Obama got on Osama bin Laden’s location came in the spring of 2009 and shortly thereafter Panetta started pushing to take him out. Even in 2011 the mission was canceled three times before it was finally given the go ahead. It sounds like Obama literally had to be pushed into it:

DAILY MAIL – The killing of bin Laden is at the centre of Obama’s re-election campaign and is likely to be highlighted yet again by his aides on the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks next month. Obama has already come under fire from former SEALs for trumpeting his role in the raid.

Until now, no one has claimed that he was reluctant even to launch it.

Miniter portrays Clinton as the main force behind killing bin Laden and contends that the prevaricating Obama has been in thrall to a number of dominant women – Clinton, top adviser Valerie Jarrett and his wife Michelle.

It was Jarrett, a long-time Chicago ally, he reports, who urged Obama to cancel the first three operations to kill bin Laden.

Miniter writes that Clinton’s alliances with Leon Panetta, then CIA director and now Pentagon chief, and David Petraeus, then head of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan and now at the helm at the CIA, were critical in bringing bin Laden to justice.

At the start of his presidency, Miniter writes, Obama was ‘studiously undecided’ about whether to kill the mastermind of 9/11.

‘He refused to weigh in or commit himself on even small matters related to a possible strike on bin Laden.’

He continues: ‘Obama was often disengaged as the bin Laden operation took shape; he left critical decisions to the then-CIA Director Leon Panetta, then-Secretary of Defence Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

‘Obama feared taking responsibility for a risky raid that might go tragically wrong.’

Initially, Miniter writes, Obama deferred to Jarrett over whether to go after bin Laden.

‘Jarrett opposed the idea. She worried about a backlash against the president if the operation failed, or even if it succeeded. Clinton privately fumed about Jarrett’s relentless presence and her injection of political considerations at every turn.

‘Throughout 2009 Obama demanded more and more certainty about U.S. intelligence concerning bin Laden. Jarrett repeatedly reminded Obama and other executive-branch officials that the president had campaigned on the “intelligence failures” of the Bush years.

‘There was no need, she said, to hand our political rivals a set of intelligence failures of our own.

‘As CIA covert teams successfully parried concerns about intelligence by extraordinary efforts that proved bin Laden was indeed in the Abottobad compound, a new set of delaying tactics emerged, embedded in the debate over what should actually be done.’

Despite their rivalry during the battle for the 2008 Democratic nomination, Clinton had gradually won over Obama and established her influence during weekly meetings in the Oval Office.

‘Clinton used her weekly meeting to begin lobbying for a decisive blow against bin Laden.

‘She knew her husband had paid a political price for failing to stop bin Laden before the September 11 attacks. She knew Obama’s presidency could be mortally wounded if he had bin Laden in his gun sights and didn’t fire.’

Eventually, Miniter writes, Obama was convinced that bin Laden should be pursued but still had reservations about pulling the metaphorical trigger.

‘He knew Clinton was right. So he agreed to keep making minor decisions, but remained uneasy about the big one at the end—deciding to kill bin Laden, and to risk losing American and Pakistani lives in the process.’

Even the day before bin Laden’s demise, Miniter writes, Obama was seized by a ‘fourth moment of indecision’.

The White House later said that poor weather conditions prompted this final delay but Miniter writes that he obtained the US Air Force Combat Meteorological Centre’s weather report for that day and established that it showed ‘ideal conditions’ for the SEAL raid.

Talk about an empty suit. Geez.

Here is Miniter’s short interview on Hannity last night:

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43 comments

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Chris

What was the holdup, Mr. President? You just wanted to make for sure for sure for sure? Ahhhhh. We see who really wears the pants (or pantsuit) in this presidency. Who else ran a victory lap besides El Presidente when bin Laden was made to sleep with the fish(es)? Hmmm.

Nukeman60

This interview further tends to support the facts that were published over a year ago, and which I have posted on several occasions since. I'm pleased to see these facts are becoming known by more and more people prior to the election, as it shows the inability of Obama to be President of the United States and just another reason why he should be removed in November.

This article is very a detailed description, dated May 3, 2011.

http://socyberty.com/issues/white-house-insider-obama-hesitated-panetta-issued-order-to-kill-osama-bin-laden/

AmericanborninCanada

I read this earlier Nukefriend, and posted it on my facebook. I got to this via the Ulsterman Report. Very eye opening, unless like some of us, we've been saying the same things... http://americanthinker.com/2012/08/will_obama_keep_power_by_any_means_necessary.html

Nukeman60

Agreed. There have been those of us who have been on the same page, and more and more people are realizing it's not just a 'conspiracy theory'. BTW, did you see the latest article today on Obama keeping control 'by any means necessary' from the American Thinker? They also addressed the Ulsterman's excellent interviews with the WHI and WSI.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/will_obama_keep_power_by_any_means_necessary.html

Edit: OOPs, posted before I read your link. My bad. Same link. You're once again way ahead of me. :)

AmericanborninCanada

So are you my dear friend.. so are you!! :-D

Nukeman60

Okay, I'll accept that you're too modest. That's a good trait.

AmericanborninCanada

Oh quit it! Lol, only reason I made sheriff is because I've been here longer than you ;-)

Nukeman60

Well -- You're brilliant and I just take my cues from you. That's why you're Sheriff and I'm just one of the horses in the stable. lol

AmericanborninCanada

LOL- we're both BRILLIANT that's why! :-D

antidrone

This is just another facet of Obama's narcissism. He is so overwhelmingly concerned with his own image that he will always freeze when a critical decision needs to be made. Vladimir Putin knows this. The President of Iran knows this. Our allies know this. These are dangerous times indeed. Pray nothing happens before election day.

theyjustcantstop

he got it a lot closer to nov.2012 this way.

Yazz55

Obama forgot to blame Bush for putting in place the resources that allowed him to kill Osama.

GuessWhoFan

To paraphrase Carville: If Hillary gave him one of her balls, they'd both have two.

Sandra123456

So Pelosi and her people were behind the health care scheme and not Obama and his gang. That is a surprise to me. So she knew what was in the health care bill when she said we had to pass it to find out what was in it.

If we can't get term limits at the very least we should have national elections to decide who gets positions of power that affect us all like Speaker of the House and Senate Leader.

Why should the stupidity of or lack of candidate choice give a voting district in Ca. power over all our lives? Or a voting district in Nevada? (Harry Reid)

NYGino

Makes all the sense in the world Sandra.

Don

Breitbart.com is reporting that Obama has put Special Operations for America (Navy Seals) and Veterans for a a Strong America, another veterans' organization on his enemies list at his campaign website. Not only does this president sue individual states for trying to protect their citizens from lack of security by Federal immigration laws and forcing un-Constitutional attacks on their states, he now is attacking our military for telling the truth, something he has absolutely no perception of. This president and his administration are attacking this country from within and do not even try to hide it.

NYGino

He's the advance man for the Muslim Brotherhood.

brendawatkins

Valerie Jarret has WAY TOO MUCH SWAY over Obama! She WASN'T the one elected, and she shouldn't be the one RULING!

Whitewolf2009

The manchild blames everybody else when something goes wrong and takes all the credit for himself when something goes right.

Conservative_Hippie

Impeachment anyone?

E. Lee Zimmerman

You had me at "impeach-"

The Right Scoop

Heh. Only in November.

Conservative_Hippie

You're on!

4Hoppes2

You got my full-fledged support.

Conservative_Hippie

I figured I was preaching to the choir :)

Arrrggghhh

Perhaps Obama felt that if he got Bin Laden too early in his administration, the Bush administration would have received more of the credit.

Smith Smith

I didn't think about it that way, but you could have a very good point.

NYGino

There's a thought I hadn't heard before. Wouldn't put it past him since everything is political in his administration and the heck with what's best for the country.

4Hoppes2

What ever influence Hillary has over Obama should not be taken as an endorsement of Hillary. Remember it is Hillary, Samantha Powers and Susan Rice that engineered the policy of R2P. That is the policy designed to throw the might of the US military against any nation that the UN deemed was under threat of Human Rights violations.

Smith Smith

He only went after Obama for political reasons. I've heard that he had 3 chances and on the 3rd chance he still was not wanting to, but his admin team told him that one day this information would get out and all he would be remembered for is the President that was to scared to make the call to get him.

AmericanborninCanada

"Miniter portrays Clinton as the main force behind killing bin Laden.." Probably because she knew her husband is still on the hook for not getting him when he could have had him at least twice when he was ehm, dallying with Monica at the time.

While the media will do their best to hide this, I don't think anyone who hears it will have any problem believing it. Libs have a hard time separating lawyers from war and always tend to "lead" from a legal point of view rather than a military view. Besides in dear leader's case, being a marxist surrounded by closet islamists and middle easterners, it wouldn't surprise me to see him bow to Jarrett or the brotherhood or even bin laden if he'd had the opportunity. I despise the dear leader.

las1

"always tend to "lead" from a legal point of view rather than a military view

That was precisely the problem when Madeleine Albright had Hillary's job now. Albright refused to take Bin Laden out and advised Bill that doing so would not look good from a legal view... a perception that America didn't go the official route.

That turned out well didn't it? And the Clintons have tried to shield themselves from any criticism ever since. Even when a popular made-for-tv movie depicted Clinton's weakness... they worked hard to ensure that "Path to 911" was seen only once on mainstream TV.

The more I hear about the "Clintons"... the more contempt I have for them. But to the ethically challenged... Bill's such a nice likeable guy.

AmericanborninCanada

"But to the ethically challenged... Bill's such a nice likeable guy. "

I could say so much about this comment, but I'll only say, Excellent! :-)

detectivedick

Pink suites for them all

las1

Under the Arizona sun...

NYGino

When the smoke clears, when we are well past this disastrous Presidency, more and more inside people are going to come out of the woodwork with books and truths about this traitor. Those who have kept their heads in the sand, who just go along and stay uninformed will be shocked to find out what this man was all about. The MSM will eventually be forced to admit their part in this attempted destruction of the greatest country on Earth and will wither away and die from lack of credibility.

It is starting to happen now.

detectivedick

The men and women that know the truth about the LIAR only have to look into a mirror to see there empty soul propping up the Chicago thugs. May they all rest well in hell.

Sober_Thinking

Thanks for posting this Scoop.

Once again, I postulate that Obama is a poser and a lie. He is quite simply the worst (cough) President this nation has ever had. Totally unqualified and absolutely NOT a leader.

I'd like to see an investigation into Valerie Jarrett, especially if she is/was/or is indirectly tied to Iran. Glenn Beck has been warning us for years about her.

Army_Pilot1967

There is a significant difference between being prudent and being indecisive when it comes to major military operations. obama was indecisive and hem-hawed around far too long for whatever reason. He probably wanted a written guarantee that the operation to kill bin Laden would succeed. And when it did, he rushed to take credit for it. Showboat obama.

Don

When the Navy Seals organzation called Special Operations for America comes out against the actions of Obama, you have to know that something is seriously wrong. When you have a president who is a narcissist and puts himself above the best interests of those he has swore to protect and defend, then he is unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief to those that have swore the same oath. It is inconceivable that Navy Seals will be the attacked as racist cowards by the fanatical left because they tell the truth and see, firsthand, the attack from within on our country.

Joel S. Miller

I just finished watching "Act of Valor" and I watched the heroics of those brave SEAL and Navy heroes I was flushed with pride for them, all armed forces, and this great country! However it pained me when at the conclusion the commander presented a flag to commemorate the death of a colleague and said "On behalf of the President.." I yelled at the TV!! This empty suit of a prez has not love, adoration, concern, or respect for any member of the armed forces! What a disgrace!! I have nothing but respect for the Founders, but I must question whether the Commander in Chief should not have some form of service in the armed forces to instill the needed knowledge and respect for the military as they serve. I look forward to your thoughts!