Obama calls raid ‘longest 40 minutes of my life,’ says getting bin Laden outweighed any risks

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama ordered the commando raid that killed terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after deciding the risks were outweighed by the possibility “of us finally getting our man” following a decade of frustration, he said in a Sunday broadcast interview.

The helicopter raid “was the longest 40 minutes of my life,” Obama told CBS’ 60 Minutes, with the possible exception of when his daughter Malia became sick with meningitis as an infant.

Monitoring the commando raid operation in the White House Situation Room a week ago, Obama said he and top aides “had a sense of when gunfire and explosions took place” halfway around the world, and knew when one of the helicopters carrying Navy SEALs made an unplanned hard landing. “But we could not get information clearly about what was happening inside the compound,” he said.

Public opinion polls have shown a boost in Obama’s support in the days since the raid, and his re-election campaign was eager to draw attention to the interview.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mining_bin_ladens_secrets_shows_his_active_involvement_in_planning_al_qaida_plots/2011/05/08/AFXVtOOG_story.html

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I found a DU post from 2007 that used the "longest 40 minutes" phrase. Hmm.

That test was the longest hour of my life.
That car accident was the longest 5 minutes of my life.

An immoral or stupid president wouldn't anguish over such an operation.

about their bill - I know they intend to pay.

along with president Kennedy. Reagan made mockery of that when he said thinking the microphone was turned off- we are going to war with Russia-we begin bombing in five minutes.

Reagan didn't know the microphone was not turned off but he thought he knew it was off..

And as you know there are plenty of jerk ass republicans that think just like he did -they don't really know but they think that they know . And the things that they do and say are as foolish and as damning as what Reagan jokingly said and as were many of the things that he did or was responsible for having had done. I mean take a look at just how stupid Sarah Palin is in the things she says and does-and Palin glorifies Reagan-isn't that odd ?

And then there is that jerk governor in -you know the one- the fake phone call-you know-he was having a little get together at the residence and whipped out a little you know thing /Reagan said on a piece of paper he kept close to his vest at all times- oh yes and how those bastards miss those 80's.All those self serving greedy bastards.

But you know the longest time I ever spent in passing-well the Cuban missile crisis is right up there top of the list.
But there have been a few of those in the years passed.

But if you yourself have never had a experience to compare -than all you have left is words to challenge.
But let me tell you something- the learning experience does not begin or end in the classroom.

So what I am saying is you need to get a little more real life in the real world education.

You bet it was tough about as intense as it gets. And we know what was meant by the presidents words. some of us or many of us have experience in those areas. But for those that don't what I can tell you is-it is always better to know than it is to think that you know.

You are not showing how smart you are but how little experience you have to base your assessments on.It reminds me of professors who have no idea-no clue about what goes on out there in the real world !Some of the things that they say !

Those longest hours by the way is the cause of speeding up the aging process or graying of hair.You might think about that.And if you do ,you might come to know something.

Are you directing this rant to my remarks?

It was directed at the bottom line pointing to a 2007 statement-fallowed by hmmm or wtf ever.

Thanks for straightening that out for me.

I keep hearing people talk about how this was such a risky move for Obama, how he was risking all on this gambit, and so on. Don't get me wrong, it was a kick ass operation and that's great and he's to be commended for it, my question is only: what made it so risky? Haven't we done like, oh, about a zillion black ops since 9/11? Don't we send special forces units into other countries to perform surgical missions all the time? Had this particular operation not succeeded in locating bin Laden, who would ever even have known about it? I daresay the military and the administration don't go around trumpeting to the New York Times every mission that isn't successful. Even if the public had learned of it, wouldn't we have just chalked it up to another in a long series of attempts to track down bin Laden that, unhappily, like all of the previous attempts, hadn't produced? So what was risked that was any different from what is risked on any other commando raid? I'm sorry, I warned you all it was a stupid question, I know nothing about military stuff.

A disastrous operation could have easily destroyed Obama's chances in 2012.

Plus, you know he felt personally responsible for the men involved.

Obama's chance of winning reelection in 2012 would have greatly been diminished, if not totally compromised (unless, of course the Republicans ran Trump, Palin or Bachmann) should he have chosen the most risky option he was given over the safer ones and the mission failed. He would have been hammered into the ground by the Republicans the rest of the campaign season and throughout history. Can't you hear it? Reckless. Made his decision in a vacuum against the advice of those whose expertise were far superior to his own.

Beyond that and back to your question, almost anything could have happened. Here is a link to the rescue mission Jimmy Carter attempted when 52 Americans were being held by Iran:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw

Carter himself blamed the failure of this mission as a largely contributing factor to his failure to win re-election.

In my opinion, both Presidents were heroic for attempting these missions. It is just that one of them learned from the mistakes of the other, and he also had the benefit of more time to plan the details. In doing so and in conjunction with his military advisers, he left no stone unturned. Still, President Obama could have experienced an unexpected snafu, the mission might not have been successful, and he would have faced an even greater amount of criticism for invading the borders of a sovereign nation.

Bill Clinton and George Bush both were given options such as the one President Obama was given, but only President Obama had the raw courage and nerve to bet the farm. This is one of the salient reasons he has been repeatedly called gutsy by those on the inside since he dared to do what both Clinton and Bush declined to do.

It is very seldom one observes a politician take a risk which might cause the future loss of an important election. This is exactly what President Obama did, putting the best interests of this Country over and above his own political welfare, and that alone makes him truly deserving to be called The Commander-in-Chief.

The failed Iran hostage rescue undoubtedly cost Carter re-election. The difference I'm getting at between then and now is that, then, we weren't engaged in routine military operations in the area and we were violating the sovereignty of another nation, which used to be a big deal. Maybe I've become too much of a conspiracy theorist under the dark years of the Bushista junta, but my impression has been that, since 9/11, we've been doing that sort of thing in the region on a virtually daily basis. One hears all the time in the papers about how another team of special forces are engaged in some covert operation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and god only knows where else. We seem to have completely abandoned any respect for the territorial integrity of other sovereign nations. American soldiers come back from the Middle East in body bags every day - or, rather, usually in the wee hours of the night on unscheduled flights so that no one will be distressed by having to see their bodies on the news.

In the good old days under Carter, when military force was the court of last recourse and international law was respected, this sort of incursion was a unique event and therefore newsworthy. Today, it's just another Sunday.

Were they taking tea breaks every 10 minutes, or what?

they then confirm bin Laden's death and save the children from being hurt but they got that cash of intel. Good call Mr. President, Good call!!!

Biggest understatement of his life.