Obama vs. the Somali Pirates

OK, OK, OK...

I have already gotten some feedback, and all of it is appreciated. Thank you.

Several of my liberally-inclined friends thought I was a bit too harsh on my first post about the President. I must be doing something right then.

I am going to avoid succumbing to Obama Derangement Syndrome, the symptoms of which cause me to disagree with everything he does or says simply because he is Obama, as much as possible. Some of you have said that my post was too ad hominem, meaning I attacked him personally rather than intellectually. What specifically? The fact that he was a non-descript legislator? That he lacked substantive achievements? I want to be proved wrong here. I don't think you can.

That being said, something very positive happened while I was in Malaysia. The U.S. Navy managed to rescue several American merchants from ruthless Somali pirates. Please let me refer to John Fund's post below:

Obama's Jefferson Moment

In the wake of the daring killing by Navy sharpshooters of three Somali pirates who were holding Captain Richard Phillips hostage, the question is what next?

Asked about chances that violent confrontations with the pirates will escalate, Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, told reporters: "Yes. There's second and third order effects to every action. And this could escalate violence in this part of the world. No question about it." He also warned that the "ultimate solution to piracy is on land."

The pirates themselves vowed retaliation and are already peddling their alternate version of events. A relative of one of the pirates claims the pirates had offered to let Captain Phillips go if they were allowed to escape. Instead, the pirate spokesperson asserts the Americans shot the three pirates while a fourth on board the U.S.S. Bainbridge was still negotiating on their behalf. No doubt many in the Arab world will believe this story and denounce calls for international intervention to stop future piracy.

But that is precisely what is now needed. The pirates have demonstrated time and again their ability to seize ships operating 400 miles or more off the Somali Coast, rendering international patrols against them impractical. Last year, piracy resulted in 889 crewmembers being taken hostage, 32 being injured and 11 being killed.

Today marks the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, our third president, who faced a direct threat to freedom of commerce on the high seas two centuries ago. In 1804, this most non-interventionist of presidents nonetheless felt compelled to send the U.S. Navy to North Africa to clean out the nest of the Barbary Pirates. It was a bold move which effectively ended the pirates' reign of terror in the Mediterranean.

President Obama claims to recognize the threat piracy poses. In a statement from the White House he said: "We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region. To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes."

But those are precisely the measures that have been tried to date and have failed to dissuade the pirates from boarding and seizing bigger and bigger ships. Something more decisive is needed. President Obama deserves credit for a successful tactical operation in rescuing Captain Phillips. But given the escalation in the region that Admiral Gortney predicts may happen, the president may not have a lot of time before the next incident involving U.S. citizens.

-- John Fund

Now, the right-wing blogosphere is debating what orders came from the White House and what orders were given by the captain of the USS Bainbridge, but I am willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt.

Bravo, Mr. Obama, for standing up to the uncivilized world!