C. Wallace: Going after bin Laden - the process, the professionalism, the care, the meticulousness -

[question everything]

"In terms of just the process, the professionalism, the care, the meticulousness, this is right at the top," Wallace replied.

He was interviewed on CBS Sunday morning about his new book: Countdown bin Laden

Here is part of the interview:

It wasn't the only thing going on at the time, Wallace noted: "Obama has got a civil war in Libya; he's got the Arab Spring across the Middle East; he's got Donald Trump pushing the birther movement." Four days before the raid, President Obama had to prove he was born in America.

Dickerson asked, "Were you conscious of the disconnect between what we see, and then what's really going on behind the scenes?"

"Absolutely," Wallace replied. "I mean, nobody had a clue. Remember, the night before the raid, Obama is at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And he's taking off after Donald Trump because Trump has been propagating the birther theory. And he starts making fun of the decisions that Trump made on 'Celebrity Apprentice':

Mr. Obama: "But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didn't blame Lil' Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night."

"He's 24 hours from the biggest decision of his presidency," Wallace said. "And perhaps, it's either going to secure or eliminate the chances for his reelection."

(snip)

Admiral William McRaven, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, was also surprised, as Wallace recalled: "One of the things that McRaven said is, 'I know the guy had never been in the military. But he was so discerning about what was important and what wasn't, and he knew his strengths and he knew his limits. He knew the stuff he didn't know, and he wasn't gonna presume or pretend that, you know, I'm more of a general than the generals.'"

Dickerson asked, "Given that, what do you think when leaders say, 'Well, I just trust my gut'?"

"I think they're damn fools," Wallace replied.

More..

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-wallace-countdown-bin-laden-the-pursuit-of-al-qaeda-leader-osama-bin-laden/

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In hindsight, I have often wondered whether that goading got Whinny Donny to decide to run.

[Hekate]

1. KnR

[lamp_shade]

2. I'll always believe it was Obama's goading. However, I'll also always believe that he did not

want to win. He just wanted to play the game and see if he could scare Obama.

[question everything]

4. Was thinking the same thing. After each primary I was waiting for him to say

bye bye, was fun.

But then, his thin skin narcissistic self would not let him.

[Girard442]

3. 'Scuse me. OBL was sitting in Pakistan, fat, dumb, and happy.

He had to be disposed of because he'd become an embarrassment.