Pirates: Perception vs. Realtiy

By: Mr. Curmudgeon
mrcurmudgeon@inthepublicsquare.com

The Obama administration, reluctant to get its hands bloody by ordering a military assault on Somali pirate enclaves, finds that the international community it believed would rally to its aid, instead, is scratching it collective head in bewilderment at the new American President’s weak indecisiveness. In the first few days in office, Obama’s Nerf Pentagon ordered Predator drone aircraft to fire missiles at suspected al Qaida gatherings in Pakistan’s autonomous northeastern provinces. Pushbutton video game warfare appears to be more in line with Obama’s vision of “hope and change” than the sometimes bloody business associated with protecting the national interest. Freedom of the seas, as Obama is discovering, is one of America’s primary interests.

According to the Washington Post:

Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.

Obama appears willing allow Somali pirates to set the terms of the conflict. Former President George W. Bush once declared that the war on terror “will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” Recently, Obama sent an e-mail to his new Nerf Pentagon that “this administration prefers to avoid using the term Long War or Global War on Terror…please pass this on to your speechwriters.” A less offensive term was crafted so as not to upset the sensitive men who planned the World Trade Center attacks –  “overseas contingency operations.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters during her recent trip to Europe, “The administration has stopped using the phrase [war on terror], and that speaks for itself, obviously.” Obviously.

Osama bin Laden, are you listening?

Like Mrs. Clinton’s husband Bill, Obama will simply wish away threats to America. In Obama’s world, reality is merely a matter of perception, dismissed with the press of a computer key and the sending of an e-mail . External, objective reality is much more difficult to deal with, as we saw on 9/11 and in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In light of Obama’s new strategy for dealing with “overseas contingency operations,” perceptions must change regarding Americans held hostage by pirates. Here's a Mr. Curmudgeon tip for President Obama's next phrase-change Pentagon e-mail: Somali pirates are not pirates at all – they are “exotic cruise re-organizers,” while their hostages are now “shore leave extended-stays.”

For Obama, America's security is a state of mind. For Osama bin Laden and Somali pirates, America's self delusion provides the best cover prior to mounting an attack. In short, ugly reality trumps sweet fantasy every time, and with deadly consequences.

--Mr. Curmudgeon