Left wingers are crowing, such as at the appropriately named – and Keith Obama Obermann PR team at Crooks and Liars.

“Before yesterday’s remarkable success story on the high seas off the coast of Somalia, the right-wing yammerers were calling Obama “President Pantywaist”. One of these blogs had the following classic line:

Navy SEALs are certainly no pantywaists, but unfortunately their commander-in-chief is.

Fox News, as you can see in the video above, was littered with similar yammering.

Now the best part: It turns out that “President Pantywaist” overturned George W. Bush’s timid dithering on the issue last year in unleashing those Navy SEALs:

President Barack Obama issued a standing order to use force against pirates holding an American captain hostage — including giving a Navy commander the authority to act if he believed the captain’s life was in danger, two senior defense officials said Sunday night.

Navy snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge on Sunday shot and killed three of the pirates after the Bainbridge’s commander gave the order, when a pirate was spotted aboard the lifeboat pointing an AK-47 rifle at Capt. Richard Phillips, one defense official said.

You see, back last November, George W. Bush punted on the matter:

U.S. President George W. Bush has been briefed about increasing attacks by Somali pirates off east Africa, and the United States is consulting with other U.N. Security Council members on ways to combat the threat, the White House said on Wednesday.

Calling it a “a very complicated issue,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino gave no hint of what, if any, action the United States might take following the hijacking earlier this week of a Saudi supertanker with a $100 million oil cargo.”

Not quite the same you non-military pantywaist. First, Bush when far and wide to protect America’s in harms way. Not one attack after the Clinton enabled 9/11. When THE ONE can hoist that anchor he’ll have something to crow about.

Yet there is no such praise from those who were handcuffed by administration indecision over the 72 hours Capt Philips was in custody. From what I’m hearing there was increased frustration from those on the scene at mixed information coming out of the White House. The meme of so-called authority to engage if Capt Philips life was in danger is laughable. Just when would that be determined, since for 72 hours he had an AK-47 aimed on him?

You see for all after action transparency from the White House, the fact is that there was NO decisive action until the Commander of the Bainbridge called the shots based NOT on Obama’s unclear and imprecise and conflicted orders, but on standard operating procedure.

Therefore again, Obama get’s no “Mettle” from these quarters, and all the credit belongs solely to our Navy Seals.

Huurraah.

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