And So It Begins. . . .
Andy McCarthy:
Somali pirates have hijacked an American flagged ship, taking hostage at least 20 Americans and their cargo — aid they were were trying to provide to the distressed Muslim people of Mombassa, Kenya. As Somali pirates have been terrorizing ships on the high seas for months now, TigerHawk is wondering why U.S. vessels haven't been siezed before now, and what our new commander-in-chief proposes to do about it.TigerHawk:
Why has this not happened before? Why were these pirates not deterred by the prospects of a response from the United States Navy (the very first mission of which was to stop piracy from Africa)? What will our president do about it? This is a far more important moment for Barack Obama than the news media, judging by the lack of coverage on cable news this morning, believes it to be. The tenor and scope of our response should not merely be tailored to getting these hostages back safely. Our Navy's command of the seas is a non-negotiable strategic asset. We need to know why our flag did not deter these bozos and take immediate steps to restore their respect for it, even if we have to bomb every pirate port on the Somali coast and suffer the charge of "disportionality" from the international law fetishists. It's what Thomas Jefferson would do.Tick. Tock. UPDATE: Folks in the Pentagon are rightfully angry.