The Obama Narrative: Always A Work In Progress

Securing a factual narrative of what occurred this past weekend during the raid and execution of Osama bin Laden is proving as elusive as knowing the true biographical narrative of Barack Obama. Salon hones in on the strange meeting of the Obama administration's attempt to attempt to recast the life of bin Laden by creating a false story about his capture and death.

First we hunt you down. Then we blow a hole in your face. Then we dump your body in the sea, where no one can find your grave. Then we destroy the last thing left of you: your reputation . . .

John Brennan, President Obama's counterterrorism coordinator, understands this. Killing Bin Laden was only the first step. The next step is to use his death to demoralize and divide his followers. "We have a lot better opportunity now that … Bin Laden is out of there to destroy that organization, create fractures within it," Brennan said at a White House briefing Monday. "The number two, Zawahiri, is not charismatic. … You're going to see them start eating themselves from within."


To accelerate this fratricide, Brennan issued a damning account of Bin Laden's behavior during the raid on his compound. "He was engaged in a firefight with those that entered the area of the house he was in," said Brennan. During this shootout, "there was a female who was in fact in the line of fire that reportedly was used … to shield bin Laden." Brennan concluded:

Here is Bin Laden, who has been calling for these attacks, living in this million-dollar-plus compound, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield. I think it really just speaks to just how false his narrative has been over the years.

The narrative of bin Laden using a woman to shield him as he resisted his capture by firing at the invading Navy Seals turned out to be false. The woman caught in the crossfire was on a lower level of the three-story, concrete block home where bin Laden had been living for the last five to six years. Our soldiers found bin Laden on the third floor of the home unarmed. It now seems that he was first captured and then executed by our soldiers without bothering to interrogate him. Ironically, other news reports suggest Obama had rejected an earlier plan to bomb the facility because it would obliterate any evidence bin Laden lived in the well-fortified compound in Pakistan. ABC News' Jack Tapper reported:

Sources tell ABC News that in March President Obama authorized the development of a plan for the U.S. to bomb Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound with two B2 stealth bombers dropping a few dozen 2,000-pound JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) on the compound.


But when the president heard the compound would be reduced to rubble he chose not to pursue that option.

That would mean there would be no evidence bin Laden was dead to present to the world — no DNA evidence, as the administration anticipates it will have.

Plus all 22 people in the compound including women and children, plus likely many neighbors would be killed.

The president wanted proof. And he wanted to minimize collateral damage.

So instead the president authorized this incredibly daring and difficult operation, scheduled for a time of “low loom” — little moon luminosity — so the US helicopters could enter into Pakistan low to the ground and undetected.

Not surprisingly, Obama's report to the American people about the daring capture and killing of bin Laden was met by a skeptical public that has grown weary of two wars being fought in Afghanistan and Iraq for the past decade at a cost of more than $1 trillion dollars and the deaths of thousands of our brave soldiers. People wanted proof that the bin Laden they've been conditioned to fear and hate had in fact been killed. CIA Director Leon Panetta wasted no time in assuring the public that photographic evidence would be forthcoming soon:

Officials discussed whether to release photographs of bin Laden's corpse, an image Carney described as "gruesome," as well as photos or video of bin Laden's burial at sea. CIA Director Leon Panetta said Tuesday in an NBC interview that "ultimately a photograph would be presented to the public."


"There's no question that there were concerns and there were questions that had to be debated," Panetta said. "But the bottom line is that, you know, we got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him."

President Obama then overruled the commitment made by Panetta to release a photo, seeming to undermine the story we were told that he opposed a bombing mission as opposed to a raid and capture mission because there would be no evidence of bin Laden's death to present to the world.

In an interview with Steve Kroft for this Sunday's "60 Minutes" conducted today, President Obama said he won't release post-mortem images of Osama bin Laden taken to prove his death.


"It is important to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool," said the president.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Mr. Obama added. "The fact of the matter is, this is somebody who was deserving of the justice that he received."

The president said he had discussed the issue with his intelligence team, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and that they agree with the decision. White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that Mr. Obama made the decision today.

Obama noticeably omits his CIA Director from the intelligence team that concurred with his decision. If another report is to be believed, it was Panetta, not Obama, who actually authorized the raid on bin Laden's compound last weekend. A report from one administration insider claims Obama procrastinated for months on whether to go after bin Laden after U.S. intelligence discovered he was living at the compound last August. While Panetta sought approval to move forward with the planned operation, Valerie Jarrett reportedly convinced  Obama against taking action. Growing worried that bin Laden would elude the capture of his American pursuers yet again, Panetta reportedly took matters into his own hands and authorized the action without Obama's express approval, with the full backing of Secretary of State Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Here's a portion of the insider's damning account of how our absentee President was literally plucked from the golf course last weekend to watch the mission ordered by Panetta unfold in the White House Situation Room:

Q: You stated that President Obama was “overruled” by military/intelligence officials regarding the decision to send in military specialists into the Osama Bin Laden compound. Was that accurate?


A: I was told – in these exact terms, “we overruled him.” (Obama) I have since followed up and received further details on exactly what that meant, as well as the specifics of how Leon Panetta worked around the president’s “persistent hesitation to act.” There appears NOT to have been an outright overruling of any specific position by President Obama, simply because there was no specific position from the president to do so. President Obama was, in this case, as in all others, working as an absentee president.

I was correct in stating there had been a push to invade the compound for several weeks if not months, primarily led by Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, David Petraeus, and Jim Clapper. The primary opposition to this plan originated from Valerie Jarrett, and it was her opposition that was enough to create uncertainty within President Obama. Obama would meet with various components of the pro-invasion faction, almost always with Jarrett present, and then often fail to indicate his position. This situation continued for some time, though the division between Jarrett/Obama and the rest intensified more recently, most notably from Hillary Clinton. She was livid over the president’s failure to act, and her office began a campaign of anonymous leaks to the media indicating such. As for Jarrett, her concern rested on two primary fronts. One, that the military action could fail and harm the president’s already weakened standing with both the American public and the world. Second, that the attack would be viewed as an act of aggression against Muslims, and further destabilize conditions in the Middle East.

Q: What changed the president’s position and enabled the attack against Osama Bin Laden to proceed?

A: Nothing changed with the president’s opinion – he continued to avoid having one. Every time military and intelligence officials appeared to make progress in forming a position, Jarrett would intervene and the stalling would begin again. Hillary started the ball really rolling as far as pressuring Obama began, but it was Panetta and Petraeus who ultimately pushed Obama to finally act – sort of. Panetta was receiving significant reports from both his direct CIA sources, as well as Petraeus-originating Intel. Petraeus was threatening to act on his own via a bombing attack. Panetta reported back to the president that a bombing of the compound would result in successful killing of Osama Bin Laden, and little risk to American lives. Initially, as he had done before, the president indicated a willingness to act. But once again, Jarrett intervened, convincing the president that innocent Pakistani lives could be lost in such a bombing attack, and Obama would be left attempting to explain Panetta’s failed policy. Again Obama hesitated – this time openly delaying further meetings to discuss the issue with Panetta. A brief meeting was held at this time with other officials, including Secretary Gates and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but Gates, like Panetta, was unable to push the president to act. It was at this time that Gates indicated to certain Pentagon officials that he may resign earlier than originally indicated – he was that frustrated. Both Panetta and Clinton convinced him to stay on and see the operation through.

What happened from there is what was described by me as a “masterful manipulation” by Leon Panetta. Panetta indicated to Obama that leaks regarding knowledge of Osama Bin Laden’s location were certain to get out sooner rather than later, and action must be taken by the administration or the public backlash to the president’s inaction would be “…significant to the point of political debilitation.” It was at that time that Obama stated an on-ground campaign would be far more acceptable to him than a bombing raid. This was intended as a stalling tactic, and it had originated from Jarrett. Such a campaign would take both time, and present a far greater risk of failure. The president had been instructed by Jarrett to inform Mr., Panetta that he would have sole discretion to act against the Osama Bin Laden compound. Jarrett believed this would further delay Panetta from acting, as the responsibility for failure would then fall almost entirely on him. What Valerie Jarrett, and the president, did not know is that Leon Panetta had already initiated a program that reported to him –and only him, involving a covert on the ground attack against the compound. Basically, the whole damn operation was already ready to go – including the specific team support Intel necessary to engage the enemy within hours of being given notice. Panetta then made plans to proceed with an on-ground assault. This information reached either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates first (likely via military contacts directly associated with the impending mission) who then informed the other. Those two then met with Panetta, who informed each of them he had been given the authority by the president to proceed with a mission if the opportunity presented itself. Both Gates and Clinton warned Panetta of the implications of that authority – namely he was possibly being made into a scapegoat. Panetta admitted that possibility, but felt the opportunity to get Bin Laden outweighed that risk. During that meeting, Hillary Clinton was first to pledge her full support for Panetta, indicating she would defend him if necessary. Similar support was then followed by Gates. The following day, and with Panetta’s permission, Clinton met in private with Bill Daley and urged him to get the president’s full and open approval of the Panetta plan. Daley agreed such approval would be of great benefit to the action, and instructed Clinton to delay proceeding until he had secured that approval. Daley contacted Clinton within hours of their meeting indicating Jarrett refused to allow the president to give that approval. Daley then informed Clinton that he too would fully support Panetta in his actions, even if it meant disclosing the president’s indecision to the American public should that action fail to produce a successful conclusion. Clinton took that message back to Panetta and the CIA director initiated the 48 hour engagement order. At this point, the President of the United States was not informed of the engagement order – it did not originate from him, and for several hours after the order had been given and the special ops forces were preparing for action into Pakistan from their position in Afghanistan, Daley successfully kept Obama and Jarrett insulated from that order.

This insulation ended at some point with an abort order that I believe originated from Valerie Jarrett’s office, and was then followed up by President Obama. This abort order was later explained as a delay due to weather conditions, but the actual conditions at that time would have been acceptable for the mission. A storm system had been in the area earlier, but was no longer an issue. Check the data yourself to confirm. Jarrett, having been caught off guard, was now scrambling to determine who had initiated the plan. She was furious, repeating the acronym “CoC” and saying it was not being followed. This is where Bill Daley intervened directly. The particulars of that intervention are not clear to me beyond knowing he did meet with Jarrett in his office and following that meeting, Valerie Jarrett was not seen in the West Wing for some time, and apparently no longer offered up any resistance to the Osama Bin Laden mission. What did follow from there was one or more brief meetings between Bill Daley, Hillary Clinton, a representative from Robert Gates’ office, a representative from Leon Panetta’s office, and a representative from Jim Clapper’s office. I have to assume that these meetings were in essence, detailing the move to proceed with the operation against the Osama Bin Laden compound. I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.

At the conclusion of the mission, after it had been repeatedly confirmed a success, President Obama was once again briefed behind closed doors. The only ones who went in that room besides the president were Bill Daley. John Brennan, and a third individual whose identity remains unknown to me. When leaving this briefing, the president came out of it “…much more confident. Much more certain of himself.” He was also carrying papers in his hand that quite possibly was the address to the nation given later that evening on the Bin Laden mission. The president did not have those papers with him prior to that briefing. The president then returned to the war room, where by this time, Leon Panetta had personally arrived and was receiving congratulations from all who were present.

This insider's account paints a frightening portrait of a man clearly incapable of doing little more than standing in front of the TV cameras and reading text on a teleprompter prepared by someone else. For too long we have been fed a completely false narrative of this man. The false narrative the Obama administration initially attempted to tell about the capture and killing of bin Laden is but a microcosm of the myth sold to the American people to put this man in the most powerful office. It's no wonder he has taken such extreme measures to hide so much about his personal life. The media scowls at us for asking questions we've gotten from every other president before him and labels us racists for exhibiting what should be viewed as healthy skepticism by an engaged public in a democratic government. A featured story at the American Thinker makes the perfect analogy in describing the hide-and-seek mentality of this man:

Imagine this scenario: You're divorcing your spouse, but he or she refuses to release personal financial records. You both hire attorneys. In fact, your ex spends a substantial amount of money on legal fees to avoid the release of records. Your spouse enlists the help of officials and governors all over the country to keep the information well hidden.


And one day, years later, your ex releases the sought after documents. You scratch your head in wonderment. Why did this person hide them in the first place?

You consider the possibilities: maybe it's a power trip -- your former mate trying to yank your chain and control you. Perhaps your ex is being passive aggressive and punishing you. Or maybe your former spouse is trying to make you look bad and stupid. And it's also a possibility that even though your ex released paperwork, the documents aren't the real deal.

But whatever the reasons, the whole scenario wouldn't make logical sense. And this is the case with the long and strange saga of Obama's withholding his official birth certificate. He spent a huge chunk of change on attorneys to hide it. He enlisted people all over the country to help. He left a military officer to languish in a prison. And yet, after years of stalling and hiding, Obama has released his purported long form birth certificate.

What are the possibilities here? In withholding the document to begin with, perhaps Obama was manipulating the opposition, trying to divide and conquer us. He may have been stirring the fans of racial resentment, knowing that blacks would assume racist overtones.

Maybe Obama was creating an elaborate smokescreen, a distraction while he dismantles the country. Or perhaps the document he produced is a counterfeit. Who knows?

There are plenty of other enigmas about the mysterious Mr. O. And these may not be resolved so easily: the questions about his Social Security number; the trip to Pakistan as a college student; the missing college and law school transcripts and client roster in private practice. And why exactly are Barack and Michelle no longer licensed to practice law?

But the biggest riddle about Obama isn't his lack of a paper trail; it's the man himself. He's been the most prominent person in the world for over four years now. But the longer he's around, the less we know about him.

Personally, I've thought long and hard about whether I've ever known anyone like him before. I've had contact with sociopaths, malignant narcissists, and felons. And yet I've rarely beheld anyone as slippery as Obama.

Tonight, Lefties are poking fun at three Republican senators who claimed earlier today they had been shown the photos of bin Laden that Obama decided he would not share with the American people. The three senators now believe the photos they were shown were fake photos. One of the senators, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, is the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. It's too bad the news media won't acknowledge the reports of numerous document experts who examined the long-form birth certificate of Barack Hussein Obama posted on the White House's website last week is also a fake. Maybe the information contained on it is real and Obama wants to play more head games with his foes by giving them something else to chase after. Who knows anymore. Reply from the Omedia: Move along, there's nothing to see here.

UPDATE: Take your own guess at what Obama and his team of advisers were watching in the Situation Room. They weren't watching a live feed of the raid as we were earlier told:

Leon Panetta, director of the CIA, revealed there was a 25 minute blackout during which the live feed from cameras mounted on the helmets of the US special forces was cut off.


A photograph released by the White House appeared to show the President and his aides in the situation room watching the action as it unfolded. In fact they had little knowledge of what was happening in the compound.

AP Photo: What were they watching? A rerun of "24"?

Mr Panetta said: “Once those teams went into the compound I can tell you that there was a time period of almost 20 or 25 minutes where we really didn’t know just exactly what was going on. And there were some very tense moments as we were waiting for information.