IT'S NOT DONALD'S FAULT THEY BOTCHED THE MISSION...:

[W]hat the narrative of this mission gone awry misses is that special operations had long chafed under the Obama White House. I spent months last year talking to people inside the special operations community and the Pentagon. Many said the administration micromanaged operations, down to the helicopter used. Some who took part in daring raids to rescue hostages and find Al Qaeda and ISIS leaders told me the White House moved too slowly in life-and-death situations.

So with the arrival of a new president, there was some sense among those in the community that up-or-down decisions would arrive more quickly. And when conditions were right, the Yemen operation was briefed to and approved by Trump in relatively short order. But what was not foreseen was how well prepared the enemy would be when U.S. forces arrived, and just how wrong things would go.

Tweet   @brothersjudd