Three Missions: Tehran, Mogadishu, Osama bin Laden

Click the title of this post for an article by Mark Sumner on Daily Kos describing the three U.S. helicopter raids. The political fallout from the first two (failed) missions was intense; Obama may well have been putting his presidency on the line with the bin Laden attack.

The helicopters came in low, using ground clutter to avoid radar and obscure line of sight. The purpose of the flights was to deliver military ground forces -- members of an elite team – on a difficult mission that required them to cross territory not in US control. Once on the ground they would need to enter secured locations, deal with numerous unknowns, and complete their objectives with the kind of constrained violence that in military terms is often called "surgical." All involved were well trained and well supplied; the best of the best on a mission where victory was needed in the worst way. But what happened next was a different story. Actually, it was three different stories...