A White House spokesman has certainly provided a very public statement of support for our commanders on the spot taking steps they deem necessary to defend themselves:
"The media may be free to second-guess the military decision, but his (Bush's) captains are not and they take it very seriously," White House press secretary Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the United Arab Emirates. "They have deliberate and measured ways to engage other traffic there in the Strait of Hormuz, which they did. But all the military people remember what happened in the past, such as the USS. Cole ... The vice admiral said they take it deadly seriously."
Seventeen sailors were killed in a terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000.
I don't think any captain wants to command a second "Cole."
But 5th Fleet behind them needs to stand ready for a broader smackdown should we sink some Iranian boats that get too threatening to individual ships. The problem with a narrow defensive effort at the point of our ships is that the Iranians get to choose how much to risk. We need to demonstrate that much more is at risk than just the cheap speedboats buzzing around us.
