If forcing Obamacare down the throats of Americans was a “big effen deal”, then the politicization of bragging about rescuing kidnapped Americans from their captors can only be called one big effen mistake.

Don’t get me wrong.   Rescuing Jessica Buchannan (32), and Danish captor Poul Thisted was a good thing, a necessary action, and justified.   But showcasing the rescue with press releases, media talking points, photographs and more Seal Team football spiking is ridiculously short-sighted and incredibly selfish.

There is a good reason these are called “covert-ops”.  Covert, as in, secret and quiet military operations.   The reason Americans are being kidnapped by Somali pirates is because their kidnappers seek ransom demands for their economic endeavors.   It is the typical motive behind the majority of kidnappings.   However, when you start making political points from their rescue you add an entirely new dangerous element into the narrative and may even change the motive.

Around the world many ridiculous evil and often terroristic causes would like nothing more than to draw attention to themselves by standing up against the “evil western empire” they perceive The United States to be.   Publicly parading around the rescue of American citizens does nothing more than bring  a spotlight to the kidnapping, and if not careful Americans all over the world could be snatched just to get into a showdown with us and bring credibility to their cause.

With media press releases, hyped up exposure narratives, and talking points the President is actually putting Americans at risk.   Here is the way MSNBC ran with the football spiking rescue story:

(MSNBC) In a daring nighttime raid Tuesday, U.S. Navy SEALs rescued two hostages, including one American, who were being held by kidnappers in Somalia, U.S. officials tell NBC News.

American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a 60-year-old Dane, Poul Thisted, were working for a Danish relief organization in northern Somalia when they were kidnapped last October. U.S. officials described their kidnappers as heavily armed common criminals with no known ties to any organized militant group.

According to the U.S. officials, two teams of Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound where the two hostages were being held.

As the SEALS approached the compound on foot gunfire broke out, the U.S. officials said, and several of the militants were reportedly killed. There is no word that any of the Americans were wounded.

The SEALs gathered up Buchanan and Thisted, loaded them onto the helicopters and flew them to safety at an undisclosed location. The two hostages were not injured during the rescue operation and are reported to be in relatively good condition.

The two had been working for the Danish Refugee Council on a demining project in northern Somalia. The humanitarian group has been providing relief to some 450,000 refugees in the Somalia-Kenya border region.

News reports at the time said the two were kidnapped Oct. 25 along with a Somali colleague when their three-car convoy was stopped on the way to an airport. A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said they had been kidnapped for ransom by pirates stymied by Western nations’ efforts to stop the seizure of ships off the coast. The fate of the Somali colleague was unclear.

The first indication of the rescue operation came Tuesday night in Washington from President Barack Obama himself.

As the president entered the House chambers to give his State of the Union Speech, he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta standing in the crowd and said, “Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight.”

The president made no mention of the hostage rescue, but finished his speech with a reference to the killing of Osama bin Laden last May in a similar operation to the one conducted by Navy SEALs Tuesday night.

In a statement sent to NBC News and other media, Obama says that he authorized the operation to rescue Buchanan.

Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home,” he says. “As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.”

Obama, who spoke to Buchanan’s father Tuesday night, says she was “selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being.”

He says he told her father that “all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family.”

“The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice,” Obama adds. “This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.”  (read more)

Don’t forget there are more Americans still being held hostage

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