President Obama said today the drone strike that killed one U.S. and one Italian hostage was “a mistake”. No it wasn’t. The drone strike was ordered; the drone strike was purposeful; the drone strike hit the exact intended target; there was nothing remotely a “mistake” about the operation.
Everything this White House does first and foremost passes through the political prism. Everything, every.single.pro-and-con, is weighed against the political cost vs. benefit considerations, period. So too is this story, and the aftermath of this story from January to the public release of the information today.
WASHINGTON DC – President Obama on Thursday acknowledged that the U.S. killed two innocent hostages in counterterrorism operations against al Qaeda.
Obama expressed his “deepest apologies” to the families of the two hostages, one American and one Italian.

“It is a cruel and bitter truth that in the fog of war generally, and our fight against terrorists specifically, mistakes, sometimes deadly mistakes can occur,” Obama said at a press conference at the White House Thursday morning. (read more)