Reply #145: "way overhyped"? Consider this:

[pnorman]

Had it NOT worked worked out so flawlessly--- ie: had captain Phillips been killed (a very DISTINCT possibility under the circumstances), the anti-Obama machine would have gone into FRENZIED overdrive! It would have been the centerpiece of the "Teabag Tantrums", scheduled in a few days, and it would have been non-stop ankle-biting for the next few years! That could have been BAD -- bad for Obama, and bad for this country!

Personal note: I've been going to sea for over a half century. Retired for the past 9 years, I still maintain a strong interest in my Union, and manage two listserves concerning it. It represents the engineers on that ship, and there are a few on those lists who know captain Phillips personally. Needless to say, there is MUCH joy on those lists. AND a formerly RABID anti-Obama guy there, has done a complete 180 degree on "my Commander in Chief". You'd have to know the situation, to realize what a MIRACLE that was!

pnorman