Did The White House Plan To Blame The U.S. Military If The Bin Laden Raid Failed?

Revealed: How White House 'Planned To Shield Obama By Blaming Navy Chief If Bin Laden Raid Went Wrong' -- Daily Mail

* Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey said former CIA director wrote 'highly lawyered' note that would place blame on Navy Admiral William McRaven should mission fail
* McRavin was commander of Joint Special Operations Command during raid
* Other conservatives flocking to claim

The Obama administration had a backup plan if the Osama bin Laden raid had failed and had drafted a ‘highly lawyered’ memo to protect President Obama from potential backlash, according to an official.

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey told Fox News’ Sean Hannity today that Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta drafted a note that would have put the blame instead on Navy Admiral William McRaven.

At the time of the raid last May, Adm. McRavin was commander of Joint Special Operations Command.

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My Comment: Former U.S. Attorney Michael Mukasey's remarks can be viewed here. The Pentagon is also disputing Mukasey's claim that the memo (see below) gave Obama cover in case of bin Laden raid failure.

What's my take ... if the mission had failed I am sure that the President's handlers would have start the PR campaign immediately to blame someone in the military and/or intelligence community for the failure. But I know that this would not have worked .... the buck always stops with the President .... memo or no memo. And I am sure that this is something that President Obama (and past Presidents who had to deal with failure) know only to well.

The Panetta memo:

“Received phone call from Tom Donilon who stated that the President made a decision with regard to AC1 [Abbottabad Compound 1]. The decision is to proceed with the assault. The timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven’s hands. The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the President. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the President for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and if he is not there, to get out. Those instructions were conveyed to Admiral McRaven at approximately 10:45 am.”