I'm extremely impressed that it was the President's decision for the Pentagon to use more than 2 helipcopters for the Bin Laden mission, in case something happened to one of the vehicles.  "I don’t want you to plan for an option that doesn’t allow you to fight your way out,” he said.

I always worry about writing about or even debating military topics because I feel like I don't know what I'm talking about.  My grandfathers on boths sides fought in World War II and my father and step-father were both called for the Vietnam Draft, but didn't have to fight.  That makes me the first male in my family (on three sides, actually) who has never even had to consider the possibility of fighting in a war, much less actually fighting in one.  I would only ever have been the position of having to fight a war if I had signed up for the military, something I never in my life seriously considered doing.  I try to keep that in mind when these topics come up and that can make me extremely critical of "liberal interventionist" type thinkers.  It's not that I thought stopping the Rwandan genocide would be a bad thing, it's that I don't feel comfortable telling an enlistee with children at home to go do it for me, knowing they might not come back.

Besides, I think we should resolve international conflicts with guerilla theatre.

I'm about as effete a liberal as you'll find and I don't apologize for it.

Obama, who definitely had other interests than military service, has proved that an open-minded and intelligent individual can be an effective Commander in Chief.  He's been willing to listen, and I think that counts for a lot of his successes, but he's also been willing to lead.

In this case he made an important, tactical call.  It was a simple one, on the surface -- a spare helicopter seems like a great idea, especially when we know that one crashed.  But I'm sure there were all sorts of well reasoned and well meaning objections.  Four is tougher to coordinate than two.  Four are easier to spot than two.  Fewer people in harm's way means fewer at risk.  That's just what I can think of.  I'm sure the planners at the Pentagon didn't propose two for no good reason.

But Obama made his decision and he was right.  The non-expert, with access to information, access to advice and the willingness to listen and consider, can think these issues through and come to the right decision.

I certainly stick by humility as the guiding principle in matters of war.  It's not my life.  But there's certainly no reason, any more, to be cowed by the lack of experience argument and I'd really like to hear from the folks back in 2008 who criticized Obama on this very issue.

Us non veterans can figure this stuff out.  But it takes a curious mind.