A Hole in the Official Narrative? No, Says the White House
EmailYesterday at the White House briefing, press secretary Jay Carney read an official Pentagon narrative of the assault on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
One section of the narrative has prompted some questions: "The team departed the scene (at the bin Laden compound) via helicopter to the USS Carl Vinson in the north Arabian."
ABC News and other media outlets have already reported that the Navy SEAL team, with bin Laden’s corpse, stopped first at a US military base in Afghanistan, where the SEALs took a DNA sample. They also took photographs of his face and sent them to the US for facial recognition analysis.
So why was that omitted from the narrative? Just a mistake?
No, says the White House. Officials say the narrative wasn't intended to include every detail of the operation. It was simply correcting a few items that had been mis-stated the day before.
-Jake Tapper
Biden Reflects on Grief, Suicidal Thoughts 
Is Congress Sounding Dumber?
We seem to have an ample supply of “items that had been mis-stated the day before.”
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | May 4, 2011, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
Wait – they took the photos in Afghanistan? The narrative I followed said they took them on scene in Abbottabad for a positive ID (in addition to the on scene ID of UBL by one of his wives).
Now, the photos were taken in Afghanistan? So, on scene, they relied on the wife alone in relaying back to the WH (via Panetta) “Geronimo E-KIA” That’s all they went on….
Or, did they give the “Geronimo E-KIA” from Afghanistan?
Or, at sea on the Vinson?
I’m not one of them. But, you can see why conspiracy theorists abound.
Posted by: Joe | May 4, 2011, 12:44 pm 12:44 pm
Jake….stay on the WH ” narrative “. As always what is released initially is seldom the truth. Please REPORT – DON’T repeat the ever changing WH ” narrative “.
Especially the planning of the OBL mission. Who was for it – against. Who took the lead?
And those against it are now trying to politicize it.
p
Posted by: PGB483 | May 4, 2011, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm
Just another, oops I forgot to mention. Lies, lies, and more lies from our government!
Posted by: Carol | May 4, 2011, 1:06 pm 1:06 pm
The narratives focus on the Navy Seals
supposed omnipotent performance in getting bin Laden. But as a former military officer myself, I believe our success was 70% ruse, and 30% field performance.
The U.S. SEALS were probably wearing Pakistani army uniforms, and had their
faces darkened to look like Pakistanis.
Bin Landen and his guards thought the raid was by the Pakistani army, and they did not offer any resistance. It was easy for the Seals to cut them down.
The official narratives from the White House, therefore, are focusing to amplify the positives and the glory of the U.S. forces, and patch the holes of the lies that are discovered by the press and the public. Anything negative that sticks in the public mind about the mission will spoil the whole bin Laden kill celebratory mood! And after 10-years of our failure to bust the ragtag Taliban in Afghanistan, we need some over-bloated morale boosters from the successful bin Laden mission to even out the failures in Afghanistan! Nikos Retsos, retired professor
Posted by: Nikos Retsos | May 4, 2011, 1:13 pm 1:13 pm
“So why was that omitted from the narrative? Just a mistake?”
Because they were still writing the narrative!! Come on now Jake, you know this.
Posted by: J.R. | May 4, 2011, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm
Somehow I am not losing sleep over this. Everyone is focusing on what parts of the story were left out and not focusing on the big picture. Osama is dead and we are better off for it.
Posted by: Denbo | May 4, 2011, 1:46 pm 1:46 pm
Osama was armed and its muslim custom to be buried at sea…just didn’t stick. Poor thing has to back peddle again. How can any to be so gullible to believe anything that comes from this man or his administration of marxist radicals and fools?
Posted by: Football | May 4, 2011, 1:59 pm 1:59 pm
The left will continue to spin this into one of the biggest fish stories ever told. Before it is all over it will be told that Obama shot him himself with some remote controlled gun or something.
I am glad the President gave the order to take the man out and no doubt that even though he knew it was the right thing to do this will probably be on his mind for a long time. So, to those who are slobbering and messing on themselves for this event, recognize that President Obamas efforts were realized with a group of highly trained and dedicated people most of whom we will never know.
Posted by: david | May 4, 2011, 2:11 pm 2:11 pm
it is common for reports to vary over an incident- especially a black-op in a 3rd world cesspoll like Pakistan. Even witnesses/stories vary at minor events like car accidents. However, since there are, and have been, so many stories about OBL’s death previously and Obama insisted on giving him a full honor Islamic burial-at-sea so quickly (so we have no body); it is important that Obama clarifies the story and release the data, photos, DNA info, and video (protecting people, sources, & methods.) Otherwise conspiracy theories will abound.
Posted by: Ed | May 4, 2011, 2:12 pm 2:12 pm
it’s the ongoing conflicting reports from WH, military, CIA and media that fuel the conspiracy theorizing. I would be ok w/no picture if not for this series of ambiguous reports.
Posted by: Dianne93101 | May 5, 2011, 2:39 am 2:39 am