Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
The conclusion was stunning: U.S. Navy SEALs, on choppy seas, fired three clean shots to kill three Somali captors of an American cargo-ship captain -- ending a days-long standoff between the United States and ruthless pirates off the Horn of Africa.
Acts of piracy in that part of the world too often end much differently -- the captured ships' home countries typically cave in to the seagoing terrorists by paying ransoms for the hostages' release.
But it didn't end that way Sunday, in what was a huge foreign-policy test for the young Obama administration. And the administration passed -- but barely. The new president wants the rest of the world to love America, but he shouldn't have to wait on the consensus of the rest of the world before acting in a crisis. The United States let the incident boil for too long.
But the government should be commended for finally making the right decision of disregarding capitulation and instead relying on the U.S. military, which executed its mission outstandingly in the Indian Ocean this past weekend to recover the container ship Maersk Alabama.
And Capt. Richard Phillips clearly comported himself as a hero -- giving himself up as a hostage in a lifeboat to help protect his crew onboard ship. His bravery should be commended and rewarded.
Incidents such as this serve as a reminder that U.S. military might brings order to the world -- a good order. This is clearly a case in which government carried out its constitutionally charged mission of providing "for the common defense" -- a life-saving service.
Of course, that fact doesn't stop liberals from bemoaning America's current role as the planet's lone superpower.
Consider film director Ron Howard, appearing recently on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher : In his self-professed optimism about our country's future, Howard said he dreams of an America that is no longer "so consumed with being the pre-eminent super-power and, you know, driven by sort of militarism and this need to export, you know, democracy."
You know, Howard apparently didn't have much to say about the oppressed people around the world who are craving to import democracy into their countries. Somalians might like a heaping helping of that right about now. But it's the political chaos in places such as Somalia that allows a thriving environment for piracy.
And lest anyone further wring their hands over the recurring U.S. role as global policeman, consider the alternative: having that power vacuum filled by Russia or China.
As recently as last week, these two countries gave their tacit approval to rogue North Korea to launch a missile in defiance of a United Nations resolution. Should countries who stand with the likes of North Korea be relied upon to foster freedom and peace in the world? Of course not.
The United States, on the other hand, has fired a quite literal shot across the bow of pirates. Plundering the world's shipping will not and should not be tolerated.
