Vice President Joe Biden Second Guessed Osama bin Laden Compound Raid

Vice President Joe Biden admitted during a weekend retreat that he advised President Obama not to launch the U.S. mission against the Osama bin Laden compound that eventually led to bin Ladens assassination.

Speaking at the Democratic congressional retreat Biden said he has some lingering uncertainties about whether bin Laden was actually in the Pakistan complex. He goes on to say that when President Obama asked his top officials for their final decision everyone was hesitant except for CIA director (now Defense Secretary) Leon Panetta who gave an immediate invade vote.

“Every single person in that room hedged their bet except Leon Panetta. Leon said go. Everyone else said, 49, 51.”

Biden continued

“He got to me. He said, ‘Joe, what do you think?’ And I said, ‘You know, I didn’t know we had so many economists around the table.’ I said, ‘We owe the man a direct answer. Mr. President, my suggestion is, don’t go. We have to do two more things to see if he’s there.'”

The vice president didn’t say what those “two more things” were but did note that the next morning National Security Advisor Tom Donilon gave the “go” command to launch the SEAL raid that led to Osama bin Laden’s death.

As Biden pointed out with Obama’s decision:

“He knew what was at stake, not just the lives of those brave warriors, but literally the presidency.”

Do you think the President made a gut instinct in going against the advice of his advisers or did the reward outweigh the risk?