You have to wonder what is running through the minds of some of the kooks at the extreme-left DailyKos website.

Amazingly, one America-hating Kossack who goes by the handle “KLS” actually denounced rescued Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips for “recklessly put[ting] himself, the crew, and the Navy Seals at unnecessary risk.” In a piece that was spotlighted at RealClearPolitics, KLS wrote:

The pirates’ modus operandi is that they hold the crew, ship, and cargo harmlessly until a lot of money is paid to them.  Phillips “heroic” actions put his crew and himself at risk.  If he’d done nothing except acquiesce to the pirates’ demands, there would have been no risk, just possible discomfort until the extortion money was paid.  Instead he put himself and the Seals at grave risk.

I applaud the crew, the Seals, and the military chain of command for their actions.  I think Phillips was in error–if not a grandstander, then greatly misguided.  Does anyone know what Maersk’s orders to Phillips and the other Maersk masters are in a piracy matter?  Probably to do nothing to incite trouble and to notify the shipowner and the U.S. Navy.  The captain works for the shipowner and must follow those orders.  The master who fails to follow the shipowner’s orders is guilty of the crime of barratry if a financial injury to the shipowner results.

The actual result is that Maersk, the shipowner, saved a lot of money that would have been lost with the ship inactive and off charter while it sat idle in a pirate port.  Is this worth the deadly risk to the crew and the Seals?  Not to me.

Of course KLS assumes that (i) he or she knows the standing orders that apply to the Maersk Alabama (ii) the pirates were honorable fair play-loving chaps who would not have harmed Phillips (iii) the ransom would have been paid, and (iv) with the ransom paid the pirates would have actually let Phillips go.

As Gateway Pundit notes, “Only on the left are heroes like Captain Phillips, who put his life in danger for the freedom of his men, called grandstanders.”

In fairness, it appears the blog posts highlighted by DailyKos on its front page applaud Captain Phillips, so it’s possible KLS does not speak for most Kossacks.