This Has Been A Test. In The Event . . .

. . . of a really big crisis, expect President Obama to respond as he did to a really small one.

His handling of the abduction of Richard Phillips by Somali pirates was just right. He gave the Pentagon authorization (twice, for logistical reasons) to use force in extremis as it deemed necessary.

Force was indeed used when Navy Seal snipers on the fantail of the destroyer USS Bainbridge towing the lifeboat holding the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama determined in the fifth day of a standoff that he was in imminent danger.

Three pirates were killed and fourth captured.

The successful conclusion to the drama was a small blow for Somali piracy (although some 250 other hostages of various nationalities remain in pirate hands) and a big blow for Republicans who have characterized Obama as weak-kneed and naive about the world that the Bush administration did so much to make a more dangerous place.

The incident was a pungent example of asymmetrical warfare, something that major powers like the U.S. have been traditionally lousy at. (Think Blackhawk Down.) Unlike more traditional foes, these fishermen turned brigands were not interested in territory or even power, just wealth.

Photograph by Roberto Schmidt/AFP-Getty Images