Pirates...

Somalia pirates sure hit the press by taking Captain Richard Phillips hostage.  Pirates are rare to hear about so I think the  never ending coverage was great; however, what coverage I didn't quite get what how Obama was involved with the situation.  I heard from one national network that Obama gave the OK to shoot to kill the pirates, but then I heard on a different network that the Navy was the one who gave the order.  Which is true?  Was the President bound to give the OK to the Navy? The conflicting coverage made me question which sources are talking to what networks and who is the one to blame for mixing up the information.