Osama Dead Or Captured?!?!?!?

[DarrinS]

Good to see that flag waving and chest thumping are in style again.

[LnGrrrR]

What all did Obama have to do with it boutons? Order the kill. Same thing any other president would have done. Props to him for making the right call.

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say he also authorized the various intel gathering missions as well.

And I wouldn't downplay the enormity of making that decision. Its a pretty big gamble.

[RandomGuy]

No, no one saw the Republican/conservative attempts to spin this to mimize any credit that might be given to a Democratic president. (edit) ...and by no one, I mean everyone.

Fox "news" being the propaganda wing of the Republican party, whose job it will be to regurgitate the RNC's talking points on this, whatever they turn out to be.

I see. So they haven't yet, but they will, right?

Daily affirmation much?

I have zero doubt that will happen. Personally I give it within a week.

Do you doubt at all that such minimizing will take place during the coming election?

This is too big to simply cede to a Democrat.

Some blogger will take it up within the next few days along those lines, then this will be incessantly emailed to the faithful, only to be taken up by ever more prominent talking heads in the conservative movement, until it is GOP canon by the time the election rolls around.

[Spurminator]

I'd say both teams are neck-and-neck today when it comes to chalking up partisan points for OBL's death.

[ChumpDumper]

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say he also authorized the various intel gathering missions as well.

And I wouldn't downplay the enormity of making that decision. Its a pretty big gamble.

As has been noted earlier, this is a culmination of Obama's campaign stance on military operations in Pakistan -- something Clinton and McCain said they would not do and criticized Obama's being open to it.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

At the risk of giving the guy a break, since I didn't know the answer:



Adnan Gulshair el Shukrijumah

Although the organization is now highly decentralized.

They will have a *very* hard time replacing such a monumental figurehead, in terms of visibility, although I am uncertain how aware the average "muslim-hardliner-on-the-street" is of the remaining leaders.

We can be fairly certaint that US efforts will keep the leadership of this organization from ac ulating much in the way of experience or notoriety, simply due to the probable short length of their term in "office".

Still, the idea that "the US is evil" that forms the basis for the ideology enspoused by the late bin Laden, is not one that is likely to ever go away.

The next phase of our "war" should be a realization that we need to really concentrate on making this idea less credible.

It would be naive to pretend Al Qaeda will just go away.

But there's still a lot of positives to come out of this.

1. Destroy the mythos that Osama is untouchable by the U.S. military.

2. Intelligence gleaned from his compound (computers, papers, etc.)

3. All along the fighters, believers, etc. had this idea that he was living and fighting in the mountains against the U.S. And now the truth comes out he was sitting in a mansion surrounded by Pakistani military living in modest surroundings.

Perhaps some of those fighters will have second thoughts about fighting for a guy who was living like a king...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say he also authorized the various intel gathering missions as well.

And I wouldn't downplay the enormity of making that decision. Its a pretty big gamble.

Well, considering such intelligence gathering missions have been ongoing, does he really deserve credit for that?

I just don't get it. The whole credit thing is stupid.

When Bush was president he tasked our intelligence community and military with finding and killing Osama.

When Obama came on board, he continued that mission. Yesterday we killed the guy.

Trying to give either president "credit" for this is just partisan stupidity.

The guys who deserved credit were the ones who went into that compound last night, killed the SOB, and brought everyone home alive.

[TeyshaBlue]

I have zero doubt that will happen. Personally I give it within a week.

Do you doubt at all that such minimizing will take place during the coming election?

This is too big to simply cede to a Democrat.

Some blogger will take it up within the next few days along those lines, then this will be incessantly emailed to the faithful, only to be taken up by ever more prominent talking heads in the conservative movement, until it is GOP canon by the time the election rolls around.

This could be a response from boutonski except the grammar is correct and there's no festive nom de guerre for the GOP.

[rascal]

So who is their leader now?

There is already someone in line of command. His name will be known later.

[TeyshaBlue]

There is already someone in line of command. His name will be known later.

Ben Bernanke

[ChumpDumper]

There is already someone in line of command. His name will be known later.

And do you think this guy no one has heard of will have the same gravitas among his followers as OBL had?

[xeromass]

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say he also authorized the various intel gathering missions as well.

And I wouldn't downplay the enormity of making that decision. Its a pretty big gamble.

Huge gamble, especially from political standpoint.

They've flown 4 choppers quite deep into Pakistani territory (probably from Afghanistan - around 110 miles in straight line), landed them approx half a mile from what I understand is Pakistan's main officers school, assassinated Osama and flown back.

If anything went wrong Obama wouldn't be a door kickin' hero in online gifs but definite Carter II, role he was previously slowly being fitted into.

BTW, great mission. Only thing that could turn out better is if he was taken alive. Possibly standing court in Afghanistan. Now it all seems kinda anticlimactic

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Huge gamble, especially from political standpoint.

They've flown 4 choppers quite deep into Pakistani territory (probably from Afghanistan - around 110 miles in straight line), landed them approx half a mile from what I understand is Pakistan's main officers school, assassinated Osama and flown back.

If anything went wrong Obama wouldn't be a door kickin' hero in online gifs but definite Carter II, role he was previously slowly being fitted into.

BTW, great mission. Only thing that could turn out better is if he was taken alive. Possibly standing court in Afghanistan. Now it all seems kinda anticlimactic

It's a little known fact we actually have a base in western Pakistan we fly missions out of (Army base). Don't know whether we left from there or from a base in A'stan, but we did return to a base in A'stan with his body.

[JoeChalupa]

Wow. Even Rush Limpbaugh is giving Obama props.

[mrsmaalox]

Apparently they flew out of Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-s...-accomplished/

[Saddam]

This SOB bin laden gets all the news and they left me hanging.

[LnGrrrR]

As has been noted earlier, this is a culmination of Obama's campaign stance on military operations in Pakistan -- something Clinton and McCain said they would not do and criticized Obama's being open to it.

I'm usually against foreign intervention, but because I feel that THESE are the kinds of missions we should be focusing on. Small scale, highly targeted ops. Even though they are fraught with moral hazards, I think they contain as many as large-scale warfare/nation-building.

[DJ Mbenga]

interesting. i read the way they got to that courier was through those dudes at gitmo, and that info was acheived through waterboarding. if no waterboarding no info.

[RandomGuy]

This could be a response from boutonski except the grammar is correct and there's no festive nom de guerre for the GOP.

Ouch man, you know how to hurt a guy.

That said, the question stands, do you really doubt that the GOP will take great steps to minimize this before the election?

I will stand by this. I try not to buy into naked cynicism, but I have seen some pretty s my things come out of the right in this country not to expect *something*.

[TheProfessor]

interesting. i read the way they got to that courier was through those dudes at gitmo, and that info was acheived through waterboarding. if no waterboarding no info.

That's definitely what Limbaugh said, though I have not seen it substantiated. I've also read that Rumsfeld disavowed any waterboarding.

[TheProfessor]

Ouch man, you know how to hurt a guy.

That said, the question stands, do you really doubt that the GOP will take great steps to minimize this before the election?

I will stand by this. I try not to buy into naked cynicism, but I have seen some pretty s my things come out of the right in this country not to expect *something*.

Not to get too boutons-y, but it has already begun. Thus the "Obama was only continuing the Bush Doctrine" meme that is fairly disingenuous. That's just politics, though.

[clambake]

bush said bin laden wasn't an important issue for him.

[TeyshaBlue]

Ouch man, you know how to hurt a guy.

I should never post right before lunch. I'm a total bas when my blood sugar's low. Apologies.

That said, the question stands, do you really doubt that the GOP will take great steps to minimize this before the election?

I will stand by this. I try not to buy into naked cynicism, but I have seen some pretty s my things come out of the right in this country not to expect *something*.

Here's my stand. I don't know what cons utes "great steps". I also don't know what the GOP will do by election time. Since I don't know, I'll also refrain from creating my own reality before it actually exists.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

White House press briefing just now:

Osama used his wife as a human shield during the gun fight.

What a little (Osama, not his wife).

[LnGrrrR]

Well, considering such intelligence gathering missions have been ongoing, does he really deserve credit for that?

Since he probably authorized the various stages, I don't see why not.

I just don't get it. The whole credit thing is stupid.

When Bush was president he tasked our intelligence community and military with finding and killing Osama.

When Obama came on board, he continued that mission. Yesterday we killed the guy.

Bush deserves some small level of credit, since it seems we recovered the actionable info on the courier in 2007. I think this will vindicate Bush somewhat as well, right or wrong.

Trying to give either president "credit" for this is just partisan stupidity.

Unless you give both. But assuredly, Obama should have more "credit" since he made the final decisions. FWIW, I think Bush would have made the same ones, most likely.

The guys who deserved credit were the ones who went into that compound last night, killed the SOB, and brought everyone home alive.

Agreed, they deserve a lion's share. But since we won't know who that is for quite a while, the credit will get heaped upon a public official. For better or worse, the President is responsible for the actions our gov't takes. When it's bad, he gets the blame, it's good, he gets the glory.