Obama Nails Osama

After nearly ten years of futile searching, the U.S. military finally got its man—or should I say—MONSTER.

Osama bin Laden, mass murderer and terrorist was surprised by U.S. Special Forces, acting on intelligence that all but certainly placed him inside a compound in an affluent neighborhood not far from Pakistan’s capital.

Here’s the video of President Obama’s address last night:




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V0ISgosTlQ

Chants of “U.S.A.!” were heard in spontaneous celebrations across the country, from just outside the White House, to the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio to ground zero in Manhattan. Stadiums erupted into celebrations as the news was relayed during sporting events. Almost overnight, the mood of the country was lifted. A break from the woes of higher gasoline prices was replaced with a euphoria that was nothing short of phenomenal!

Politically, President Obama accomplished in three years that which his predecessor could not in eight: bring to justice the true mastermind of 9-11. It was never Saddam Hussein. Distractions with Iraq had us “taking our eye off the ball”—finding the hiding place of Bin Laden.

With this victory (and it is indeed a military victory by any definition), perhaps now the President will have the political leverage he needs to draw down troops from Afghanistan and fully withdraw from Iraq. The appetite for war even amongst the most hawkish of politicians has been tempered by year after year of questionable progress, yet very measurable cost, in both human life and treasure.

The difference between the outcomes (I think) is a direct result of the mission as laid out. President Bush somehow morphed capturing Bin Laden with taking out Saddam. He failed to act on intelligence that could have gotten the job done. Only after the fact did we learn just how CLOSE we were to Osama, yet we didn’t respond.

Measure by results, not rhetoric. Obama had the rhetoric down, too, declaring during the campaign that he would not fail to act when the intel showed a reason to strike. He outwardly criticized the Iraqi war, stating that the forces really belonged in Afghanistan.
The difference is that once in office, he immediately directed CIA Leon Panetta to deliver to him a plan to find and eliminate Bin Laden.

From stepped up drone strikes to simply not trusting (and therefore not including Pakistani government representatives in sharing intelligence), the Obama-led search was focused and efficient.

The fact that Osama Bin Laden was found in a country where we are not militarily stationed (to a large degree)proves one thing very clearly:

Our ability to gather intelligence and act upon it does not require U.S. Forces occupying the country. This alone is a persuasive argument for getting the hell out.

The war against terrorism continues, but it has never been a conventional war. It will move along—and can progress—without American forces on the ground.

The question of how Pakistan could possibly have NOT known that Bin Laden was not in their country rises to the top. His heavily fortified digs just a few miles outside the capital city of Islamabad were close to a military base. I don’t, for a second believe that Pakistani officials were not aware and assisting in harboring him in their country.

This is a country that received $18 Billion dollars in federal aid from…us.

Unlike the banner that former President Bush flew aboard that aircraft carrier so many years ago that prematurely read “Mission Accomplished”---this time, President Obama has the wherewithal to make that statement with integrity---and then set forth to leave Middle East turmoil to the Middle East.

Let them kill each other. We have a country of our own that needs every resource at its disposal to re-establish our unique position as the world’s only true superpower.

Go U.S.A!!!!!

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