So, Obama is now hailed as the new Alexander by many? Or is it Cesar? By proclaiming the "I" in "ordered" to kill a terrorist that's been killing Americans for 2 decades, he's now decisive? His "poker face" has been tauted as he mucked it up with reporters, knowing that Navy Seals were about to enter a sovereign nation, and face a deadly enemy? Sorry, it should be an easy decision to send in the best to take out the worst.
I watched his victory speech and it felt a little narcissistic to me, that a man 10,000 miles away from the bullets put so much emphasis on how important, he was, in the events of the night. He didn't pull a trigger, nor did he face the enemy that did. His life was not on the line, and he's not the hero. But that's not all that's bothered me about this.
BUT, Obama claimed the Pakistanis were able to verify the body was Osama's before it was hauled off to sea. See, this contradicts Obama's other claim: that the Pakistanis didn't know about the operation. Well, that and the fact he said they provided the outer cordon during the operation. The Seals were on the ground for 40 minutes. They did a helluva job, but I guarantee they didn't invite Pakistani Police Officers to come check out the body, just because the Po-po showed up at the door. No, if Pakistani authorities were providing exterior security and had a chance to verify the body, they were part of the operation.
Would it be imprudent to coordinate with the Pakistanis on an operation within 60 miles of their capital, on their territory, against the man that killed their President's wife? Nope. Some might call it advisable, even with their record.
But what about the delayed royal honeymoon? Were the Brits told Osama was about to be taken down? According to Obama, no, but why not? Why did they suddenly delay the honeymoon, if not the retaliatory threat on the operation? And why would we not tell one of our best allies? Is Obama trying to prove he has the balls to act unilaterally? Sometimes, it's a good idea to say, "Hey buddy, I know you've got a big date this weekend, but I'm about to kick over a bee's nest and it might be a good idea to stay inside." Sometimes, it's a good idea to say: "Hey pal, the world's bully has decided to sit his butt down in the shadow of your flagpole, and I'm going in to let the world know we won't tolerate that BS." "Oh, yeah, thanks for making sure his buddies didn't show up while we put him to eternal damnation."
BUT, if the buddy says: "Hey, I think you're absolutely right, but you can't tell anyone we let you bust down our neighbors door and kill people." Then you shouldn't contradict them and say they confirmed it was Osama, Obama.
Obama, you can tell the world that every test in the world has been done to confirm it was Osama, but you dumped the body in the ocean. The only thing we have to go on is your word. I'm not sure what the videos were supposed to prove, but they don't prove Osama is dead. Obama, you're a politician, and no one trusts a politician, particularly not when his "approval ratings" need a boost before an election.
And why didn't we take everything and every body out of the target house? Here's the thing: As you were sending them after Osama himself, you should have realized, anyone in the compound is an associate of the decade's most murderous terrorist. Don't blame the Seals. Your boy Panetta was giving the orders. Don't blame the Pakis. They were smart enough to arrest the real housewives of Osama. Now, you're begging the Pakis to let us know what they have to say? Every person in that house should have been put in Gitmo. Oh yeah, you're trying to empty that place out.
For some reason, Obama ordered the CIA to run a military operation.
Sorry, in no way, in any reality does this operation make the POTUS a hero. Catching Saddam, Zarqawi, and the Hussein brothers didn't make his predecessor a hero. Why? The POTUS doesn't pull a trigger. He authorizes the willing to do so. Someone, give me a guess as to how many Seals, 160th SOAR, and others involved would have said "no" had they been asked: "Do you want to risk your lives to kill the decade's worst terrorist?" No, if you put the question out to the entire military, you'd be hard pressed to find 40 that would say "No, I don't want a chance at the kill shot on the guy that has murdered more than 3,000 American civilians."
Had you given the coordinates to the entire military, desertion would have run rampant as Pakistan saw an invasion of volunteers to go in with the first weapon they could grab. No, Obama authorized the Seals to go in. That's not bold or decisive. Bold or decisive would have been telling them "no." That would have caused a mutiny.
Nor was it Obama's order to Panetta to find Osama that was the key. As Obama himself said, it took years of intelligence to find him. Osama was isolated. He never left the compound. He only let trusted individuals in.
And will someone tell me how Osama swaying back and forth watching TV OR practicing his speeches means he was tactically involved in Al-Qaeda? Not even if he was suggesting certain targets, or approving certain targets was he operationally involved. Osama was as tactically involved as Obama is in Afghanistan. Oops, Obama has been in Afghanistan 2x more than Osama has been in the last two years. Who knows how many more times Obama has been out of the White House, but I'm sure it's a matter of public record.
Worse, but as expected, the pundits are already saying Osama's death means something between Victory and Retreat. It doesn't. We've been killing and capturing terrorists for 10 years. We've killed the actual operational leader of Al-Qaeda multiple times. (It's a terminal appointment.) The war isn't over just because we got the guy that kept the database of international terrorists. Ending the "contingency operation" would be absolutely stupid.
That's like saying the United States would be defeated if someone assassinated the President. No, the Vice-President would take the role, or if both were killed, the Speaker of the House would. Al-Zawahari has waited in Osama's shadow for over a decade. And by all accounts, he's just as murderous, just as atrocious, as was Osama. Does Al-Qaeda have a plan beyond Zawahari? Maybe. Maybe not. If they don't, a new leader would still emerge. Or it would split behind multiple leaders, as nasty as it is today.
I'm glad we got Osama, but it is patently annoying to me that some guy pushing paper wants to pretend he was bold and heroic in the risks taken by 40(+/-) Seals and Special Operations Air Regiment Soldiers who did the deed. Politicians don't risk their lives. It's not what we pay them to do, but we should be able to expect the POTUS to give credit to the guys that do.
And I dare anyone to compare the speech this POTUS made to the ones made by the last one when Zarqawi and the Hussein brothers were killed. Count the "I's" and the references to the guys on the ground, though neither revealed names, for good reason. Contrast the hubris to humility. Was the last guy a great man for not claiming the glory? No, he was smart for not pretending to be courageous. He knew that it was the guys on the ground that made it happen. He didn't think it a particularly courageous decision to say "catch the bad guy leader." No, it is part of war.
Stumble It!
