Sunday, just before midnight, President Barack Obama told the American people that Osama Bin Laden was dead. Thanks to an American-led mission, Bid Laden had been cornered in a compound outside of Islamabad, and after some gunfire, was killed.
Over the next days, details will emerge of the actual event. But what we can say tonight is that President Obama will receive great political accolades for his efforts. He is already being positioned as the leader that focused on the right mission rather than the wrong war.
In his statement, President Obama laid out very clearly for the American people, that this event was a direct result of his, the President's, intentions. He used the phrases often and conspicuously such as "at my direction" and "I repeatedly made clear" and "I gave the order that..."
He explained that he had told CIA Director Leon Panetta that tracking down Bin Laden would be his top priority. After many years of intelligence gathering, the President said the CIA got a "lead." In August of 2010, the President was informed: "Bin Laden was in a compound deep within Pakistan." That compound was found last Friday at which point the President gave the order to action ending the life of the greatest villain of our time.
Congratulations flood in from political and cultural leaders alike. What looks like thousands of people are gathering outside the White House -- led by White House staffers -- to cheer, sing the national anthem, and wave the American flag. Some are climbing trees. Others flash cameras. More are on their way. Facebook news feeds are jammed with congratulations and comments. Twitter accounts are flashing. We are all huddled around our televisions and laptops.
Obama told us this evening: "This marks the most significant achievement in our war against terror." It also marks what could very well be a turning point in the Obama presidency. Beleaguered by a stalled economy, stinging partisan politics, and the most challenging public policy issues of our time, Obama's approval rating has languished.
But Sunday's success will give Obama new fuel. His staff is positioning him as the man who got the job done. He's the tough leader who gave the order to Leon Panetta. He's the apt negotiator who brought Pakistan in line to help. He's the hands-on manager who had five top security briefings over the past three months in order to plan for the actual ambush.
This success and the exuberance that Americans are feeling will thrust Obama into the election season with new energy. It will also smother any complaints from the Right about this President's commitment to national security. Democrats now want you to ask the question: Who can really get the job done on issues of national defense?
Former President George W. Bush released a statement of his congratulations saying that this was a "victory for peace" and a lesson for the world that "no matter how long it takes, justice will be done."
How long it took was nearly ten years. No doubt, the Republicans will say that President Bush laid the groundwork for the capture and death of Bin Laden. However, it will largely be perceived as an empty argument. Sunday's success is because Obama gave laser focus to the mission, rather engaging in a tangential war in Iraq. He invested in deep intelligence, rather than from-the-hip militarism.
For that, in the coming weeks and months he will be aptly rewarded.
Follow Meredith Bagby on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bagbyreports
Can't help but wonder why politics these days tend to remind me of that movie more and more....
Neither one understand the meaning of the word "united" in United States of America!
Does it really fricken matter? Isn't this a win for US ... U.S. ? We cannot even be satisfied with something we have been waiting on for 10 years. Because we must argue about it.
I am so tired of the competition between Obama haters & Obama supporters. Aren't we all Americans? Haven't all President's been both 'bad' & 'good'? Do you not realize that this level of opposition between conservatives and liberals does nothing but harm to us as a nation?
I am ashamed that it has gotten to the point that we cannot recognize and applaud the other side no matter what. How did we get here?
Regardless of how much time you take off from national guardsman duty, an officer in the guard had to get there first by not just physical preparation, but book knowledge in military history, strategy, rules, discipline, the whole kit & kaboodle. At least Bush had to go through military training so if ANYONE had any hand in analyzing intelligence and making sound military judgments, it would have been Bush himself, not his administration.
OTOH, Obama had absolutely no training, no background, no military experience, no experience with duty or honor or discipline. There is no way in hell he could "gather intel, analyzed all situations, ..."
Perhaps if EVERYONE understood what's actually done instead of puffing up "their man" to be the superhero, we could give the credit where it's most due, and that's our intelligence and military personnel.
The military disseminates intel & presents solutions to the CIC, who dis/approves the action.
Ummmmm Obama did gather intel, he did analyze situations, and he did hold briefings with his people. What military training do you need to do any one of those things? And Please understand that by 'gather intel', I mean direct others to gather & bring it to him.
My point by being specific in my wording regarding Bush to repeat what the republicans are claiming he deserves credit for ..... the intelligence gathered from a couple of prisoners during interrogations. I doubt VERY seriously that Bush did the interrogation himself, but do you really think that anyone, including me, does not realize that the interrogations were directed by him. Did I really have to point that out?
So .... here you go, denying the credit that is due Obama. That is comical.
No President before him had ever thought to create an agency that would gather intelligence. He didn't merely FOLLOW plans that were already in place. Pfft .. what did those previous President's know about getting information? He ignored the warnings of Clinton regarding 911 --- was this because he hadn't developed this Bush Intelligence Agency & Prison of Torture and he knew he wouldn't get credit for obtaining the intelligence?
I thought I could just ignore the smaller New York skyline everytime I drove across the Verrazano Bridge to return to my childhood home of Long Island for Thanksgiving or Christmas or just to see my family. Until last night, I was unaware that I was still mourning the loss of life (men are not supposed to cry).
Do you realize that, on a clear day, you could see the Twin Towers from Suffolk County (50 to 60 miles away from New York City)?
President Obama ended my silent, buried brooding that (unbeknownst to me) lasted about ten years. As I was making lunch today, I stopped to let the emotion finally go; half bent over a kitchen counter, the weight I'd been carrying for so long finally lifted.
Obama in 2008: "If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act, and we will take them out.
"We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaida . That has to be our biggest national security priority."
THANK GOD FOR HIM!
You could bring the Dodgers back to Brooklyn. And I still would not feel as good as I do right now!
I think he came to New York for a fundraiser a few days ago. IF ONLY WE KNEW HOW GOOD HE WAS ABOUT TO MAKE US FEEL!
Using the same techniques approved by Bushie...