The news came by way of an email from Andrew “Junketeer” Wimsatt as I was leaving for work this morning.
I’m still digesting the events, but here’s some preliminary thoughts:
- Barack Obama just insured his reelection in 2012.
- You know all those Carter/Obama comparisons? Yeah, Obama just made sure those are going to get dropped by the side of the road too. “Hey, at least the Obama administration managed to successfully execute a military operation!”
- I want to ask “How do we know? Could it have been just another bin Laden clone?” Answer: “DNA tests confirmed his identity later in the day“. Question: how do we have his DNA?
- What does this do for US/Pakistan relations? It seems clear that Pakistan has been hiding bin Laden for years, and I find it hard to believe the government of Pakistan was not somehow involved.
- So we’ve still got to worry about the Muslim Brotherhood, Ayman Zawahiri, and every other two-bit terrorist organization out there.
- “After what the president described as a firefight, they killed Bin Laden.” Makes you wonder; was Bin Laden shooting back, or did they kill his guards and then execute him? Did he have any last words? Did the folks who shot him have a cutting remark appropriate to the situation?
- Somebody’s going to get a NYT bestseller out of this.
- A whole bunch of somebodies will never have to pay for a drink for the rest of their lives.
- And there’s going to be a whole lot of posers.
It isn’t over yet, folks. I think we can take a day to celebrate (is this how folks felt when Hitler’s death was announced?), but this isn’t the end.
(Speaking of the end, subject line hattip.)
Edited to add 1: “American officials said Bin Laden resisted and was shot in the head.” Heh. “What’s the last thing that went through Bin Laden’s mind before he died?” NYT obit here.
Edited to add 2: Lawrence disagrees both with my use of insure (which I think is justified, in the sense of “killing Bin Laden was like purchasing an insurance policy against defeat in 2012”) and the substance of that position. (Check the trackbacks for the link.) I’ll admit that was a quick take, without the benefit of sober reflection. I’ll also admit this is why I usually leave the geopolitics to him. However, I think my position is defensible depending on who runs against Obama in 2012. Trump? Obama could run campaign ads consisting of nothing but 30 seconds of a still photo of Bin Laden with head wound and win. On the flip side, if the mission commander suddenly outs himself and declares for the Republican nomination in 2012…
Edited to add 3: Because it just isn’t a celebration without cake. Thanks to Borepatch for the inspiration.
