Osama Bin Laden dead

[Team Sergeant]

Originally Posted by DeltaGolf

Team Sergeant,
Thanks for the input. For the record, I wasn't equating the operations, although I can see how you interpreted it that way. I was merely pointing out the political risk that Obama took authorizing the operation.

As a civilian, an operation that involves entering foreign soil without informing the local government, storming a compound, and capturing or killing the America's most wanted criminal seems like a very high risk operation, albeit relatively safer than Eagle Claw or Mogadishu. Obviously, I must defer to your expertise here that this was a low risk, high success mission.

What would it take for you to accept that the person the SEALS killed was actually Bin Laden? I'm really not trying to start an argument.

And I'm telling you there was almost "zero" risk........ two drunk SEALS could have carried out the mission with the same results...... Now knowing it was almost 99.999999% riskless what say you?

And I embellish, one SEAL could have carried out that mission with the same results.

[Burns76]

It seems that the Obama administration's inconsistent narrative, delay of photo(s) / video, dropping his body into the ocean (I still have a problem with that) is in sharp contrast to the quality work the Seals performed. Although, this administration hasn’t set a high bar at all I still would have expected they would have planned and scripted the communication to the world a little better. It seems to be the least that they could do considering the time and effort exerted for this operation to be a success.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

And I'm telling you there was almost "zero" risk........ two drunk SEALS could have carried out the mission with the same results...... Now knowing it was almost 99.999999% riskless what say you?

And I embellish, one SEAL could have carried out that mission with the same results.

Which reinforces my opinion regarding the fact that Obama had to "sleep on it"; smells just as fishy as the cloud surrounding the ID and the "burial".

bin Laden's lying there like a fried egg, and it takes "guts" to pop him in the head? You gotta sleep on it?

Fishy.

This bullshit is political and Machiavellian, IMO.

[albeham]

Dusty,

I agree with you.

AL

[dadof18x'er]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Which reinforces my opinion regarding the fact that Obama had to "sleep on it"; smells just as fishy as the cloud surrounding the ID and the "burial".

bin Laden's lying there like a fried egg, and it takes "guts" to pop him in the head? You gotta sleep on it?

Fishy.

This bullshit is political and Machiavellian, IMO.

know we have a whole new issue to agonize over, to release the pics or not?
islamic sensitivities ? how can we maximize political points, yadayada

how long will they wring their hands before making another bonehead decision?

[Richard]

I watched "Shooter" last night to satisfy my conspiracy theory gene until there is more info given regarding the Abbottabadabingo op followed by "Taken: The Bill Hillar Story." I think Liam Neeson is more convincing than Hillar in the role.

I'm almost wishing the royal wedding would come back on - think I'll watch "Independence Day" tonight...the acting is much better in the movie than what's coming out of the current White House.

Richard

[albeham]

LOL.. I like you Richard... You funny...

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Richard

I watched "Shooter" last night to satisfy my conspiracy theory gene until there is more info given regarding the Abbottabadabingo op followed by "Taken: The Bill Hillar Story." I think Liam Neeson is more convincing than Hillar in the role.

I'm almost wishing the royal wedding would come back on - think I'll watch "Independence Day" tonight...the acting is much better in the movie than what's coming out of the current White House.

Richard

[Utah Bob]

Originally Posted by Richard

I watched "Shooter" last night to satisfy my conspiracy theory gene until there is more info given regarding the Abbottabadabingo op followed by "Taken: The Bill Hillar Story." I think Liam Neeson is more convincing than Hillar in the role.

I'm almost wishing the royal wedding would come back on - think I'll watch "Independence Day" tonight...the acting is much better in the movie than what's coming out of the current White House.

Richard

I think I'll go with Men in black.

[TheSiatonist]

Originally Posted by Dusty

Which reinforces my opinion regarding the fact that Obama had to "sleep on it"; smells just as fishy as the cloud surrounding the ID and the "burial".

bin Laden's lying there like a fried egg, and it takes "guts" to pop him in the head? You gotta sleep on it?

Fishy.

This bullshit is political and Machiavellian, IMO.

The internet is lighting up again because of this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIO8B6fpFSQ

Not long ago, November second, she made this comment on David Frost’s show, “Frost Over the World”, which is broadcast on Al Jazeera English television. Sir David Frost asked her about the previous threats of assassination against her. Bhutto responded that she had contacted Musharraf. She felt that rather than focus on the organizations that it would be more important to go after three people who supported, financed, and organized these groups.

Sir David pushed further in getting her to mention who these three were, and Bhutto pretty much named them on the television.

Bhutto answered with no hesitation, “Yes, well one of them is a very key figure in security. He’s a former military officer. He’s someone who’s had dealings… and he also had dealings with Omar Sheikh (Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh), the man who murdered Osama bin Laden.”

Say what? The man who murdered bin Laden?

source

[Dohhunter]

DOD debriefing transcript has vague 'details' on the burial as well as the human shield and identity vetting aspects.

Maybe they'll release the picture afterall to provide even more debatable fodder.

[Streck-Fu]

There are 3000 Sailors on an aircraft carrier. OBL being buried from the Vinson would have had most trying to watch. I'd like to know how they pulled that off with out some kid getting a video onto to youtube. They could have shut down access but those kids are very enterprising.

I have a hard time accepting that they don't want to release the photo of OBL nor his burial video.

It is too easy for the Imams to deny his death and feeds the conspiracy theories.

[ReefBlue]

Originally Posted by Streck-Fu

There are 3000 Sailors on an aircraft carrier. OBL being buried from the Vinson would have had most trying to watch. I'd like to know how they pulled that off with out some kid getting a video onto to youtube. They could have shut down access but those kids are very enterprising.

I have a hard time accepting that they don't want to release the photo of OBL nor his burial video.

It is too easy for the Imams to deny his death and feeds the conspiracy theories.

Go to General Quarters and lock down the fantail so no one not involved can see anything.

He may have even been put into a rhib with only the most essential people onboard instead of being dropped off of the ship itself..

[DeltaGolf]

Originally Posted by Team Sergeant

And I'm telling you there was almost "zero" risk........ two drunk SEALS could have carried out the mission with the same results...... Now knowing it was almost 99.999999% riskless what say you?

And I embellish, one SEAL could have carried out that mission with the same results.

As I said, I defer to your expertise and experience.

That said, I'd like to clarify my earlier comments. I'm not suggesting that Obama is a hero, or that his "go" order was a spectacular occurrence. I simply gave him credit for getting this one right. Sometimes even a blind hog finds some mud to wallow in.

I don't think this remotely makes up for his naive foreign policy decisions, including his attempt to strong arm Israel into peace negotiations with the Palestinians, his desire to engage Iran, and his general handling of the WOT. Perhaps not surprisingly, the NYT today has an editorial stating "Mr. Obama’s risky and audacious decision to attack the Bin Laden compound in Pakistan has demolished the notion that he cannot make tough decisions[.]" Yeah, as if. 2 days after giving the ok, the Administration is agonizing over releasing photos? Well, looks like the President is back in character. I'll be interested to see how he deals with the Hamas/Fatah agreement, given Hamas' response to Bin Laden's death. How will he deal with Pakistan now that it's clear that she harbored the world's most wanted terrorist?

My hope is that Obama is learning and will take a more realistic approach to foreign policy. My belief is that he will not. I'm not happy with the excuses being offered as reasons to withhold the photos. "Too gruesome"? Really? Since when has that been a concern? "Might cause retaliation"? Oh. You mean their not trying to kill us now?

Yep, back to business as usual.

[GratefulCitizen]

Heard a description of the raid on the radio yesterday.
Commenter said the building was cleared from the bottom up...

That seemed odd.
Wouldn't it be safer to clear it from the top down?

Whatever the truth is, it'll never be public.
Guess we don't really need to know, anway.


After just a few days, they're already moving for withdrawal from A-stan and budget cuts.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administ...the-afghan-war

Budget talks will be shifted to cutting military spending.
Never let a crisis (or success) go to waste.

From the article:

A new poll released Wednesday by Gallup found more than 50 percent of Americans still think the country has work to do in Afghanistan, but also revealed a significant party split.

Fifty-four percent of Democrats said the U.S. had achieved its goal in Afghanistan, compared to 38 percent of Republicans and 44 percent of independents.

On Capitol Hill, many lawmakers are worried not only about those polls, but about the cost of continuing the war at a time of record deficits. The fact that recent attempted attacks on U.S. soil have been hatched in other countries also has raised questions about continuing the fight in Afghanistan.

During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday, several committee members zeroed in on the tens of billions of dollars Washington already has spent in Afghanistan, and questioned whether such expenditures are sustainable in the future.