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| Mission accomplished |
The successful military operation that culminated in the death of Osama bin Laden is a crystal clear example of the superiority of our current president, Barack Obama, over his imbecilic predecessor, Junior Bush.
President Obama faced huge political risk when he authorized the operation. (And, isn't it telling that there has been no snazzy, poll-tested name given to it? No "Operation Iraqi Freedom" hoohaw?) If the mission had somehow ended in disaster, the President's already shaky approval numbers would most likely have fallen through the floor. (Remember President Carter's Operation Eagle Claw?) But Obama did something that today seems almost unbelievable. He put the interests of his country ahead of his own political interests!
Junior, when faced with a similar opportunity in December 2001, chose to protect his political capital According to a definitive account by Peter Bergen (senior fellow at the New America Foundation and the author of The Osama bin Laden I Know), even as US military forces and their allies had Osama bin Laden cornered in Tora Bora, "the Bush administration’s attention was distracted by the planning process for Iraq." The last thing Junior and Cheney wanted, going in to the new year, was to have significant military casualties broadcast across the airwaves, dampening public appetite for war. Their goal was Iraq and nothing must interfere with that. Osama bin Laden escaped Tora Bora in mid-December.
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| Hoo boy... |
Further, contrast how the two men, Obama and Junior, portrayed their various successes. President Obama made a brief factual statement on the evening of the conclusion of the operation. Junior, on the other hand, in May 2003 played dress up just like a real soldier and gave a premature victory speech in front of a banner on an aircraft carrier. (By the way, the mission Junior was celebrating went on to last another seven years.)
Today, President Obama graciously invited Junior to join him in placing a wreath at Ground Zero in memory of the victims of 911, but Junior declined. A spokesman said Bush appreciated the invitation, but "has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight."
Just serves to confirm what I already knew: There's no contempt like self-contempt, eh, Junior? Sucks to be you.
I'm sorry, but having a chance to get Osama bib-Laden and then getting him is the opposite of a political risk. There are three possibilities, bin-Laden is killed and captured, in which case there is a huge political plus for Obama. Bin-Laden escapes, which happened with Bush, and there is a political negative, but not enough to stop Bush from being re-elected. Or third, Obama decides not to get the uber-enemy of the USA, which is political suicide.
ReplyDeleteObama is just lucky that this became possible on his watch. That's it. bush would have done the exact same thing under the circumstances.
But Dan, that is Dade's point. Junior didn't do it. He went into Iraq instead. The reason why Obama had the "luck" to do the task is because he made it a top priority for this national intelligence team as soon as he came into office. Junior could have done the same but chose instead to follow Dick and conies.....
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the Republicans always get better marks on National Security. Seems to me they are making the problem worse and the Dems just get the job done.
This clip is from a news conference just six months after 9/11. Shrub tells you everything you need to know about his resolve to deal with bin Laden. "I just don't spend that much time on him" says the Commander in Chief.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PGmnz5Ow-o
Makes sense when you consider that Shrub did nothing in response to the prescient PDB that was issued a month before the 9/11 attack.
However, Obama's treatment of Bradley Manning is anything but courageous.
ReplyDeleteMy god! The worry, whining and constant hand wringing over the conditions under which Pvt. Manning finds himself in perplex me.
ReplyDeleteDo you not understansnd that this rube is charged with treason? That this scoudrel provided aid and comfort to the enemy?
The punishment for treason is death. We demand that this punishment be meted out promptly upon his conviction.
Personally, I agree with you. He should be put in Gen Pop. There is honor among thieves: he'd be dead in five minutes.
Peace out
He did not provide "aid and comfort to the enemy" by any definition of that phrase. Nor did he commit "treason". Educate yourself before slavering over the idea of his death.
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