7 thoughts on “Bin Laden is Dead”

  2. You are so right: “Well done, troops!”
    (From some of the mainstream media coverage, you’d think Obama went there himself and did it :-/ )

    Hey Debs,
    Yeah, weren’t the media positively giddy reporting about it? They who took every opportunity to vilify W ,the troops and the mission. The cowboy who dared to say that we wanted bin laden dead or alive – and the derision they reported that with. Now, it’s happy days are here again because we got him?

    Well happy days are here but no thanks to our current occupant in the Oval Office. I thank the troops, their families, the intelligence community and our coalition (yeah the one the media said didn’t exist, yet they yammered on and on about last night) who have stood the watch and have sent bin laden to go live with saddam hussein.
    Annie

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    1. Oh, you struck a nerve, Annie – It’s a nerve I keep trying not to expose, but dang if the stinkin’ media doesn’t keep stripping it raw! It’s like living in a parallel universe sometimes…
      Debi

      Hey Debi,
      Sorry about that but it breaks my heart to see this joker take credit for something he would never have started if not for Bush. I just can’t stand the hypocrisy. The media spent years maligning Bush (along with all the other drone lefties) for being a cowboy and many doubted bin laden even had anything to do with the murder of 3,000 of our citizens – now they are doing high fives and congratulating this guy? The one who campaigned against Bush and his ‘war’? And that speech last night filled with nothing but I…this and I….that. Yes, we know you are the center of the universe Obama…Makes me want to scream. Anyway, I guess we’re just a couple of sob sisters on this topic. 😉
      Annie

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  3. I come in peace, but I would like to weigh in, gently. I haven’t watched any news following the initial announcement. Purposely. Because I thought what followed would be predictable. The president owed us an announcement, which the right would be sure to take offense at, and the story of what happened would evolve as more information was revealed, making the initial news stories irrelevant to me anyway…

    So, I can’t make informed comments about what the left or right are saying, but I have a pretty long memory, and I know that political machinists have to populate public opinion with unilateral views to get their particular agendas across, and that media favoring either camp have to do their best to polarize issues to keep ratings up because ratings mean money.

    I have to admit I was caught off guard by the focus on Bush’s contribution. I guess it makes sense to claim the victory, in that as we get farther away from his presidency more questions arise about it, so any evidence that supports him is embraceable by anyone who was invested in his performance on the job.

    Still, it’s so curious to me that the posts I’ve read, here and on Facebook, make no mention of Osama predating Bush. Clinton isn’t mentioned at all, despite his designation of Osama as our Public Enemy Number One. Despite his admission to Chris Wallace on Fox all that time ago that he tried to have Osama killed. Never mind what the 9/11 hearings revealed about what information was passed from Clinton to Bush and what was and wasn’t done with it. I don’t think it’s useful, or even necessary, to try to try and ferret out who had the biggest hard on for Osama.

    I don’t think Obama is perfect. I think the left would agree with the right that he’s been a disappointment, but Bush wasn’t perfect, either– even in retrospect, and these notions are some off what is missing from today’s dialogue between parties. There is plenty to be said about Obama that isn’t flattering. And we also have to admit that Bush missed some opportunities that could have prevented, or at least limited, the duration of our fighting men and women in harm’s way.

    For instance, do you remember what he was talking about just prior to 9/11, despite the security intel available to him? It reminds me of the climate today, actually. In that we voted the House right because the right said they’d focus on jobs, but when I looked at their agenda following the swearing in, the only thing on their schedule, aside from their plentiful scheduling of breaks, was abortion.

    *On his April 8, 2004, Salon article “Weeks before 9/11, the president was “consumed” by a pressing policy matter — but it wasn’t al-Qaida”, Eric Boehlert wrote:

    “On the night of Aug. 9, 2001, speaking from his vacation ranch in Crawford, Texas, President Bush delivered his first prime-time address to the nation. It was just three days after he had read the startling President’s Daily Brief titled, ‘Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.,’ which warned of airline hijackings planned by al-Qaida. It was one month after the administration’s counterterrorism chief, Richard Clarke, informed senior law enforcement officials he had gathered inside the White House’s Situation Room, ‘Something really spectacular is going to happen here, and it’s going to happen soon.’ And it was three months after intelligence analysts had begun tracking unprecedented ‘chatter’ about a possible terrorist attack. So now, Bush looked into the camera and spoke solemnly: ‘Good evening. I appreciate you giving me a few minutes of your time tonight so I can discuss with you a complex and difficult issue, an issue that is one of the most profound of our time.’

    “That issue was stem cell research.”

    I think my comment is a little scattered– I’m on dial-up and I kept getting disconnected. I just mean to say that not everything Obama does is tainted, and not everything Bush did wasn’t. I don’t agree with the demonizations I’ve read elsewhere about this administration and those who voted for them. There is no doubt we love the country differently, but that isn’t grounds to question the patriotism of either party. In fact, I find that shameful. This is the stuff I feel saddest about. These polarizations. They aren’t helpful, or Godly, or necessary.

    Well. There’s a centrist view for you, for what it’s worth. 🙂

    Hey Clancy,
    I had to laugh at your opening. Am I that scary?

    I think you made a lot of good points, here and I agree with you generally. Believe me, I never thought Bush walked on water and I had many disagreements with actions he took – for example TARP and Medicare prescription benefits bill.

    I can’t speak to why people haven’t included Clinton in the dialogue, although in reading some of the articles I do see he is mentioned sometimes in a good light others in a bad light. Perhaps his administration was just too long ago for people to feel it is pertinent at this point.

    And again, I cannot speak to what other people think or why they think it but my problem with Obama, was not that he ordered the strike (as I would have expected any president regardless of his or her party to have done) it is the irony that the war, the interrogation techniques, and pretty much everything Bush did relating to security and defense was greatly criticized by Obama both during his senatorship and during his presidential campaign – and yet once president, he has largely followed Bush’s policies, plans and methods since he was sworn in. Not to mention the fact that without Bush having put such policies in place being in a position of making that order is a circumstance that Obama would not have likely found himself. So perhaps this is what other conservatives may have felt as well. I guess I don’t quite understand how Obama could have been so adamently against all these and yet then turn around and act so proud of the action taken. At best it seems contradictory to me.

    I agree that there is polarization and perhaps that is just the nature of politics in general – and the media does like to create a frenzy and fan the flames – it does after all, sell newspapers. Not sure there is much that can be done to change that when there are always going to be opposing viewpoints.

    As to why people voted in Republicans on a large scale in the last election – it was my belief that it was about the spending, the economy and jobs. And I’m not sure how much can be expected after only 3.5 months in terms of accomplishments. However, conservatives are watching them very closely also – we haven’t all gone back to sleep.

    I do believe that by and large most Americans regardless of their political alliances feel that our government has let us down and things need to change or the future is going to be very grim indeed. And things have been pretty rough the last couple of years, so perhaps people are feeling more cynical and less faithful – I could easily say that about myself.

    In terms of my own feelings about Obama, they are strong and I have to say I find little about him to admire. If you were to dig through my archives you would find that my opinion about him has been consistent (even before he became president) – and I’ve been writing about him for three years. However my criticism of politicians is by no means restricted him or even restricted to democrats.

    In my ideal world we would have a much smaller and much more efficient government and have many of our personal freedoms restored that have been eroded over decades of having them chipped away by government officials of both parties. Perhaps I’ll live to see that happen.

    Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

    Annie

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    2. Thank you, Annie! You are the very first person who has ever replied thoughtfully to me in a political discussion on a blog or on Facebook! Can you believe it? The first! Usually the person I’m trying to engage in a meaningful discussion calls me a communist, or a fascist, or a jackass when we disagree, or else I just get crickets. Nothing at all! If you were here right now I’d give you such a hug. You made my day! My year!

      Well you’re welcome honey – but I can’t see myself doing any of those things to you or anyone else for that matter. When I post political posts, I expect people to challenge me or debate with me – and I’m happy to oblige. I don’t think that name calling and such do anything but make matters worse and it never persuades people either, so what’s the point of that? Although some people are just mean and rude and no I don’t give that sort much consideration.

      Actually now that you bring it up, I’ve had a similar experiences where the response if there is one, is one of derision and mockery rather than any kind of civil discourse. Strange, isn’t it?

      LOL – I’m glad I made your day – who knew it was so easy. 🙂

      Hugs,
      Annie

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  4. There is something else I meant to mention. I think the disparity reflected in these heated conversations is illustrative of one good thing– and that is that patriotism is alive and well in both parties. As a native daughter, whose forefather’s fought our wars for generations, I’m thankful for that.

    I agree with you on that. I find it exciting that people are so involved and interested – regardless of the specific position one takes – it’s good to see people interested and aware. Americans are some pretty passionate folks and that’s a good thing.
    Annie

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