For the WBK War: Several things at once, most are in our favor. The symbolic loss will hit al Qaeda hard, without a doubt. They are weaker tonight. However, the new al Qaeda leader – Ayman al-Zawahiri – actually had larger ambitions (the entire planet) than OBL (the Middle East and Central Asia). Leadership moves from the financier to a fellow with operational experience. That said, al-Z’s piece of al Q (the Egyptian Islamic Jihad) was backed by Iran when it assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, so odds are al-Z will be more willing to work with the mullahcracy. That, in the end, may be the game changer that wins this for us – by making it clear that Tehran is neck-deep in the WBK War.
For American politics: Congratulations, Mr. President; your re-election was just assured. Your new political floor is 52%. Your performance in office tells me you’ll hit that floor often, and will probably be on it come next November, but 52% is still a win (the Congressional elections are an entirely different matter; don’t expect to win back the House or hold the Senate; the numbers on the latter are heavily against the Dems).
Filed under: International Politics, National Politics
Re-election assured? We’ll see. I imagine many challengers will note the push made by the prior administration to get this done, regardless of the successes or failures they had. A lot can happen in a year and a half as well, especially as the economy still has a long ways to go to recovery.
I’ve thought he would win re-election prior to this, but it seals the deal. But I am very happy the good guys took him out! http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-killed/story?id=13505703
This would have reassured his reelection had it happened in Oct. 2012. A lot can happen between now and then. Unfortunately, too many people have already forgotten 9/11, especially if they were not directly impacted by it in some way. Not to mention, newly eligible voters casting their first ballots in 2012 were 7 when 9/11 happened.
Something tells me that the economy and gas prices will have a bigger impact than this.
That said, congratulations to our troops and covert ops personnel who accomplished this decade-long effort!
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some nasty retaliatory attacks (or at least attempts that I pray will be thwarted in time) following this. We should all be on heightened states of alert for anything suspicious.
D.J., what was Bush 41′s approval rating after the liberation of Kuwait? What was Bush 43′s approval rating after his response to 9/11 and the capture of Saddam in ’03, yet he didn’t exactly have an easy reelection against John Kerry. The president deserves credit (but not as much as the CIA operatives who executed the mission) and he will receive a deserved bump in the polls, but expect it to fade by the 4th of July when people are paying near or above $5 per gallon at the pump.
Nothing is written in stone. Conservatives are thanking our military. Liberals are claiming a quick virctory for O. Me, I am in favor of thanking the guys whose butts are on the line, everyday.
It’s still 18 Months to the election. I have to tip my hat to Pres. Obama on this one – he did get this right.
I think we should laud our military and intel services. We have some time to examine how this shakes out politically.
Congratulations to our men and women in the military, particularly the Navy Seals. Thanks also to the interrogators that got the tip on the courier 5-6 (?) years ago – that is how long this took for this to happen.
Bravo Zulu to the Seal Team (Seal team 6 I heard on the news), and Cudos to the Intelligence Communtiy for their persistance and perserverance in tracking this murderer down!
The President made a fine speech, right up to the point where he had to get his I’s in.
“I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority” (As if the previous administration did not have this as a priority?)
” I met repeatedly …
” I determined …
“…at my direction…”
“Over the (2 1/2?) years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was.”
Call me cynical, if you want, but I’m sure I am not the only American who is disgusted by his attempt to once again make himself seem like a real player in these types of actions.
Yes, it is ultimately his decision to act, but the work (and the sacrifice) to get to this point had nothing to do with anything President Obama or Bush did. They were merely the “Deciders”.
Neither would have acted without Iron Clad evidence.
This victory will in no way secure Obama’s reelection.
A month from now this will be largely forgotten as people pull up to the pumps to pay $5 a gallon for gas…
I really have no problem with Obama explaining it was his decisions. The entire crux of the United States Military is that it is civilian led. I expect President Obama to shoulder the responsibility, and he did.
Bravo Zulu to the Seal Team (Seal team 6 I heard on the news), and Cudos to the Intelligence Community for their persistence and perseverance in tracking this murderer down!
The President made a fine speech, right up to the point where he had to get his I’s in.
“I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority” (As if the previous administration did not have this as a priority?)
” I met repeatedly …
” I determined …
“…at my direction…”
“Over the (2 1/2?) years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was.”
Call me cynical, if you want, but I’m sure I am not the only American who is disgusted by his attempt to once again make himself seem like a real player in these types of actions.
This victory in no way is going to assure his second term however.
The events of 5/1/11 are going to fade into memory in a couple of months as people are pulling up to the pumps to pay $5 a gallon for gasoline…
American fighting men and women got this done. The President happened to have to good luck of being in the office when it happened.
I agree with Riley- this doesn’t assure a damned thing. In the end, gasoline prices and financial mismanagement (printing money like it’s not a biggie) that bumps inflation will be this team’s end.
On top of that, a House and a newly populated Senate will keep him in check, shoud he survive his self-inflicted wounds.
Some historical examples:
1) George H.W. Bush wins in Kuwait, loses re-election (though in a 3-way race) the next year.
2) Winston Churchill is the winning British Prime Minister at the end of WWII, and his party loses the next year.
3) Harry Truman is U.S. President at the end of WWII, yet his party loses Congress in the 1946 elections and Truman is BARELY re-elected in 1948. I am convinced that if Truman were up for re-election in ’46 he may well have lost.
4) Saddam Hussein was captured at the end of 2003, but George W. Bush still had to fight pretty hard for re-election.
Yes, Obama gets a boost (even a big one), but people are still going to care more about jobs, gas prices, and the economy by November 2012.
Until the Republicans find a LEADER, Obama is pretty safe. None of those now running have the personality and/or charima to overcome the sitting president.
Look at them: Romney, Huckabee, Gingrich, Palin, the guy fr Minnesota (see – I can’t even remember his name)/ You think that any of them has a chance?
Acutally, Michele Bachman is beginning to look like the best bet by now.
Actually, Ruth…I read an article recently that put forth the notion that a non-inflammatory low key Republican may be EXACTLY what dethrones Obama.
And the man’s name is Tim Pawlenty. Don’t diss things you don’t understand. He’s plenty conservative, just not leaning towards a pop-icon-flash-in-the-pan that some of the bigger names are.
I was actually early out the gate for Pence, until he declared his loyalty to his home state (and who can blame him?)
Interesting – Pawlenty is a hard one to gauge. I like that he is unassuming but am wondering if he is strong enough to gain traction.
David Ramadan and Ken Reid will be holding a prayer vigil today, here are the specifics:
Join us to pray for the souls of those who died on Sep 11, 2001 AND to pray for our courageous US troops. NO POLITICAL SIGNS PLEASE. BRING FLAGS.
Vigil to remember 9/11 victims today, 11 a.m. King & Market Streets, near Courthouse and Bible Reading Marathon. Please attend
Belittling is Bullet’s specialty. (things you don’t understand)
Yes, Pawlenty could very well be the big surprise. He hasn’t gotten the publicity needed, but November is a long way off. A good PR person could do wonders. And he has got to show that he has “fire in the belly”; that he truly WANTS to be president.
The videos that I’ve seen come out of Pawlenty’s camp have been pretty impressive, so he has a good PR team in place.
Everyone who said this doesn’t gaurantee re-election is right. If military success gauranteed victory, Bush 1 would have been re-elected
It does increase the odds, which were looking pretty good before this.
But that’s really beside the point.
This is bigger than politics or Democrat or Republican or Tea Party or whatever.
This is a victory for Americans.
Does Obama deserves some credit?
Yes, he does. He gave the go ahead to execute the mission even though it involved using the American Military, in force, inside Pakistan, in a suburb close to Islamabad.
That wasn’t a no brainer decision. In 2008, for example, John McCain, who I don’t think is any kind of faintheart, said he wouldn’t order a mission into Pakistan to get Bin Laden.
Obama has said from the start of his administration that we’d go get him wherever he was.
That was the right call.
And he deserves credit for it. And that takes nothing away from the brave men and women who had to actually execute those orders.
just minutes after this is announced and the thread here turns into who takes credit, who benefits politically, and that Obama is lucky, etc.. And interspersed are the complaints about Dems taking credit and knocking the POTUS. Can’t we rejoice in this for say, a day, and then turn to be purely political… At any rate to many posters here… pot, meet kettle.
My point exactly Chris,
Obama uttered the first words on the subject, and he could not resist taking credit.
I notice he did not credit Bush with having a role in this, and it is the policies of Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld that he has continued, that made this possible. (I DO applaud him for that, but let’s not forget how hard he tried to end those policies, just to satisfy his base.)
I for one will not apologize for criticizing him on this.
I celebrate the action of the brave Americans who made this happen, and the President for authorizing the action,even though he really had no other choice than to authorize it.
Can you imagine what would happen to his stock if it came out that they could have killed UBL, but he DID NOT authorize it?
I just cannot stomach him taking the credit for the hard work and courage of other Americans, and I will call him on it when he does.
SgtC
When you’re president you take blame AND credit where credit is due.
If it hurts your stomach,
get some Peptobismol.
Please tell us what President Obama has taken the blame for, despite royally screwing up the economy and piling us with debt?
Chris,
Problem is, he didn’t do anything to take credit for. He opposed all the policies that produced the intel to get UBL. You do remember that his first act as President was to sign an order to close Gitmo?
Everyone, including the administration is now acknowledging that key intel came from Gitmo detainees.
If he had skipped the middle part of his speech, I’d be praising the man to high heaven, but he just couldn’t resist could he?
The emporer’s clothes are coming off. As I said in my first post, I am not the only one who has taken exception.
Ruth and company will gladly come in, drink all your beer and wine, clog your toilet, trash your place…and then leave. Afterward, they’d want credit for the “swell” party they threw at your place.
As I’ve said before
Bullet’s forte is to belittle. Nothing more.
Answer the charge. Oh….you were too busy attacking the messenger. Defend the trash you typed instead.