OBL DOA

I don't believe in openly celebrating when someone is killed, but if anyone deserved to die, it was Osama Bin Laden.

I can't find the posts, but I've written about this moment.  In one case, it was about what it would take to help Bush in the polls.  I speculated probably nothing could do it, but the single most dramatic event that could change things (at least for a while) would be capturing or killing Bin Laden.  Obama isn't in as bad shape as Bush was, but it'll be interesting to see how this affects his polling.

But let's not get too political.  There'll be plenty of time to think about that later, and no doubt the biggest partisans will be at it right away.

Everyone understands this isn't the end.  In fact, many worry this may create, short-term, more terrorist activity--either as reprisals or to make it clear that the terrorists haven't quit.  But I find it hard to believe this isn't a great victory in the War on Terror.

The two best things:  First, it gives a sense of closure to all those people who lost someone on 9/11.  Second, it's a very direct lesson to those who attack us--you will never have another free second.  You will constantly have to look over your shoulder, and one day, we will be there.

It was generally believed Bin Laden was somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but I'm surprised he was so far inside Pakistan.  This means we also attacked him pretty far inside a sovereign state that's worked with us in the War on Terror.  I've heard that after we thought we knew where he was, we did this on our own--we didn't inform anyone, especially leaders in Pakistan, until after we'd killed Bin Laden.  Also, Bin Laden knew he'd been found, and probably knew this was it, before he was taken out.

I always felt we'd get him some day (assuming he didn't die first).  He declared war on the U.S. and had Americans killed back in the 90s.  There were times while Clinton was President that we probably could have killed him, but chose not to.  After 9/11, he was on notice, hiding where he could.  I assume we were regularly trying to get actionable intelligence.  Makes you wonder if there were some other close calls.  Perhaps we had a few, but we may never know.

(Once some general said we had him cornered.  Maybe we did, but it's not something you say out loud.  At least he was only an idiot--much worse were some big names who claimed we actually had him and were waiting to reveal his death, or his capture, when it was politically expedient.)

Osama did have some power, but he was mostly a figurehead.  Al Qaeda has long since been franchised.  But I hope this takes some steam out of the movement.  Some fear he'll become a martyr, but I think it's more likely that even terrorists will get that he spent his last decade hiding like a rat and died like the cheap villain he was.