May 9, 2011

  • A Job Well Done

    I watched the 60 Minutes interview last night with President Barack Obama last night. I was captivated on the edge of my seat for the first half of the interview when he was talking about the Osama Bin Laden raid itself. The whole thing was truly amazing in every way; amazing that we actually found him; amazing that Obama made the right decision; amazing that the plan went off nearly without a hitch and amazing that for the most part, people on both sides of the aisle are praising Obama. Oh sure, there are people who believe that Obama acted illegally in doing what he did and there are still yet others who believe that Bin Laden is still alive and yet even others who believe that September 11 was an inside job and therefore Bin Laden should not have been killed. But, I'm not in any of those categories as I believe that Bin Laden was behind September 11 and that he  is dead. As for the legality of it all..............well, that is the story for another post, so I will just bury my head in the sand for the rest of this post.

    Contrary to popular belief, my praise of Obama has been far and few between mainly because, let's face it, overall I have been more disappointed in him than impressed. But, as far as the whole Bin Laden thing goes, I think he handled the whole thing great, I can't think of anything I would have done different or any president who would have handled it any better. You can say Obama is a pussy and while that is true when it comes to politics, when it comes to national defense and this situation in particular, he has balls as big as church bells. The swift, precise and tactful manner in which he handled this dangerous and delicate situation left me grateful that he was president at this time. And it is not only me who is saying this. He has garnered far more praise from Republicans than criticism with regards to the Bin Laden situation. I think it goes to show you that in spit of all of our differences and fighting, we are truly, for the most part, all on the same side and all of us wants what is best for America. And a dead Bin Laden is best for not only America, but the whole world.

    I was trying to think of the importance of what Obama accomplished with this raid. Perhaps I'm overselling it, but I think this was one of the greatest national security things any president in American history has done. It is certainly among the greatest accomplishments since WWII. Some might say Harry Truman's dropping of the bomb on Japan was greater, but I've always felt deeply conflicted about the bomb. As for other presidents since then, I think the Cuban Missile Crisis ranks as JFK's greatest achievement and certainly as important as any post war event in terms of a crisis. I think of when George H.W. Bush captured Manuel Noriega, but that does not nearly compare to Bin Laden.

    So here is to Obama, his national security team and the entire special opps team that actually captured Bin Laden. I think this was a once in a generation, earth shattering accomplishment and I think we should all appreciate what we have in this team and give thanks for a job well done.