[hrothgar]

Let's all hope that was over and done with.

As ridiculous as it might sound, my main reaction is "Glad we didn't screw this one up"...
Closely followed by "We were tracking individual couriers for 4+ years???!!!"

[kenberg]

I guess my first reaction is hooray. I'm not about to join the folks out jumping up and down and singing God Bless America, that just isn't my style, but a quiet hooray seems called for.

My second reaction is that as welcome as this is at the level of personal retribution, it's a step, nothing more.

One reaction I saw amused me: "Maybe Fox, Limbaugh, etc will now shut the hell up about Obama being a closet Muslim". A naive hope, no doubt. And yes, I realize and I am sure that the poster does also, American Muslims cheer this event just as I do.

[PassedOut]

From what I read, the operation was very well planned and executed. The US president can't do it by himself, but he can certainly mess it up by himself. I'm pleased that our current president got it done.

[PassedOut]

By Arsalan Iftikhar: For Muslims, a reason to rejoice

Quote

From 2006 to 2008, 98 percent of al Qaeda's victims were from Muslim-majority countries.

During his famous June 2009 speech at Cairo University, Obama highlighted the common themes of humanity found within the three major Abrahamic religions. He said that "The holy Quran tells us, 'O mankind! We have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.' ...The Talmud tells us: 'The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.' " Finally, he said, "The holy Bible tells us, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.' ... The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth."

The death of bin Laden will not be the end of extremism around the world, but no reasonable observer could deny the fact that this mission represented the cutting off of the al Qaeda snake's head.

Although there are certainly low-level franchisees who will try to continue to create havoc throughout the world, the importance of the killing of al Qaeda's godfather on Obama's watch cannot be emphasized enough.

All religions have their extremists (and we atheists have our extremists too), but sensible folks are relieved today regardless of persuasion.

[y66]

AMF

[Phil]

Hiding in plain sight? This sounds like someone that wanted to get caught and make himself a martyr.

Passedout - I'm pretty sure the bloodthirsty W poured plenty of resources into the search for this guy. I'm also pretty sure its difficult for a president to 'screw up' a quick operation like this. I also doubt if Obama was involved in the logistical planning.

I'm not elated about this event, but I would have been 9 1/2 years ago I confess. Now, you wonder about a power grab in Al Qaida and new extremist elements that may emerge.

[jillybean]

I didn't feel any elation on hearing this news, I am more worried about possible repercussions.

[y66]

Why on earth did it take the US so long to succeed?

Excerpt from Al Jazeera story by Leila Hudson and Johann Chacko

Quote

The standard, official defence was that this was a rugged area, filled with implacably hostile tribesmen. Today, questions are being finally asked about the Pakistani Army's complicity.

The truth is deeper, and more unpleasant, and has much to do with the ways in which dictators around the world manipulate US policy with embarrassing ease.

For almost seven years after 9/11, General Musharraf, a warmonger who seized power in a coup in 1999, assured Bush that he was the only man who could hold back the violent fundamentalists and prevent them from seizing control of Pakistan's government and its nuclear weapons.

The US should not push too hard, but rather leave Musharraf to crush the extremists.

The reality was that the Pakistani government deliberately supported the takeover of extremist parties – such as the Islamist MMA alliance in 2003 – and facilitated the comeback of the Taliban, all the while profiting handsomely from generous US aid and the lifting of nuclear sanctions.

This was despite the fact that democratically elected governments in both Afghanistan (Karzai's 2004 election was accepted as free and fair) and India complained vociferously of the Pakistani military's support of extremist groups in both their countries.

Eventually a newly amalgamated Pakistani Taliban turned on their former patrons in the government.

Despite this, Pakistan continued to support the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani group, and the LeT, and the political leadership in the US continued to enrich a militarist dictatorship that fanned the flames of extremism at the cost of thousands of Asian and American lives.

A new approach

Since Bush's final year in power, freed from the baleful influence of Donald Rumsfeld, the US has taken a much firmer line with Pakistan's military – calling its bluff by acting more directly against extremists, and demanding ever greater accountability (for example the Kerry-Lugar bill) for the billions in assistance poured into Pakistan.

However these measures were totally inadequate for the stew of militarism, illiteracy, and bad governance.

The Arab Spring has eroded many of the conventional assumptions about the relationship between dictators, Islamists and the West.

In Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, we heard dictators playing the Islamist card for three decades – "support us unless you want the terrorists to win".

The reality has been quite different. Dictators from Musharraf to Mubarak have relied on terrorists and extremists to bring in the US aid they so desperately need to survive.

In the case of the Pakistani Army, they have been only too happy to feed the hand that bites them.

Musharraf, having worn out the patience of both the Pakistani public and his US patrons was finally forced out in August 2008.

He has been replaced with a weak civilian government that has served as little more than a useful facade for an army that remains addicted to both jihad and US money.

It is a stark warning of what the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt can turn in to unless people remain vigilant.

Today, the US continues to lavishly fund the Pakistani military, while using drones and secret soldiers such as Raymond Davis to attack the extremist forces that the same regime supports. It is up to the US to stop feeding the beast.

Leila Hudson is associate professor of Near Eastern Studies, Anthropology and History and director of the Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle East Conflicts (SISMEC) at the University of Arizona.

Johann Chacko is an MA candidate in the Near Eastern Studies Department at the University of Arizona and a SISMEC Research Assistant who has worked in the private sector as an open source analyst of military conflicts.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.

[Winstonm]

Frankly, I was surprised that he was still alive. My initial reaction is that this makes Pakistan look quite bad for shielding this guy for 9+ years.

[PassedOut]

Phil, on 2011-May-02, 09:42, said:

Passedout - I'm pretty sure the bloodthirsty W poured plenty of resources into the search for this guy. I'm also pretty sure its difficult for a president to 'screw up' a quick operation like this. I also doubt if Obama was involved in the logistical planning.

Obama was in command all the way, exactly as a competent leader should be. At a high level, many things must be delegated, but not decisions of crucial importance. Evidently this matter was crucial to Obama.

Yes, it would have been much more effective to stop bin Laden shortly after the 9/11 attacked, but screwed up decisions allowed bin Laden to slither away: Battle of Tora Bora

Quote

Former CIA officer Gary Berntsen, who led the CIA team (consisting primarily of CIA Paramilitary Officers from Special Activities Division) in Afghanistan that was tasked with locating Osama bin Laden, claims in his 2005 book Jawbreaker that he and his team had pinpointed the location of Osama bin Laden. Also according to Berntsen, a number of al-Qaeda detainees later confirmed that bin Laden had escaped Tora Bora into Pakistan via an easterly route through snow covered mountains to the area of Parachinar, Pakistan. He also claims that bin Laden could have been captured if United States Central Command had committed the troops that Berntsen had requested. Former CIA officer Gary Schroen concurs with this view and Pentagon documents are suggestive.

Obama's predecessor said this about bin Laden on March 13, 2002: "I truly am not that concerned about him." Instead, he launched a war on Iraq based on intelligence he knew to be faulty -- something no competent leader would ever do.

[Aberlour10]

jillybean, on 2011-May-02, 09:45, said:

I didn't feel any elation on hearing this news, I am more worried about possible repercussions.

Me too.

Just several thoughts about it. Its a good news. Better would be the living bin Laden at the court of justice. So, he died as a martyr for the part of the islamic world. I don't want think about... how many new assassins are born today. It must be feared that not a small number of.

Has anyone in the world thought today about xxx xxx civilian Iraqis and Afghans who died in the name of justice on bin Laden and 9/11? I dont hear anyone. So I do it here.

I dont think its a good day for dancing on the streets.

[cherdano]

Phil, on 2011-May-02, 09:42, said:

Hiding in plain sight? This sounds like someone that wanted to get caught and make himself a martyr.

Passedout - I'm pretty sure the bloodthirsty W poured plenty of resources into the search for this guy. I'm also pretty sure its difficult for a president to 'screw up' a quick operation like this. I also doubt if Obama was involved in the logistical planning.

It had always been reported that Obama decided to dedicate more resources to finding Bin Laden. I doubt this was spin as there was no guarantee of success at all.

I am also pretty sure that the president can mess up the decision making process that decides between a drone and/or cruise missile attack, or a special forces operation like this one. He will also be heavily involved in the decision whether to consult or cooperate with Pakistan. (In fact, Obama caught flak in both the primary and the presidential campaign for claiming that he would act if there was a possibility of capturing or killing a terrorist leader in Pakistan.)

Quote

I'm not elated about this event, but I would have been 9 1/2 years ago I confess. Now, you wonder about a power grab in Al Qaida and new extremist elements that may emerge.

I am not exactly elated either. The victory parties are hard for me to understand.

[jjbrr]

[jjbrr]

bring the boys home imo

[hrothgar]

Nice letter by one of Sullivan's readers

http://andrewsulliva...-long-game.html

[blackshoe]

jjbrr, on 2011-May-02, 11:50, said:

bring the boys home imo

Sure. Osama's dead, so there will be no more terrorist attacks anywhere. In particular, there will be none against the country that killed him. No more terrorists to find, so why not bring 'em all home?

[nigel_k]

Something unquestionably good has happened, quite independently of national politics. So I come into the water cooler and the first three posts are basically:

1. Glad we didn't screw this one up
2. A cheap shot at Fox and Limbaugh
3. Some presidents mess things up but "our current one" got it done

I won't be celebrating either but surely we can just be pleased and give credit to those who worked hard to make this happen. It's not even an election year this year people.

[PassedOut]

nigel_k, on 2011-May-02, 14:06, said:

I won't be celebrating either but surely we can just be pleased and give credit to those who worked hard to make this happen.

Did you miss "the operation was very well planned and executed?"

[kenberg]

nigel_k, on 2011-May-02, 14:06, said:

Something unquestionably good has happened, quite independently of national politics. So I come into the water cooler and the first three posts are basically:

1. Glad we didn't screw this one up
2. A cheap shot at Fox and Limbaugh
3. Some presidents mess things up but "our current one" got it done

I won't be celebrating either but surely we can just be pleased and give credit to those who worked hard to make this happen. It's not even an election year this year people.

Easy, easy. I am pleased and I thought I made that clear. I'm happy to give credit to those who made it happen. I'm not into "My guy did it, your guy muffed it". As for Fox and Limbaugh, it would actually be nice if they would back off just a little from the hysterics. Since they don't, shots cheap or not seem to come naturally. There are more than a few on the right who appear to hope everything Obama does ends in failure or if not then can be portrayed as ending in failure. I really never took that attitude toward George Bush (either of them), or toward any president we have had. I live here.

[luke warm]

PassedOut, on 2011-May-02, 07:31, said:

From what I read, the operation was very well planned and executed. The US president can't do it by himself, but he can certainly mess it up by himself. I'm pleased that our current president got it done.

good thing he didn't shut down gitmo, eh?

jillybean, on 2011-May-02, 09:45, said:

I didn't feel any elation on hearing this news, I am more worried about possible repercussions.

well it's not like they were saying "let's not do anything extreme as long as osamba is still alive"... i doubt they'll hate us any more because of this, or try to kill us any less