HAPPY Mundane, Everybody!
Wikipedia: The 1971 Atlantic release Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway is a duet album by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway produced by Joel Dorn and Arif Mardin. Flack and Hathaway were both solo artists on the Atlantic roster who’d enjoyed critical acclaim but – particularly for Flack – limited commercial success. Both graduates of Howard University although Flack’s attendance there pre-dated Hathaway’s, the two singers’ careers had overlapped: Flack had included Hathaway compositions on her First Take and Chapter Two albums with the latter also featuring Hathaway as pianist, arranger and background vocalist. It was Jerry Wexler who suggested a joint venture might consolidate Flack and Hathaway’s popularity.
The first single from Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway was a version of “You’ve Got a Friend” recorded before the single release of the James Taylor version: both tracks debuted on the Hot 100 dated 29 May 1971 – marking Flack’s first chart appearance – and although Taylor’s version reached #1 the Flack/Hathaway duet ascended as high as #29 and was a Top Ten R&B hit at #8. (The B-side “Gone Away” was a Chapter Two track written by Hathaway.)
The second single from the duets album was a remake of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” which was a #30 R&B hit peaking on the Hot 100 at #71.
It was the album’s third single “Where Is the Love” – released April 1972 almost a year after the album itself – which would be the smash hit, largely due to Flack having had her solo career breakthrough with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face“.
Although Hathaway had enjoyed more solo success than had Flack prior to their teaming up his subsequent solo career was desultory with no high-profile success prior to his re-teaming with Flack for “The Closer I Get to You” in 1978. Hathaway had recorded two songs for a second duet album with Flack – which became the Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway album – at the time of his death on 13 January 1979.
UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH, Ed Schultz really knows how to drag Palin and Cheney into PBO’s victory. Who gives a fuck what these two think?
BWA HA HA HA HA
Today’s Quickie:
Donald Trump is in free-fall territory.
Mr. Chump’s abysmal numbers fell from 11% to 8% according to the latest FOX primary poll. As Nate Silver noted, he may well already have peaked.
Then again, it’s hard to fall very far when you’re already at rock bottom.
That was today’s Quickie. Was it good for you?
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh12rep.htm
GOP’s Chandra Levy Agenda
by BooMan
Mon May 2nd, 2011 at 07:35:51 PM EST
David Waldman tells us what is supposed to happen in Congress this week.
Unchastened by their angry constituents, the House GOP plan was to come back like gangbusters this week, bringing to the floor not one but two ACA repeal bills. Not one but two oil drilling free-for-all bills. And last but not least the infamous H.R. 3, hiking taxes on anyone who takes deductions for the cost of health insurance plans that cover abortion—which 87% of private plans in America do. (If you prefer getting the background on that in video format, Main Street Insider has you covered.)
It remains to be seen whether the biggest 9/12 moment ever will derail any of this. I doubt it, but it’s going to look a little petty to “respond” to the killing of Osama bin Laden with sloganeering about “Obamacare,” and yet another abortion freak-out. Don’t know yet whether it’ll temporarily delay the plans to make the first order of business for the week (well, second) naming a federal courthouse after George W. Bush.
In the Senate, another two non-controversial federal judge nominees are expected to slip through the filibuster noose. And word is that Majority Leader Harry Reid will seek to force a vote on the Ryan budget in the Senate, in retaliation for which Minority Leader (in name only) Mitch McConnell says he’ll try to force a vote on President Obama’s budget. Who knew that having a vote on a Republican budget was something the Republican “leader” felt would require retaliation?
It seems to have a pre-5/1 flavor, don’t you think? It’s like the Chandra Levy of political strategies.
http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/5/2/193551/2480
Dayummm! …With your fine self :)
SWAGGALICIOUS!
my Sistafriend emailed me today – she was like —-did you see POTUS when he finished his statement on Osama….I was like…yeah, that’s swag..
this is what she wrote back to me:
It’s like he had his on personal song of Jay-Z, or Biggie, or LL playing in his head. Forget Hail to the Chief, he was walking to Mama Said Knock You Out, or I Got 99 Problems but a Bitch Aint One, or Juicy.
Or maybe he was walking to Shaft, all I know is that brotha right there, right there, girl he’s a bad Brotha.
He’s badass!
SURE YOU RIGHT, SG2.
BWA HA HA HA You know sisterfriend was telling the truth, rikyah. He was sanging all of’em!
President Obama Visiting Ground Zero To Mark Osama Bin Laden’s Death On Thursday
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to visit New York City on Thursday to mark the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
The White House says Obama will visit ground zero, the site of al-Qaida’s attack on the World Trade Center, and meet with the families of those killed nearly 10 years ago.
U.S. forces killed bin Laden during a raid on a compound in Pakistan where he had been hiding, then buried him at sea.
Flag-waving crowds have been gathering at the lower Manhattan site of the attack since Obama announced bin Laden’s death late Sunday.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer announced Obama’s visit on Twitter.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/obama-ground-zero-osama-bin-laden_n_856693.html
Photos in the WH Situation Room, as PBO & Co. watch the capture and killing of Bin Laden unfold
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5680724572/in/photostream
May 2, 2011
THE POLITICAL/ELECTORAL IMPACT OF KILLING BIN LADEN…. U.S. forces killing Osama bin Laden is clearly a national security victory, but under the circumstances, it’s also a victory for President Obama. Given that his re-election bid is next year, it’s not unreasonable to consider the developments in the context of the president’s standing — which may soon improve.
Opinions, not surprisingly, differ. Mark Halperin, not exactly a Democratic ally, calls the news a “triumph for Obama,” adding, “[T]his is a great day for Obama’s re-election effort.” Jonathan Chait, meanwhile, believes the political ramifications will be “minimal to nonexistent.” Kevin Drum is also skeptical about the effect.
Nate Silver is closer to Halperin, arguing, “[T]his is good news for Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. I can’t imagine a single, atomized piece of news, foreign or domestic, that would be better for the President.”
Although the Republican candidates had not seemed especially interested in making an issue out of national security — perhaps because Mr. Obama’s foreign policy has been fairly hawkish and not clearly differentiated from theirs — it at the very least neuters the issue for them. It presumably will become a significant talking point for the President — the sort of thing that swing voters will be reminded of in a commercial on the eve of the 2012 elections.
The news will also, almost certainly, trigger a significant improvement in Mr. Obama’s approval rating.
The sense in which I’d urge caution is that the former is not equal to the latter. Yes, this is going to help Mr. Obama — to some degree or another — in November 2012. And yes, it’s also going to make Mr. Obama look much more formidable in the near-term.
But I’m not sure that the magnitude of the bump that Mr. Obama might get in the Gallup tracking poll is going to be especially predictive of how much the residue of this news might produce for him 19 months from now.
Right. It’s called a “bounce” for a reason — the president seems likely to see his standing improve almost immediately, but the bump in the polls seems likely to subside soon after. Making assumptions and predictions from this is generally a bad idea, especially if the election is not primarily about national security. In other words, will the OBL news set Obama’s popularity on a new, semi-permanent trajectory? Probably not.
The common comparison today is to George H.W. Bush riding high in 1991 after the first Gulf War, only to see his fortunes falter badly a year later. I’m not sure I buy the comparison — Obama’s a better candidate than Bush, and if there’s a Bill Clinton in the GOP field, he or she is hiding well — but the point about unpredictable reversals is worth remembering.
But if we’re laying odds on the president’s re-election, the bin Laden news, I’d argue, bumps the likelihood up, at least a little. What I’m imagining is Obama and his supporters offering voters a list of accomplishments from his first term, and it’s going to be a doozy: ended the Great Recession, health care reform, Wall Street reform, student loan reform, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, New START, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the biggest overhaul of our food-safety laws in 70 years, new regulation of the credit card industry, new regulation of the tobacco industry, a national service bill, expanded stem-cell research, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, net neutrality, the most sweeping land-protection act in 15 years, health care for 9/11 rescue workers, and the confirmation of two Supreme Court justices.
Oh, and he killed Osama bin Laden, too.
Is that a winning message? I’ve heard worse.
—Steve Benen 1:40 PM
Steve Benen is writing true facts and preserving the legacy of PBO with his thoughtful and cogent articles of TRUTH.
this is something that just came to me, and I have to ask…
where do people find American flags in a moment’s notice?
LOL
I look at the crowds with these young people, some of whom are wrapped in large American flags and wonder…where did they come from?
LOL
LOL They have them stored in their moms and grandmom’s Lane cedar chests!
The Long Game
A reader writes:
Last night in one of your blog entries, you wrote:
“12.41 am. I have been sometimes at a loss to understand why president Obama would have escalated the war in Afghanistan as far as he did. Do you think it could because he was aiming for this all along?”
Yes – this is what he was aiming for all along. I have strongly believed, from the beginning, that the reason President Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan, and why he put particular people (e.g., General McChrystal) in charge of some of the efforts over there, was because he wanted (of course) to weaken Al Qaeda, but most importantly because he wanted to find bin Laden and capture or kill him.
In December 2009, after President Obama’s speech at the U.S. Military Academy, I spoke to my father, who is a retired military officer and who served in the Vietnam war when I was a baby.
My father was very distressed that President Obama was choosing to escalate the war in Afghanistan. My dad saw too many parallels with Vietnam and couldn’t see us crafting a winning strategy in Afghanistan. I knew this might not give my dad comfort, but I tried to explain to him what I thought was going on. President Obama, I told my dad, was doing this because he wanted to try to get bin Laden. He wanted to give this our very best effort – to martial all of the resources he had available to try to accomplish this. He wanted to finish the job that Bush never finished. He said this repeatedly during the 2008 campaign, and his clarity of purpose about this was a major reason I supported him over other candidates. The one candidate I could see who spoke unequivocally about wanting to find and apprehend bin Laden was Barack Obama.
He stated this many times – e.g., in his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention: “When John McCain said we could just muddle through in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.”
One of the reasons I have supported Barack Obama since he began his run for President is that if you listen carefully, he tells you clearly what he believes and what he’s going to do. If you try to put aside the chatter from the news outlets and pundits, and you read his books and listen to his speeches, you can figure out what he believes and what his intentions and plans are. This is a deeply conservative man, but also someone with empathy and kindness. He believes in the United States of America, he has a deep understanding of our values and what we stand for, and he sees that is right to defend those values, and to defend our citizenry.
I wonder sometimes, what do people hear when they listen to him speak? I’m a liberal Democrat. And I supported President Obama in his campaign and since then in large part because he said he would do this. It needed to be done.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/05/the-long-game.html
First, the obvious: Obama is certainly a stronger president today than he was two days ago. I watched the ceremony today in which he bestowed posthumous medals of honor on two US servicemen who fought in the Korean war. The tributes to these two men, both of whom sacrificed their lives to save their men, would have been sincere and moving in any case.
But in the present context, I couldn’t help but think: for those families, for all the military people in that room, for all the US military people in this country and around the world, Obama has a degree of credibility now that he’d lacked before. He’s not a military man, not steeped in military culture. That’s all still true. But now it’s basically canceled out. He got bin Laden. Period stop. An utterly un-rebuttable statement of strength.
And I think we will see as more details come out, indeed as we have already seen, that a big part of this operation’s success had to do with Obama himself. The national-security meetings he ran, the questions he asked, the decisions he made. I don’t want bombs, he said; I don’t want to kill children while we do this, and I don’t want a leg there and a hand there. I want a body, and I want proof, before America and (more importantly) a possibly doubting world.
In addition to that, there is the point – often made by now, but virtually the first thing I thought of last night – that Obama had said back in 2007 that he’d take bin Laden out without telling Pakistan if he had to. He was mocked by everyone as naive, as needlessly offending our great ally. But that is exactly what happened, and it was exactly what was called for. (Some Pakistani officials adamantly deny this.) Obama looks smarter and braver than all those critics today (who included his own secretary of state, then running against him).
What does this historic event do for Obama at home politically? On the most obvious level, I suspect a quick poll bounce of around six points. That will be among independents, largely, and it will be a very important foundation that he can use to repair relationships with that bloc. For a while at least, those voters will lend more credibility in their minds to everything he says, whether it’s about terrorism or Medicare.
It makes certain matters trickier for the right wing. Cracks and dog-whistle comments about his being a Muslim are going to sound awfully silly now. When the campaign hits full stride, the Republican, whoever he or she is, will want to attack Obama as weak, as Republicans have done to Democrats since the cold war. We can’t predict the future of course, and it is possible at any time that there might be a terrorist attack on US soil. But barring such an attack, any Republican trying to call the man who got bin Laden in a mere two-and-a-half years, after tough guys Bush and Cheney couldn’t get him in seven-and-a-half, is just going to look ridiculous.
Some of them look ridiculous already. In the statements I’ve seen, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and (of all people, but it was a pitch-perfect statement) Donald Trump were the only GOP president contenders to congratulate Obama as well as the army and intelligence services. The others refrained. Petty and stupid. Even Dick Cheney congratulated Obama. Barring unforeseen events, I don’t see Cheney giving quite the speech at 2012’s GOP convention that Karl Rove was probably hoping for.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2011/may/02/obama-administration-osamabinladen-political-fallout
Like image dj posted, PBO didn’t take a 3 am call, he made the CALL.
Posted at 01:13 PM ET, 05/02/2011
How much credit does Obama get for bin Laden’s reported death?
By Glenn Kessler
“Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”
–President Barack Obama, May 2, 2011
No, we cannot confirm that Osama bin Laden is dead. Perhaps that’s the ultimate fact check. He’s reportedly been buried at sea but we’re still waiting for a photograph of the body, an official DNA test, something like that. The Pentagon says bin Laden’s wife identified him by name. For the conspiracy buffs out there, however, clearly something happened Sunday in Abbottabad—see the tweets of Sohaib Athar.
Let’s just say any White House is pretty careful about having the president making a dramatic announcement late on a Sunday night. If any evidence emerges to cast doubt on this achievement, Obama would be a laughingstock.
But this does bring up another question: How much credit does Obama deserve for this achievement? And how much will he get?
The Facts
The president’s statement was notably spare on details, but he clearly thinks he should get a lot of credit. He noted that bin Laden had “avoided capture” for many years and emphasized that “shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al-Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.”
Then follow a lot of other “I” sentences. “I was briefed….I met repeatedly…I determined…today, at my direction, the United States launched…” Former President George W. Bush is not mentioned until Obama noted that he had made clear this was not a war against Islam.
However, in a later background briefing for reporters, officials said that four years ago the identity was determined of the courier who ultimately led to bin Laden. That would place a key moment in the search back in the Bush administration. Officials also said that “about two years ago” U.S. intelligence discovered the areas in Pakistan where he operated. That sounds as if it happened during Obama’s presidency but the timing is vague enough that it could have overlapped with Bush’s. Other key events, such as the discovery of bin Laden’s compound and the decision to attack it, took place during Obama’s presidency.
Clearly the search for Osama bin Laden has stretched over two presidencies. But the failure to catch him nearly ten years after the Sept. 11 attacks had cast a pall over the war against al-Qaeda.
As a presidential candidate, during one of the presidential debates, Obama had boasted, “If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act, and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al-Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.”
But once he was elected, Obama tried to play down expectations. “My preference, obviously, would be to capture or kill him,” Obama said. “But if we have so tightened the noose that he’s in a cave somewhere and can’t even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.”
The question of presidential credit has proven dicey for some Republicans. Many have tried to slip in a mention of Bush. For instance, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said: “I commend President Obama who has followed the vigilance of President Bush in bringing bin Laden to justice.”
Here is how former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld put it: “Credit belongs to the courageous special operators who executed the mission. ….All of this was made possible by the relentless, sustained pressure on al-Qaeda that the Bush administration initiated after 9/11 and that the Obama administration has wisely chosen to continue.”
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio): “I also want to commend President Obama and his team, as well as President Bush, for all of their efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.”
However, former Vice President Cheney simply called it “a tremendous achievement for the military and intelligence professionals who carried out this important mission,” adding: “I also want to congratulate President Obama and the members of his national security team.”
Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, gave perhaps the classiest response: “This is a great moment for the United States. And let me, as a Republican, give President Obama tremendous credit for this. This was a significant military operation. He had to pull the trigger on it; he carried it out,” King said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I supported President Bush’s policies; the fact is it was President Obama who carried this mission to conclusion. I think it’s important for all Americans to stand behind him and give him the credit as commander-in-chief for what he did.”
The Bottom Line
There are times when a president takes credit—or is given credit—for things that he has little control over, such as the economy. He also gets the blame for a bad economy, even though it may take years for the policies he put in place to have an impact. It’s the nature of politics.
In this case, Obama clearly built on efforts initiated during the Bush administration. (A big, as yet unanswered question: Did the information about the courier come from “enhanced interrogation techniques” during the Bush administration that Obama later condemned?) The kind of seamless teamwork apparently demonstrated by U.S. operatives and intelligence officials in crafting and conducting this operation does not happen overnight.
But it is also true that ultimately Obama had to make the final decision on whether to proceed. As was later documented in Steve Coll’s “Ghost Wars,” then President Bill Clinton failed to make a firm tactical decision about how to best capture or kill bin Laden. And if the mission had been a public failure, in the middle of a suburban Pakistani neighborhood, Obama would have gotten the blame—as Jimmy Carter would attest about the failure to rescue hostages held in Iran.
Obama might have given a bit more of a public shout-out to his predecessor. But the buck stops with the current occupant of the White House. Certainly, if bin Laden had not been found, Obama’s Republican rival might have used a clip of Obama promising to kill bin Laden in some kind of attack ad.
We’re with Pete King on this one: This happened on Obama’s watch, and he will reap the credit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/how-much-credit-does-obama-get-for-bin-ladens-reported-death/2011/05/02/AFzQ8jZF_blog.html
these are some petty mofos
…………………..
May 2, 2011
‘HOW ABOUT A SMILE?’…. I’ve seen all kinds of conservative responses to the killing of Osama bin Laden over the last 15 hours, but only one literally made me laugh out loud.
Sarah Posner flags this remarkable item from, David Brody, the chief political correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network, created by radical TV preacher Pat Robertson. Brody wrote:
I know President Obama understands that getting Bin Laden doesn’t mean an end to the war on terrorism but how about a smile? How about showing a little joy? How about a word or two saying something about how this is no doubt a happy or joyous occasion for Americans? We got nothing like that at all. Instead, we got Mr. Monotone. Mr. Bars and Tone. Mr. Non-Emotion. President Obama missed an opportunity to connect with Americans last night.
So why did he announce the big news like he was reading the dictionary? You know the answer. It’s because his speech wasn’t so much aimed at Americans. He was being careful of how the “Arab Street” would interpret his remarks. Any hint of gloating or happiness might be rubbing it in the face of some of the crazies in the Arab World and heaven forbid we get them upset! How dare we Americans look like we’re celebrating his death! The travesty of it all!
Give me a break. Isn’t it time to stop catering to thugs?
I swear this isn’t satire. Brody thinks, by killing Osama bin Laden, and then not smiling about it during a speech, the president was “catering to thugs.”
Anyone hoping for a more sensible, more mature discourse about the president and national security going forward is likely to be disappointed.
—Steve Benen 3:00 PM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029239.php
Palin thinks… scratch that… that bitch doen’t have enough brain cells to think.. POTUS should smile when a killer of 3, 000 Americans are killed like Sarah Palin smiles when she clubs fish and grizzly bears to death. GTFOH woman.
That media whore is just clamoring for any kind of attention, since Trump got a beatdown.
This dumb ass ignorant heffa wants attention. Nothing but trash!
She mad ’cause the Black President didn’t mention her name Saturday. He mentioned Bachman though. Didn’t give her a second thought. BWA HA HA HA.
A woman believed to be a wife of Osama bin Laden was used as a human shield when U.S. forces stormed his secret compound in Pakistan, President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser said at a White House briefing. “She was positioned in a way that indicated she was being used as a shield,” said the adviser, John O. Brennan, adding that the woman was killed in the attack.
Brennan also said it was “inconceivable that bin Laden did not have a support system” in Pakistan that allowed him to live comfortably with his family in a town north of Islamabad. He said U.S. officials are pursuing this with the Pakistanis, who were pointedly not informed about the raid before it took place.
http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/X109GB/IYJ8IU/ZOC947/NAT5HQ/2SIUP/JY/h
May 2, 2011
THE FUTILE EFFORT TO DOWNPLAY BIG NEWS…. For Republicans responding to the killing to Osama bin Laden, there are a few options. The first is gracious non-partisanship, applauding President Obama and military, law enforcement, and intelligence agency officials. This response is not exactly in large supply.
The second is to ignore recent history and give George W. Bush credit for Obama’s success. Some are pretending Obama isn’t even president right now
And the third is to just pretend the news isn’t all that important.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum — who’s been running hard lately as the foreign policy guy in the prospective 2012 Republican presidential field — told a reporter in Iowa today that when you really think about it, taking out Osama Bin Laden’s not really that big a deal in the scheme of things.
“Congratulations, well done, well orchestrated,” Santorum told the Des Moines Register before an event with voters. “That’s one isolated area as opposed to the president’s foreign policy and how it’s affecting our security. The president’s foreign policy with respect to our security is to make our allies less confident in us and has resulted in them in distancing themselves from us.”
Of course, the notion that allies are distancing themselves from the United States is ludicrous, but then again, so is Rick Santorum.
I’m not surprised, though, that some Republicans would downplay the news. Indeed, it fits into a larger pattern — leading GOP voices have been downplaying Osama bin Laden for many years. President Bush, for example, admitted he didn’t much care either way about the al Qaeda leader was caught.
And in the 2008 campaign, John McCain put restrictions on how/whether he’d pursue OBL; Mitt Romney said taking OBL out wasn’t especially important; and Fred Thompson said, “Bin Laden is more symbolism than anything else.”
After years of rhetoric like this, Santorum’s attempt to downplay bin Laden’s death is predictable. It won’t work — I get the sense the public considers this much more important than Republican presidential candidates do — but if Santorum wants to push the line that last night’s news wasn’t a big deal, he’s welcome to knock himself out.
—Steve Benen 2:30 PM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029238.php
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 And wait just until we get out of AFGHANISTAN….
Republicans Hasten to Construct Post-bin Laden Reality
May 2, 2011
By Hrafnkell Haraldsson
Today is a new world, and as any Republican recognizes in this post-bin Laden world, there is a need for a new reality to assert itself. Osama bin Laden is dead, and a Republican president is not responsible for it. Instead, a black man did it, a man who many Republicans and Tea Partiers do not even consider a Christian, let alone an American. Here we have a black man – let me reiterate that – a black man, accused of being a jihadist himself, a man said to be a Muslim born in Kenya, an “anti-colonialist” Kenyan according to Newt Gingrich – and he, not President Bush, killed Osama bin Laden.
Let’s say that again: President Barack Obama killed Osama bin Laden.
No, he didn’t go to that compound north of Islamabad and pull the trigger himself, but he’s the guy on whose watch the event took place. He is the one who ordered and gave the final OK to the operation that killed the al Qaeda leader. Just as the leader is ultimately responsible for any failures, so is he ultimately responsible for any successes which take place on his watch.
Let’s look at this again:
On President George W. Bush’s watch, the Twin Towers of the WTC, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, were attacked by al Qaeda terrorists. Thousands died. Bush responded by invading Iraq, a country which had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack, a country he had been planning to invade before 9/11 even took place. Hundreds of thousands have died; millions have become refugees. Osama bin Laden escaped again and again.
On President Barack Obama’s watch, the mastermind of that operation, a man who had declared war on the United States before 9/11 and had made his intentions abundantly clear to all but George W. Bush and his administration, was killed.
And the best President Bush can do is say he never really wanted bin Laden in the first place.
Yes, it’s time for a new reality.
The Republican presidential hopefuls for 2012 aren’t much more helpful. Only one of them can bring himself to mention President Obama’s name, and that is Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty:
“This is terrific news for freedom and justice. In the hours after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush promised that America would bring Osama bin Laden to justice – and we did. I want to congratulate America’s armed forces and President Obama for a job well done.”
Mitt Romney almost gets there: he does at least mention the president:
“This is a great victory for lovers of freedom and justice everywhere. Congratulations to our intelligence community, our military and the president. My thoughts are with the families of Osama bin Laden’s many thousands of victims, and the brave servicemen and women who have laid down their lives in pursuit of this murderous terrorist.”
But he doesn’t name him. Sarah Palin can’t even mention that a president had anything to do with the operation:
“Americans tonight are united in celebration and gratitude. God bless all the brave men and women in our military and our intelligence services who contributed to carrying out the successful mission to bring bin Laden to justice and who laid the groundwork over the years to make this victory possible. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of these brave Americans who relentlessly hunted down our enemy.
This is a victory for the American people, for the victims who were heartlessly murdered on September 11 and in Al Qaeda’s other numerous attacks, and for all the peace-loving people of the world.
May God bless our troops and our intelligence services, and God bless America!”
Hell, you’d almost think she was responsible. You wouldn’t know from her words that she wasn’t. She sure can’t credit President Obama, whom she just accused of stealing the 2008 election.
Mike Huckabee is the most warlike of all, as you would expect. For him this is all Old Testament stuff:
“It is unusual to celebrate a death, but today Americans and decent people the world over cheer the news that madman, murderer and terrorist Osama Bin Laden is dead … Welcome to hell, bin Laden. Let us all hope that his demise will serve notice to Islamic radicals the world over that the United States will be relentless is tracking down and terminating those who would inflict terror, mayhem and death on any of our citizens.”
But again, no mention of President Obama’s role. We can’t have that. People will remember that on Election Day 2012. Time to create a reality in which Osama bin Laden is killed by the United States but in which President Obama is excised from any relationship with the operation. For the Republicans, American troops or the “intelligent services” did this – Obama is almost nowhere to be found.
Never mind that under Bush our intelligence services couldn’t find their backsides with both hands.
Rich Santorum thinks it’s just a dandy event but he’s not about to name the hated Muslim mastermind in the White House.
“This is extraordinary news for all freedom loving people of the world, and I commend all those involved for this historic triumph. Americans have waited nearly 10 years for the news of Osama bin Laden’s death. And while this is a very significant objective that cannot be minimized, the threat from Jihadism does not die with bin Laden.”
And of course, we can’t forget Michele Bachmann:
“Tonight’s news does not bring back the lives of the thousands of innocent people who were killed that day by Osama bin Laden’s horrific plan, and it does not end the threat posed by terrorists, but it is my hope that this is the beginning of the end of Sharia-compliant terrorism.”
Bachmann in particular seems to want to leave things more open-ended, in case she can turn this to her later advantage.
So there we have the groundwork for the new post-bin Laden Republican reality. A dead bin Laden and an almost or altogether absent President Obama. We can only imagine that as this Republican reality develops, President Obama will either disappear altogether or killing bin Laden will turn out to be the worst thing we could have done and they will all deny they said it was a good idea. They can’t afford to let reality spin out of their control with the most important election in American history coming up.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/republicans-hasten-to-construct-post-bin-laden-reality
THE WARS & THE ECONOMY BELONG TO PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA.
This is what the GOP has stated, and this is where it stands. PBO gets credit for the wars and the economy- GOOD OR BAD, and he’ll take responsibility for the role his administration plays in both, GOOD OR BAD. THE.END.
5 Responses to Right Wing Bitterness Over Obama Gettin’ Osama
May 2, 2011
By Sarah Jones
Osama Bin Laden is dead. While you night think this is a great day for your country, it is actually the worst day ever for Republicans, as evidenced by the nasty, desperate, vitriolic and bitter commentary they are dumping all over the interwebs.
Right wingers are out in full force trying to deny that President Obama did something their guy did not do. No matter what they write, say or spew, or how difficult it is for them to get over the burning sting of bitterness eating away at their ids, the truth is that the Republican meme about being tough on national security has been a joke ever since Bush ignored the warnings of an attack, but today, it is not even a joke. It is a distant memory. President Obama joins just a handful of Presidents with top notch national security and anti-terrorism cred now. This bears repeating because it is true and because it is the one thing the trolls do not want you to say. So say it again.
As an example of right wing bitterness, Sarah Palin only managed to eek out congratulations to the military, showing that once again she has no idea what just happened or how it happened and once again, she is too eaten alive by jealousy of the President to bother pretending to be an American even now (yes, dear, that was a dig at your AIP affiliations. You said you wanted to play, no?). But why would we think she would change her tune and suddenly side with her country, when she has spent the last 2 years ginning up hate against her President, often on foreign soil and military bases. Way to go, Sarah. Right behind her is Rush Limbaugh, who is currently chocking on his own hubris and hatred for his country. Who wants Osama if the meanie who won the election gets him? Heavens knows where Trump and the rest of the clown show is, but if the Republican statements are any indication of how today will go, it seems the Republicans love them some George Bush when Obama does good things.
We’re not allowed to blame poor Georgie for the economy or the wars, but he can take credit for getting Osama because revisionism is all the GOP has now. Have pity, people. They just lost their only claim to fame; they are no longer the national security daddies. And it doesn’t help that the right loves winners. They can’t stand it when they are the losers and they can’t comprehend it when the other side wins. It isn’t just poor sportsmanship, it’s wired in the DNA to worship success and spit on failure. The authoritarians do not broker failure well. Imagine their feelings of loss and defeat today when you recall that Dick Cheney has been pounding away at the Obama administration like a daddy to his child from his bunker at Fox News, “They are very much giving up that center of attention and focus that’s required,” said former Vice President Dick Cheney in March 2009. Yes, Dick knows how to capture Bin Laden, so his opinions on the matter should be given great weight. Please ignore the fact that he never managed to do it.
Daddy beats them when they fail, so there’s a lot at stake here, which explains the rabidness of their attacks. However, we should not be in the business of catering to the lowest common denominator; and so, tough love and reality are the only coping strategies we can embrace unless we chose to bend over again, which didn’t turn out so well the last few times. It’s always best to set limits with the children, early on and sternly.
The capture of Osama was a victory of both US Intelligence and military intelligence implemented by Navy SEALs and CIA paramilitary forces, all coordinated by a rather genius President. You will note this was not exactly the procedure advocated by the former President, but then, as soon as I wrote intelligence, I assumed you knew that.
Here is a quick premier in dealing with the right’s bitterness today:
1) They will lectures you not to politicize terrorism. You write, “So, you’re flip flopping from when Bush blamed Clinton for not getting Bin Laden? Oh, and by the way, President Obama got Osama.” (Never let them steer the topic away from the very thing they are trying to avoid.)
2) Righties suggest we can’t be sure Osama is dead. You say, “You asked us to believe Sarah Palin had a brain against all evidence. I’m willing to go with the President here and assume that he and the CIA know more about what they’re doing than you do, since you keep steering us wrong. Oh, and President Obama got Osama Bin Laden.” (If you must respond to a troll, make it hurt. Always bring up something they do not want to have mentioned and follow it up with the narrative they are most trying to avoid. After all, they wouldn’t be trolling if they weren’t trying to reframe the debate.)
3) The bitter right will snark that Obama is mourning the death of his “brother” Osama. You say, “Wow, that’s big of you to admit that he loves his country so much that he would kill his own brother to defend the USA, which is more than I can say for any Republican. Just what was Bush’s excuse for not going after Bin Laden? Oh, that’s right, he said he wasn’t concerned about him. Oh, and by the way, Obama got Osama.” (Handy link to the video of Bush saying he wasn’t concerned about Bin Laden. You might be feeling petty right now, but remember, you are dealing with paid trolls with the mindset of being out to disrupt the dialogue and equilibrium and most especially, the narrative. Even trolls don’t like being mocked lightly.)
4) The Fox News watching set will say that Obama shouldn’t be trying to take credit for this and they bend over backwards to pretend like they care about the troops. They may say he “snubbed” Bush and has “no class” (you know how the repeat everything their masters tell them). You say, “God Bless Our troops. If only Bush had cared about getting Osama way back after 9/11, eh? But then, we tried it your way and it didn’t work so the President decided to use intelligence and look where that got us. Shocking, I know! Would you prefer we keep giving Bush credit for things he didn’t do, just to make you feel better, sort of like oh, gee, I dunno, an handicap or reparations for Bush’s failures? Oh, and by the way, Obama got Osama.” (Remember not to go back and follow up with the troll; you are engaging in hit and run here, not dialogue. A troll is never up for dialogue. Your intention is to hit them hard, bring up the issue they want to avoid, and reiterate reality.)
5) Desperately, they will state that Obama was only following Bush’s lead. You say, “Technically, Bush was following Clinton’s lead on trying to find Osama, and he had 8 years to do it but failed. Luckily we elected a smart guy who got him in 2. Oh, and by the way, Obama got Osama.” (You can always begin any of these with “Bless your bitter little heart, honey.” or “Bless George Bush’s failed presidency.”)
You may consider following any of the above with “How’s that tough on national security thingy working out for y’all?” if you’re feeling particularly Dixie Chick revengey. Do remember that you are not engaging in intelligent debate and the point of this is to have a phrase that sticks, not 608 points of truth. You know facts are of no interest to them so don’t waste your time. Save facts for debates on Democratic Underground and Balloon Juice. After all, if you’re dealing with a troll of this level, you are not among reasonable peers.
Yes, it is OK to feel proud of this and yes, it is OK to gloat a bit. They want to shame you into not being proud, but we know better than to let the right wing set the agenda for this country. Do remember what Bush and Republicans said about Clinton not getting Osama and do remember that for 10 years plus, they have been calling Democrats unpatriotic and weak. Think of Max Clelland and John Kerry being swiftboated and remember, it was a lie and never again. Be proud, and own this moment. You fought hard to get someone smart in the White House. This is why.
Remember that no matter what they say, they know they lost this one and it’s a big one, so don’t allow yourself to argue with them past point a. They are only trying to bring you down and draw you in so they can destroy whatever moment of unity and justice our great country is enjoying right now. You know how the Republicans hate joy and hope. It gives the people ideas, after all.
So live it up, people.
We must give a huge thank you to our President, our troops, Navy SEALs and CIA paramilitary forces, both the military and CIA intelligence and our allies. Oh, and I’d like to thank those Republicans who are able to join the country in her celebration and feel pride in their President, even though they may not agree with him on many things. Only truly despicable people are unable to give a pat on the back where it is deserved, where it has been earned. And if they can’t do that, we must ask them, why? The only excuse is irrational hatred and we’ve had enough of that. In fact, I believe we just buried the poster boy for irrational hatred.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/5-responses-bin-laden
Hello everyone!!!
Hi ya, Dannie. I don’t smoke, and I still need a cigarette after this weekend of POTUS AWESOMENESS!
Our President is a badass!!!!!! The most righteous, the most coolest, the flyest dude in town. That’s why they can handle it.
NO they CAN’T!
He’s badass, got dammit! lol
No one in DC got Swagga like POTUS!
The President awards Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano, U.S. Army, and Private First Class Henry Svehla, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry; the First Lady also attends.
Watch now:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Trump’s Very Bad Week
by John Cole
Because everything is political to me, it is kind of awesome to think about how disastrous the last week has been for Trump. While he was spending the week launching racist attacks at President Obama, the WH is busy tracking down the man who attacked Trump’s city and finally bringing him to justice. Then, yet another birth certificate copy is released, and Trump is forced to claim victory while everyone outside the teatard base is laughing at him. He then gets demolished Saturday evening by Obama and Seth Meyers. On Sunday, his television show, Celebrity Apprentice, is knocked off the air for breaking news, and while Trump is last seen debating whether to fire lil John, Obama strides out to inform us that Osama is dead. The dagger through the heart, though, is that this Osama news is so momentous that no one, not even the Fox news hacks or the villagers at Morning Joe, want to have Trump on to whine about how mistreated he was on Saturday.
I’m loving it.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/05/02/trumps-very-bad-week/
BWA HA HA HA HA AH AHA HA HA HA HA AH HA
ROTFLMBAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Morning Murderer should just STFU. I looked at that crowd outside of the WH…looked like the ‘ young people’ part of the President’s plan for re-election. Young people, by the droves, who went to the WH, waving American flags, and singing the National Anthem. Didn’t see no old-ass teabaggers out there last night.
……………………………
May 2, 2011
DOES JOE SCARBOROUGH KNOW ANY DEMOCRATS?…. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough offered some praise for President Obama this morning, in light of the announcement regarding Osama bin Laden, but in the process, made an odd observation about the Democratic base
“Here, you know, I think Republicans should stand up and certainly salute Barack Obama for making some — again, for making some very tough choices that his own base did not want him to make. That takes courage, that takes leadership, and we saw the results of that courage and leadership saying no to his own base yesterday. […]
“[These are] decisions that he probably did not believe as a candidate he didn’t think he’d have to make…. Going against his own ideological leanings to do what he believes he has to do.”
I just don’t understand what reality Scarborough is living in.
On the first point, has the Democratic base been clamoring for the president to call off the hunt for Osama bin Laden? I like to think I’m pretty well plugged in to what Dem activists are up to, and this would be a new one for me.
On the second, President Obama, as a candidate, talked repeatedly about targeting bin Laden and other terrorists. His “ideological leanings” weren’t a secret, and included his desire and intention to combat terrorism aggressively.
—Steve Benen 11:30 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029231.php
LEAN ON THIS, MORNING MURDERER:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ESqqZUjDZ4E
And on your way, you can fall on this:
http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/photofiles/list/4070/5459sharp_knife.jpg
From SG2, just so folks don’t keep getting it all TWISTED & Shyt!
ABA Journal Podcast
Big Sky Country to the Heartland: Teachers Get Kids to Care About Civics Despite Political Taboos
You can probably name all 9 Supreme Court justices. But most people can’t even name one. How can we change this for the younger generation?
ABA Podcast moderator Stephanie Francis Ward spoke with educators and experts about why civics ed matters in a constitutional democracy and how some young folks are already putting their lessons into action.
For more on this subject, check out the Journal’s May cover package, “Flunking Civics: Why America’s Kids Know So Little.”
audio here:
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/podcast_monthly_episode_14/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_email
May 02, 2011
Their unfinest moment yet
Mitch McConnell seemed to think this triumph was faceless:
On September 11, 2001, America came together and vowed that we would never forget the memory of those whose lives were lost on that terrible day. Tonight’s announcement shows that we have made good on that pledge.
Palin tweeted:
Thank you, American men and women in uniform. You are America’s finest and we are all so proud. Thank you for fighting against terrorism.
Seriously, that’s all. No mention of the president.
The idiot Bachmann did the same:
A time to express our deepest gratitude to the U.S. military for taking out Osama bin Laden.
Mitt Romney carefully ranked his thanks:
Congratulations to our intelligence community, our military and the president.
At least John Boehner had the courtesy to recall the president’s name, albeit both of them. After thanking the troops, he added:
I also want to commend President Obama and his team, as well as President Bush, for all of their efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.
The Republican National Committee went passive-voice on us:
Justice was delivered to a ruthless terrorist courtesy of men and women of the United States military.
And then the “real” story, the one posted on “What Really Happened,” a leading conspiracy-theory Web site:
Yes, we were hacked. Starting just moments before President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden, our website was hit with what the hosting company described as a massive distributed denial of service attack, no doubt to prevent the public from accessing the documentation showing Bin Laden actually died in December of 2001 of natural causes.
The point of presenting these varied reactions is that a half-cracked, delusional conspiracy-theory site emerges as the least dishonorable among them. At least it’s consistent, however psychotic its consistency may be. As for the others? They simply cannot bring themselves to honor the presidency even in the most incontrovertibly honorable moment — if, that is, a political opponent happens to be occupying the office.
For eight years they made excuses for the great and determined leadership of President Bush, who in reality dishonored the memory of the victims of 9/11 by diverting U.S. resources into an insane, unprovoked war of his choosing, letting bin Laden slip away.
Only about halfway into his first term, President Obama accomplishes what the “great” Bush not only failed to accomplish, but obviously — and shamefully beyond words — was rather indifferent about. About Obama’s leadership, the GOP says little or nothing.
While President Obama has quietly gone about the essential business of the American people, the GOP has instead most notably labored to exclude the former from the latter’s ranks. So yes, there’s a striking imbalance between the two in competence and governing ability and vision and seriousness and the depths to which they’ll take their partisanship. But in the end, those differences aren’t what will alienate the American people from the GOP. What will make the populace heave in disgust at the GOP is, rather, its utter lack of simple decency.
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2011/05/their-unfinest-moment-yet.html
LOL NONE, I mean NONE of the mentioned MOFOs in this article carry in weight in giving our President credit. FUGG’EM!
.US forces kill Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan
More details are emerging of how al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was found and killed at a fortified compound on the outskirts of Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan.
The compound is a few hundred metres from the the Pakistan Military Academy, an elite military training centre, which is Pakistan’s equivalent to Britain’s Sandhurst, according to the BBC’s M Ilyas Khan who visited the area.
Earlier reports put the distance at about 200 yards (182 metres). Pakistan’s military says the compound is 4km (2.4 miles) away from the academy.
But it lies well within Abbottabad’s military cantonment – it is likely the area would have had a constant and significant military presence and checkpoints.
Pakistan’s army chief is a regular visitor to the academy for graduation parades.
The operation began at about 2230 (1730 GMT) and lasted about 45 minutes, military sources told BBC Urdu. Two or three helicopters were seen flying low over the area. Witnesses say it caused panic among local residents.
But an IT consultant living in Abbottabad posted on twitter at about 0100 (2100 GMT) that a helicopter was hovering above Abbottabad. It is thought that he unknowingly tweeted details of what he could hear of the operation as it happened.
Barbed wire and cameras
The target of the operation was the compound, which had at its centre a large three-storey building.
When the helicopters landed outside, men emerged from the aircraft. The raid was conducted by a US Special Forces team of Navy Seals.
People living in the area, known as Thanda Choha, told BBC Urdu that they were commanded in Pashto to switch off their lights and not to leave their homes.
Shortly afterwards residents said they heard shots being fired and the sound of heavy firearms.
At some point in the operation one of the helicopters crashed, either from technical failure or having been hit by gunfire from the ground.
The compound was about 3,000 sq yards in size but people from the area told the BBC that it was surrounded by 14ft-high walls, so not much could be seen of what was happening inside.
The walls were topped by barbed wire and contained cameras.
There were two security gates at the house and no phone or internet lines running into the compound, the Associated Press (AP) reports
After the operation witnesses said all they could see was flames snaking up from inside the house.
The forces conducting the operation later emerged from the compound, possibly with somebody who had been inside, local residents told the BBC.
They said that women and children were also living in the compound.
One local resident told the BBC Urdu service that the house had been built by a Pashtun man about 10 or 12 years ago and he said that none of the locals were aware of who was really living there
According to one local journalist, the house was known in the area as Waziristani Haveli – or Waziristan Mansion.
The journalist said it was owned by people from Waziristan, the mountainous and inhospitable semi-autonomous tribal area close to the Afghan border, which until now most observers believed to be the hiding place for Bin Laden.
This house was in a residential district of Abbottabad’s suburbs called Bilal Town and known to be home to a number of retired military officers from the area.
Intelligence officials in the US are quoted by AP as saying that the house was custom-built to harbour a major “terrorist” figure.
It says CIA experts analysed whether it could be anyone else but they decided it was almost certainly Bin Laden.
Pakistani troops arrived at the scene after the attack and took over the area.
BBC correspondents say US troops were probably operating out of a base used by US Marines in Tarbela Ghazi, an area close to Abbottaba
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13257330
Dearborn residents rejoice at bin Laden’s death
Drivers honked their horns in celebration along the main avenue of Arab-American commerce in the heavily Middle Eastern suburb of Dearborn as news of Osama bin Laden’s death spread across the city. Yet more gathered outside City Hall, chanting “U.S.A.” and waving American flags.
“It’s a special day for us to show Americans we are celebrating, we are united,” said Ahmed Albedairy, 35, of Dearborn, who came to the U.S. from Iraq in 1996 and was one of about 20 people outside City Hall very early Monday. He said it was important to celebrate the “death of the evil Osama bin Laden” in “the center of Dearborn.”
Dearborn is home to one of the nation’s largest Arab and Muslim communities. Roughly one-third of the 100,000 residents trace their roots to the Middle East.
At the Arabica Café, the big screen TVs that normally show sport were all turned to news channels.
Leila Hussein, a 24-year-old waitress at the café, says she learned of the extraordinary development from a customer who asked if he could turn the TVs to a cable news network. About a dozen people inside the restaurant watched as President Barack Obama said the leader of the al-Qaida network had been killed in a U.S. military-led operation.
“It’s good he’s out of the world,” said Hussein, who was in middle school in Dearborn on Sept. 11, 2001.
Café manager Mohamed Kobeissi said it’s finally justice for the Sept. 11 victims. The 54-year-old lifelong Dearborn resident said he feels safer — as a Muslim and as an American — because the mastermind behind the attacks is gone.
“We felt we got relief by him getting killed. Thank God, finally, it’s a done job,” he said. “I think by seeing him out of our life gives us comfort. At least no big harm will come to the Muslim community in the U.S. from him or people like him.”
In Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, small groups of students celebrated bin Laden’s death by waving American flags and singing patriotic songs, AnnArbor.com and The Michigan Daily reported. A bottle of champagne was sprayed, and cars drove through Ann Arbor with passengers chanting “U.S.A.”
Bin Laden’s death drew quick reaction from Michigan members of the U.S. House and Senate.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said bin Laden’s death “closes a key chapter in the war on terror” but noted that the U.S. will continue to fight terrorism.
“We have brought to justice a terrorist with the blood of thousands of Americans on his hands, and brought justice to the families of his victims,” Rogers said in a statement released early Monday.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., thanked those involved in the mission.
“Our country is united in gratitude to the brave men and women of our intelligence and counter terrorism community and our troops for their sacrifices in keeping us safe from terror,” Stabenow said in a statement.
.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/05/dearborn-residents-rejoice-bin-ladens-death#ixzz1LCArmF5b
This is for you, SG2; dirnk up! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__j-Yh5rKmeY/Sh2rGgOB69I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/o5mFlyVP8pk/s400/cup-of-coffee.jpg
Coffee Coffee! I need coffee! SG2 is tired this morning. I didn’t go to bed until around 4 ish something.
Bagels? http://www.sogoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/bagelassortment.jpg
May 2, 2011
PLENTY OF CREDIT TO GO AROUND, STARTING AT THE TOP…. The amount of work that went into tracking down and killing Osama bin Laden is pretty extraordinary. It took years, and involved military, law enforcement, and intelligence agency officials, most of whom we’ll never know and won’t be able to thank.
And while many patriots made this happen, it’s President Obama who’ll get much of the credit — and given the circumstances, he’ll deserve it. Slate’s John Dickerson had a good piece overnight on how Obama’s “focused, hands-on pursuit of Osama Bin Laden paid off.”
At approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday, President Obama announced to the nation that on his orders U.S forces had killed Osama Bin Laden. His reputation for lawyerly inaction may never recover.
Obama’s critics have said that he is a weak leader in general and in particular does not understand what must be done to combat terrorism. “They are very much giving up that center of attention and focus that’s required,” said former Vice President Dick Cheney in March 2009, in a typical remark. Yet what emerges from the details of Bin Laden’s killing (offered, like the heroic accounts of the Bush years, entirely by officials who work for the sitting president) is that from early in his administration Obama was focused on killing Osama Bin Laden and that he was involved in the process throughout.
In June 2009, Obama directed his CIA director to “provide me within 30 days a detailed operation plan for locating and bringing to justice” Osama Bin Laden. By August 2010 intelligence officials had identified the suspicious compound where Osama lived.
Dickerson’s description of the president’s efforts as “hands-on” seems especially apt given what we know. It was Obama who instructed the CIA to make targeting bin Laden a top priority, breaking with his predecessor. It was Obama who oversaw five national security meetings to oversee plans for this operation. It was Obama who chose this mission, made final preparations, and gave the order.
There’s a difference between talking tough and being tough, just as there’s a difference between chest-thumping rhetoric and getting the job done.
—Steve Benen 8:30 AM
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2011_05/029219.php
Thanks for this, rikyah. :-) I concur 100%.
Happy MUN-dane, Everyone! :-) PBO to the HATERS: DUECES, BITHCES!!!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Howdy, rikyrah!
Good Morning, SG2! Did you get your coffee above?
Yes I did! Thank you so much. I need a wake me upper.
Inspiration for today….
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Sounds like our Military Special Ops and PBO administration have been living by these words of inspiration. Thank you, SG2.