Osama’s death certificate…

Bin Laden’s son asked the Obama Administration for his father’s death certificate and was told there wasn’t one.   Esther Goldberg’s  comment  on this is priceless.

Cold knowledge…

Well,  well.  It turns out that our bold,  decisive leader  knew where Osama  bin Laden was in May of 2010.   Why didn’t His Oneness pull the trigger long ago?   Could it be he waited a year to take him out because he was already looking to his re-election campaign?   Did he really want absolute proof that Osama was at the compound,  or did it take that long for him to actually decide to decide?

Piggy bullets?

One certainly  hopes so…

Football and bin Laden…

John Miller has a  sharp post  up at The Corner on His Oneness using a football analogy regarding Osama bin Laden.   I agree with Miller,  but additionally I find Obama’s statement just another example of  his refusal to use “win” and “victory” when speaking of war and terrorism.

I saw Debra Burlingame  on TV a  few hours ago,  and she was among the 9/11 families who met with His Oneness at Ground Zero. She pointed  out to the President that AG Holder has still not ended the investigation of  the C.I.A. case officers  —   you know,  the guys who got the information which ultimately led to bin Laden’s demise.    After acknowledging he couldn’t tell Holder what to do,  she asked Obama if he would give Holder his opinion that  the matter should be dropped.   He said “No,” and walked away.    There is no logic in preening that you have killed bin Laden while refusing to end the persecution against those who put you in a position to get Osama.   George W. Bush  was correct  to decline the invitation.

I think that sums up nicely Obama’s weakness   —   he always wants to be close enough to the front to claim credit for a success,  yet far enough behind to avoid blame for failure.    Obama is not cautious,  cool and cerebral,  but calculating in the extreme.    Right and wrong are plebeian moral norms which he believes do not apply to him,  which is why he lies so easily and so often.

UPDATE:   More on the  visit  of His Oneness to Ground Zero.

Jihadist toast…

Jim Antle has a  good post  up on the politics of bin Laden’s death and what it might mean for our efforts in Afghanistan.

24 members of   Seal Team 6 conducted  the assault,  which was over in 40 minutes.  They apparently fast-roped down from 4 helicopters,  which means the first guy down had probably used  up his first clip by the time he hit the ground.   We don’t yet know if the Seals suffered any injuries,  only that we suffered no fatalities.

In  his speech,  His Oneness bizarrely claimed Osama was not a Muslim leader.    Mark Steyn  didn’t like  it either.   The Prime Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza  certainly disagrees.

Daniel Pipes  warns us  that the death of bin Laden doesn’t mean we need no longer consider terrorism.  Victor Davis Hanson wonders about Pakistan,  since it has long claimed bin Laden was living in an ungovernable region.   Burying the body at sea is smart,  since it leaves no location as a focus of attention,  but burying him in accordance with  Muslim traditions?   Please — they should have wrapped him in bacon and tossed him overboard.

Lots  of  photos  of  reaction  to the  glad tidings,  from  Ground Zero  and  elsewhere.   I think Kathryn Jean Lopez is right about this one  being a photo of the year candidate.

An IT engineer unknowingly  live tweeted  the raid.   Bing West hopes the  Obama Administration will take advantage of the situation’s embarrassment for the Pakistani government to conduct other raids inside the borders.

Al Qaeda  promised hell  if Osama was captured.   What will it do now that he is dead?   There is already a report of a bombing in Pakistan….

Bin Laden dead?

That’s what  ABC and  the other networks are reporting.   What’s interesting to me is that the USA has his body — that would allow DNA testing,  which is the only way they could be certain of his identity.

That doesn’t necessarily rule out a drone attack by the C.I.A.,  but they would have had to have a ground team close by,  waiting to run in and snatch the body.

Obama’s statement  on the occasion was 1% announcement and 99% campaign speech.   The attack took place in Pakistan,  and apparently involved a firefight.   If true,  I expect it would be a Special Forces team.

UPDATE:  Former presidents  have issued statements,  as have others.   Bin Laden had been neutered from an operational standpoint,  but this is a  powerful psychological  blow to his cohorts.   Here are  some additional details.