Who should get the credit for killing Osama bin Laden?
Here’s a curious sticker I saw on a car in downtown Roanoke recently — the date, of course, is the date of Osama bin Laden’s death(*) but the “thank you” here goes to former President Bush.
With today being the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, anyone care to discuss? Who should get the credit politically? Or anyone interested in a larger discussion of the role of national security issues in this year’s presidential election?
* In my research to verify that May 1 really was the date, I discovered this — technically bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011 but his death was announced on May 1, 2011. How is this possible?
Time zones.
In Pakistan, it was already May 2 when the Navy SEALs burst in and dispatched bin Laden into the hereafter. But in the United States, it was still May 1.
– Dwayne Yancey, senior editor
September 11, 2012 - 9:53 AM
Not 100% sure on how Bush had anything to do with it. The order was given by President Obama, carried out by seal team 6, in a country that Bush didn’t attack. Further more W gave credit to Obama and Team Seal 6 for a job well done.
It just underscores the lengths some will go to in order to not give Obama credit for anything. Something PPP just found out will doing polling in Ohio.
That sticker is just stupid…certainly doesn’t reflect any credit on its Hokie owner. Someone needs to sit down with its owner and explain how the calendar works.
No doubt with all of the intelligence, planning, amd build up there’s plenty of places to spread the credit around.
It was a team effort. AKA – America! How long was Osama Bin Laden pursued? No one should individually get credit for the murder of Bin Laden except for the guy that shot him.
@1- Doesn’t the intelligence on Osama go back to the Clinton years?
This is sad and ridiculous. And, look, Hokie Tracks next to it! Not good PR for Virginia Tech.
Don’t the conspiracy theorists claim we actually got him like a decade ago?
I think a better question would be…
If this mission, to get Osama bin Laden had failed, who would you have blamed?
1)President Obama
2)The Navy Seal Team
3)Former President Bush
4)All of the Above
5)None of the Above
If you are someone who doesn’t give any credit to President Obama for the mission actually being successful, yet you chose him in your answer above, what is your reasoning for that?
#3- Uptheriver, I agree that “It was a team effort. AKA – America!” As I noted in my comment above though, would everyone still have said it was a “team effort” if the mission had failed? Or would the most likely answer be that only one person or group would have been blamed?
@7 – The mission would have continued and I would have commended the President and the Military for going after him and having a chance. The mission wouldn’t have ended.
oops! Sorry about the weirdly placed comma up there.
I wish I had seen Uptheriver’s comment before I made my first one. I would have placed “America” in as one of those number choices too.
#9- Uptheriver, that’s a very good way of looking at it. I think if the majority of people acted with less partisanship and more “Americanship” instead, we would have more success in getting this country out of the mess it’s in.
#6 A bunch of folks speculated over the years that he was dead in a cave somewhere, belle.
This is Ridiculous! Everyone knows that the Bush family was good friends with the Bin Laden Clan! Well, I hate Obama’s worst faux pas which is the Moschee in Ground Zero’s neighborhood for me. Otherwise, he created jobs, GM and Ford are still alive. Osama is dead. The Dollar is stronger than in years vs. the Euro, etc. Please America, stop being hipocrites and stop this black and white politics! Wake up and recall your very own qualities. It’s about America! Oh, and i am no left winger or whatever, just realistic human. I am not politics at all, i just hate unfairness. American by birth, Southern by the grace of god, live in Germany at present, white female and love this great land of the free and home of the brave. Any questions?
This has to be a joke, right? Some of that “can you believe someone might actually believe this” kind of humor? One can only hope…
Magpie, excellent reasoning in #7. I’ve wondered the same thing. For me, President Obama gets the credit for having the intelligence agencies refocus efforts on finding OBL, and for making the tough decision to send in the Seal team to get him. Had it failed, President Obama would have most definitely gotten the blame, just as Jimmy Carter got the blame for the failed hostage rescue in 1980. The Seal team gets credit for executing the operation in a near flawless manner, even with the crash of one of the helicopters.
Considering the wide range of things blamed on Obama that he has no control over, it’s silly to think that a failed raid – maybe with American casualties – wouldn’t have been laid right at his door. In fact, the GOP would be wallpapering the TV with ads featuring such a failure with Obama’s name and face prominently displayed.
Bush had nothing to do with it. Just another one of those political lies.
I think there’s a word missing…it’s supposed to read “Thank you, from President Bush: We got him!”
“Grim Milestone: Over Twice as Many U.S. Soldiers Have Died in Afghanistan Under Obama In 3 1/2 Years Than Did Under Bush in 8 Years – Media Silent
Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, April 29, 2012, 9:52 AM”
Let’s see, Obama’s administration claimed the war on terror was over on
April 23, 2012 and all hell broke loose on 9/11 in the middle East.
He then sent his minions out (and the Koolaid drinkers are taking big gulps – well NYC can’t because they have been restricted to 16 oz.) to say it was spontaneous while his muslim brotherhood friend, Morsi, was on national news said it was definately a planned attack.
He wasn’t able to convince his ally, Morsi, to use the talking points. Hate it when that happens.