“ [.....] this is of a piece with the swift boating of the President being undertaken by outside groups, who are attacking Obama for using the death of Osama bin Laden as a demonstration of his foreign policy successes and abilities. Gregory, quoting the ever-reliable New York Post, asked Biden, "Was all of this together in effect his 'Mission Accomplished' moment?" Again, Biden could have grabbed Gregory by his tie and gritted his teeth in that Biden way and said, "Listen, motherfucker. Here's the difference: we actually accomplished the mission." But, alas, he did not.
You can be assured that if bin Laden was still free, Republicans would have been running nonstop ads about how Obama hadn't captured him and how bin Laden was plotting right now to shoot down your airplanes and make your women wear burqas. But that strategy is out the window, so all they can do is go with this bullshit "spiking the ball" thing.
Hey, you know who else spiked the ball? Ike. Yep, in his reelection campaign in 1956, President Eisenhower used his ending the Korean War as a reason to vote for him. That ad asked, among other things, "Can we dismiss the man who has kept us at peace, and take a chance on a man untried and inexperienced in international negotiations and world problems? What do you say? Are you willing to bet everything you love and hold dear that [Adlai] Stevenson can also keep us out of war? Are you that sure of it?" How is that Republican strategy any different than Obama asking what Romney would have done?”
I originally published this post in May 2011. Considering the current attempts by the Koch brothers and Veterans for a Strong America to swift boat President Obama using the death of bin Laden, I thought it was a good time to bring it to the forefront again.
We can rest assured that if George W. Bush had been responsible for the killing of Osama bin Laden, the right wing would have begun carving his face on to Mt. Rushmore by now, and we'd never hear the end of it. Instead, President Obama did the job, and the right wing wants to crucify him for it out of pure and simple jealousy, as well as a desire to defeat him in November.
Quotes by former President George W. Bush from Sept. 13, 2001 through March 13, 2002 regarding his intent toward Osama bin Laden:
Two days after the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 13, 2001, George W. Bush said:
“The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.”source
Five days after the 9/11 attacks, on Sept. 16, 2001, George W. Bush said:
“My administration has a job to do and we're going to do it. We will rid the world of the evil-doers.”source
Three months after the 9/11 attacks, on Dec. 14, 2001, George W. Bush said:
According to the Washington Post, a series of documents recovered from the bin Laden compound has been released to the public:
Newly released documents recovered from the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed show that al-Qaeda’s leaders were frustrated in their efforts to manage an emerging group of distant affiliates that showed little discipline or willingness to take direction.
The letters include chilling admonitions to remain focused on killing Americans, cast doubt on suspicions that the governments of Pakistan and Iran collaborated with the terrorist group, and reveal bin Laden’s suspicions about a U.S.-born cleric who was rising through the ranks of al-Qaeda’s group in Yemen.
The documents declassified by the Obama administration represent only a small fraction of the trove of material recovered in the bin Laden raid, a sample that could sow discord within the terrorist network. But the files also provide an intriguing, up-close glimpse into the aging al-Qaeda founder’s thoughts as his life neared its end.
“Our strength is limited,” bin Laden wrote in a 2010 letter that compares the United States to a tree with branches that project across the world. “So our best way to cut the tree is to concentrate on sawing the trunk.”
“You can go back 500 years. You cannot find a more audacious plan. Never knowing for certain. We never had more than a 48 percent probability that he was there.”
- Vice President Joe Biden at a fundraiser, rightfully brags on the raid ordered by President Obama to kill Bin Laden in Pakistan last year.
Adding....if you find yourself cringing over the smell of sour grapes re this quote at the National Review, just remember....their guy couldn’t do it in 8 years.
“Defeating Barack Obama becomes, in fact, a duty of national security. Because the fact is, he is incapable of defending the United States.”
- On President’s Day, Newt Gingrich told a crowd of 4,000 at Oral Roberts University that we must defeat President Obama because he won’t keep us safe. Or something like that.
I imagine that Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the underwear bomber) and Muammar Gaddafi would have something to say about that, Newt. Just sayin’....
“On foreign policy, the right-wing critiques have been the most unhinged. Romney accuses the president of apologizing for America, and others all but accuse him of treason and appeasement. Instead, Obama reversed Bush’s policy of ignoring Osama bin Laden, immediately setting a course that eventually led to his capture and death. And when the moment for decision came, the president overruled both his secretary of state and vice president in ordering the riskiest—but most ambitious—plan on the table. He even personally ordered the extra helicopters that saved the mission. It was a triumph, not only in killing America’s primary global enemy, but in getting a massive trove of intelligence to undermine al Qaeda even further. If George Bush had taken out bin Laden, wiped out al Qaeda’s leadership, and gathered a treasure trove of real intelligence by a daring raid, he’d be on Mount Rushmore by now. But where Bush talked tough and acted counterproductively, Obama has simply, quietly, relentlessly decimated our real enemies, while winning the broader propaganda war. Since he took office, al Qaeda’s popularity in the Muslim world has plummeted.
Obama’s foreign policy, like Dwight Eisenhower’s or George H.W. Bush’s, eschews short-term political hits for long-term strategic advantage. It is forged by someone interested in advancing American interests—not asserting an ideology and enforcing it regardless of the consequences by force of arms. By hanging back a little, by “leading from behind” in Libya and elsewhere, Obama has made other countries actively seek America’s help and reappreciate our role. As an antidote to the bad feelings of the Iraq War, it has worked close to perfectly.”
- Conservative-Independent, Andrew Sullivan, on Obama’s foreign policy accomplishments, from a really excellent cover story for Newsweek.
Adding........you should read the entire piece. It’s not only brilliant, but it tells the truth about the Obama presidency in a way that hasn’t been done before. While I disagree with Sullivan on several points (the most egregious point being that Obama signed indefinite detention of American citizens into law. Indefinite detention of American citizens was not “signed into law” by President Obama, it was already law, a fact which Sullivan does not point out.)
“To rid the world of Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Moammar Qaddafi within six months: if Obama were a Republican, he'd be on Mount Rushmore by now.”
- Andrew Sullivan, referring to President Obama's national security - foreign policy accomplishments.
“I'm disillusioned by the people who are disillusioned by Obama, quite honestly, I am. Democrats eat their own. Democrats find singular issues and go, 'Well, I didn't get everything I wanted.’ I'm a firm believer in sticking by and sticking up'for the people whom you've elected.
If he was a Republican running, because Republicans are better at this, they'd be selling him as the guy who stopped 400,000 jobs a month from leaving the country. They'd be selling him as the guy who saved the auto-industry. If they had the beliefs, they'd be selling him as the guy who got rid of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’, who got Osama bin Laden. You could be selling this as a very successful three years.”
- Actor and Activist George Clooney to ABC News on the “disillusioned left”, i.e., the Professional Left and their sheep/followers.
Eli Lake, a national security correspondent for the unabashedly conservative Washington Times and not exactly a fan of President Obama, raised a point on Twitter that the right probably didn’t care for. (via Zack Beauchamp)
“Worth noting. President Birth Certificate has done what Reagan and W could not: end Gadhafi's reign and kill bin Laden. #realkeeping”
Yesterday, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), told reporters that the house didn’t have the time to honor the Navy SEALs who killed Osama Bin Laden:
The House will not hold a vote on a resolution honoring U.S. troops and the intelligence community on the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, the number-two House Republican said Tuesday.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that House Republican leaders had been considering a symbolic resolution honoring the Navy SEALS and others involved in the bin Laden raid but that they had decided against one in an effort to keep in line with their new rules prohibiting commemorative measures.
“We considered that last week, and we deal with the rules that we’ve put in place in the House, and we’ve said since we assumed the majority that we want to be substantive and meaningful,” Cantor told reporters at his weekly roundtable.
Oh, but wait.
Apparently, the House GOP found it “substantive and meaningful”, as well as worth their time, to honor George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush by renaming a courthouse in Texas after them.
The U.S. House has voted to add the names of former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush to the federal courthouse in Midland, where the Bushes once lived.
U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, announced the passage of the House resolution redesignating the building in a statement issued Monday. Previously, the building’s official name had been the “George Mahon Federal Building United States Courthouse,” after a longtime congressman who once represented Midland.
In response to criticism, Cantor has now partially relented, via Think Progress:
In response to criticism, Cantor now says he will include language regarding the Navy SEALs in an upcoming intelligence authorizations bill. Still, the House GOP will not hold a vote on the bipartisan stand-alone bill passed by the Senate.
Let’s be completely clear.
To the House GOP, it is “substantive and meaningful”, and worth their time, to rename a federal courthouse after the incompetent war criminal, George W. Bush.
It is not, however, “substantive and meaningful”, orworth their time, to honor the Navy SEALS who brought down our #1 enemy, Osama bin Laden.
What might have been had not the incompetent and war mongering George W. Bush been the president:
One last note: the Rude Pundit finds it sadly funny that, after a trillion plus dollars spent on the wars, after thousands of soldiers killed, that what it took to get Osama bin Laden was a criminal investigation and an intelligence operation followed by a quick strike. As we ponder our dead, all our dead, as we remember and make silly statements about "closure," let us wonder what might have been for the United States had that been our approach all along. - Rude Pundit
~ If you’re interested in the 2012 GOP primary race, Peter Hamby on Jon Huntsman:
Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman told a room of South Carolina Republicans on Saturday that he could finalize his thinking about the GOP presidential race before the month is out, multiple sources present for the closed-door meeting told CNN.
~ Newt Gingrich, the proverbial sidekick to P.T. Barnum aka Donald Trump, will announce his run for the GOP presidential nomination on Wednesday via Facebook and Twitter. Classy guy. This should be fun.
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT: BILL MAHER – THE PARTY OF STINKIN’ or GANGSTA PRESIDENT [self-transcribed]
And finally, new rule. Now that it's become clear that the Republicans, the fiscally conservative, strong on defense party are neither fiscally conservative nor strong on defense ….they have to tell us what exactly it is they're good at. Because….nanano….because it’s not defense – 9/11 happened on your watch, and you retaliated by invading the wrong country.
And you lost a 10-year game of hide and seek with Osama bin Laden.
And you’re responsible for running up most of the debt, which more than anything makes us weak.
According to CNN, Al Qaeda confirmed bin Laden’s death today via a statement on jihadist forums. The content of the statement, which predictably included a threat against Americans, via CNN:
"We will not deviate from that or change until Allah judges between us and between our enemy with truth. Indeed, He is the best of all judges. Nothing will harm us after that, until we see either victory and success and conquest and empowerment, or we die trying."
It said that Americans "will never enjoy security until our people in Palestine enjoy it."
"The soldiers of Islam, groups and individuals, will continue planning without tiredness or boredom, and without despair or surrender, and without weakness or stagnancy, until they cause the disaster that makes children look like the elderly!"
It urged Pakistanis "to cleanse this shame that has been attached to them by a clique of traitors and thieves" and "from the filth of the Americans who spread corruption in it."
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has been full of really, really dumb things to say lately, but today on Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s show, he made a statement that just might take the prize:
9/11 families and everybody else in America should be furious at this president that he’s walking abound taking credit for, you know, getting Osama bin Laden. He didn’t get Osama bin Laden! … The president of the United States simply said — courageous act, give him credit for saying yes — but that’s all he did, is say yes. He didn’t do the hard work. The people he’s going after did the hard work. And that is an outrage.
A hand-written, very wet sign on the pavement in front of the gated Dallas neighborhood of George W. Bush on Monday, May 2, 2011, evidently placed there after the Sunday night announcement by President Obama regarding the death of Osama bin Laden.
Man checks out the sign (depicted in photo above),
Okay, I do have to admit that it is a littlealot juvenile, but hey, it's still funny/cute.
Since yesterday, the most ubiquitous right-wing meme on the web regarding the death of Osama bin Laden has been the one were, in a nutshell, “Bush deserves the credit. The information came from a Guantanamo detainee who was tortured. This is Bush’s achievement.” (Please also note how unashamed they are to claim the “credit” for the use of torture.) Think Progress:
Bush loyalists have been “irked” over the past 24 hours that they are not getting credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden, arguing that their torture program helped bring about intelligence that led to the mission. Karl Rove said “the tools that President Bush put into place –- GITMO, rendition, enhanced interrogation” led to the successful operation. Similarly, former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said the mission “rested heavily on some of those controversial policies” from the Bush era.
In large part, this came up due to a report by The New York Times yesterday that the information came from a Guantanamo detainee:
Quotes from President Barack Obama ranging from 2008 to 2011 on his intent to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden:
Obama in 2008: "And 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."
Obama in 2009: "My preference, obviously, will be to capture or kill him."
Obama in 2010: "Capturing or killing bin Laden and Zawahri would be extremely important to our national security."
Obama in 2011: "I authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice."
Obama in 2011: "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."
Adding…..the links for the 2 2011 quotes lead to the same article.
Then Sen. Obama nails McCain in this debate on October 7, 2008. The relevant portion is bolded in the text below.
Watch:
BROKAW: Sen. McCain, thank you very much.
Next question for Sen. Obama, it comes from the F section and is from Katie Hamm (ph). Katie?
QUESTION: Should the United States respect Pakistani sovereignty and not pursue al Qaeda terrorists who maintain bases there, or should we ignore their borders and pursue our enemies like we did in Cambodia during the Vietnam War?
Republican 
One last note: the Rude Pundit finds it sadly funny that, after a trillion plus dollars spent on the wars, after thousands of soldiers killed, that what it took to get Osama bin Laden was a criminal investigation and an intelligence operation followed by a quick strike. As we ponder our dead, all our dead, as we remember and make silly statements about "closure," let us wonder what might have been for the United States had that been our approach all along. - 
According to CNN, Al Qaeda confirmed bin Laden’s death today via a statement on jihadist forums. The content of the statement, which predictably included a threat against Americans, 
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