The founder and figurehead of al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, was killed yesterday in a firefight outside of Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans who died on September 11, 2001 and hundreds of Britons, who died on July 7, 2005.
Now that the news has broken, one pertinent question is: who deserves the most credit for the death of bin Laden? Some would say that President Obama deserves it. As Commander and Chief of the United States, he gave the order to go in and kill bin Laden. Others would say that President Bush deserves credit, as his policies, which were followed by the Obama Administration, led to the intelligence that killed bin Laden. More specifically, President Bush kept Guantanamo Bay open and allowed "enhanced interrogation techniques," which led to the information that nailed the al Qaeda head.
Our brave men and women in uniform have been intentionally left out of this question, as there is no doubt that they have done the most work. This question is specifically aimed at finding out which President deserves more credit.
So, what do you think?
Please bookmark!
I’m tempted to say neither. The credit belongs to the agencies that developed the intelligence, the planners who laid out the mission and most of all to the gentlemen on the pointy end of the stick who went in and did the job.
ReplyDeleteBut, I suppose that Obama deserves SOME credit for not blowing it off, even though I cynically believe that he chose to have the mission executed now for personal political gain — and would NOT have authorized the mission if his political position was not so precarious.
As for Bush, I think he doesn’t really give a rat’s A$$ if he gets any credit or not. It’s enough for him that the scumbag was finally nailed.
The troops deserve all the credit.
ReplyDelete- JP
"More specifically, President Bush kept Guantanamo Bay open and allowed 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' which led to the information that nailed the al Qaeda head."
ReplyDeleteWhat is your evidence for this bald, unproven assertion? Even Cheney and Rumsfeld said today that it only "may" have happened this way. It must be true, though, to retroactively justify Bush's actions? What sloppy thinking on your part.
@ Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, sloppy thinking. It's not like it's absolutely true and you simply can't handle it. Speaking of which, here are a bunch of confirmed news sources and stories that say you are wrong and I am completely right:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/02/bush-era-interrogations-provided-key-details-bin-ladens-location/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/officials-cia-interrogators-at-secret-prisons-developed-first-strands-that-led-to-bin-laden/2011/05/02/AFHjfCZF_story.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13512344
http://www.adn.com/2011/05/02/1841275/congress-intelligence-committee.html
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.raid.timeline/index.html?hpt=T1
Is that all you have Aurelius....
ReplyDelete@UH:
ReplyDeleteLOL
None of your sources say that "enhanced" interrogation techniques, as opposed to standard techniques, led to the necessary information. Indeed, the abcnews.go.com link specifically says the opposite!
ReplyDeleteHere is an analysis with much better sourcing than "anonymous officials say": http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2011/05/02/the-osama-bin-laden-trail-shows-waterboarding-didnt-work/
Um... My very first source, referring to enhanced interrogation techniques, states:
ReplyDelete"Information was given up by prisoners, including 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. U.S. officials described the courier as a talented protege and trusted associate of both Mohammed and Al Qaeda’s No. 3 leader at the time, Abu Faraj al Libi. Both men were held at Guantanamo Bay."
I don't mind you commenting (in fact, I enjoy people commenting on our site), but please, consider what you are saying before you write it. Please.
Sure Bush deserves some credit. But it is unbelievable that so many people think Bush deserves more credit when it was his administration that allowed bin Laden to escape Tora Bora, and since the Bush adminstration didn't even make catching bin Laden a priority until after 2005. Me thinks that this is more evidence of the racism and/or xenophobia of the right wing these days... or maybe it is just willful ignorance brought about by the ideological haze of right-wing extremism.
ReplyDelete