Can't Gitmo Satisfaction

The Situation Room: What? "Red Eye" isn't on?

Congratulations goes out to President Obama, the country's national security team and our military in executing a strategic ground strike with brave Navy Seals to exterminate Osama Bin Laden.  It is another step in our continuing "war on terror" - but it is not the "most significant achievement" in this war (as the President claimed) and it does not bring an end to our conflict with radical Islam.  Personally, I was never obsessed with "getting" this guy as some in the media were (just as others in the media thought "we should finish the job in Iraq" after the first Gulf War - but, surprisingly, did not support the later war, where we did).  It is now proven that Bin Laden was isolated with only communication through trusted couriers and with no internet or TV at his compound (which by the way was not a "mansion").



The  OBL"mansion"

But credit should go to all who were involved with this and I look at it obviously as a victory for the country.  But it is interesting in Obama's overly self-congratulatory speech last night (his use of the words "I", "my", "me" and "mine" were on full display as usual) is that this event occured primarily by following the Bush anti-terror policies that he has kept in effect in his two-and-a-half year term.  It is quite clear that intelligence was gathered by the existence of detainees at Gitmo (something he ordered to have eliminated on his first day in office), by rendition (interrogation and detainage of prisoners abroad), and aggressive interrogation techniques (i.e. waterboarding) - all of these things he campaigned against and even tried to indict Bush staff over during his current term (and these were the most significant accomplishments on the war on terror - the things that have kept us safe).  Now he's out there showboating claiming it all occured "at his direction".  And wasn't the term "war on terror" outlawed in his first year? - not anymore; he rolled it out for the first time last night and even said Bin Laden wasn't a Muslim (then why did we bury him like one?")


"Party on, Garth"

Another reaction I had was to the seemingly spontaneous celebrations, mostly by young white college students studying for the final exams, in front of the White House and in Times Square - and the incessant, and to me, jingoistic chants of "U-S-A".  If people think the very existence of a jail-called-Gitmo outrages terrorists (which I don't believe) then what do you think a bunch of coed's yelling "U-S-A" while broadly "just partying on, Wayne" can do?  I never have really liked that chant whether its at an Olympic hockey game or in the streets.  I mean, keep it in your pants, man. Look like you've been there.