Without gloating, President Obama called the killing of Osama Bin Laden “justice done,” meaning that the killing was in the service to that nebulous yet beautiful concept called justice. About this, President Obama is correct. Yet, the killing of Osama Bin Laden is about so much more.
My high school aged daughter first awoke me Sunday night from my stupor of dozing off in front of the TV, while lying on the couch, to tell me that we killed Osama Bin Laden, I was both grateful that she cared about world events and that we got Bin Laden. Yet, I couldn’t help but feel that it was a little weird that we were so joyful about someone being killed. The chants of “USA, USA,” last heard so prominently at a hockey game where we defeated Russia, further perplexed me.
After the initial shock wore off and I thought through Bin Laden’s killing, I came to see it as an exemplary American accomplishment.
First, it shows our country’s capabilities. We are good. We are talented. We are persistent. When we put our minds and resources to something we will succeed. We will win.
Second, it shows what I’ve concluded, but so many others on the political left and right seem blind to: President Obama is not a wimp. He is just a measured, calculating man who is forthright and determined, yet one who tries to deliver the change he promised in the small increments that our political reality ultimately allows.
Third, the Arab Spring of yearning for democracy, freedom and change just got another push forward, as the symbol of one alternative, religious extremism and its’ sought after autocracy in the form of Osama Bin Laden, was removed, though whether or not Al Qaeda like franchises will also be diminished is still an open question.
Fourth, although the present immediate threat of terrorist attacks will temporarily increase, the trove of information we found at Bin Laden’s hiding place and the “chatter” we can intercept after his killing will probably prove extremely useful in identifying the defeating other violent extremists.
Fifth, the whole episode surely helps us know who our friends and allies are in our quest to stop future violent extremists. Parts of the Pakistani security services almost certainly knew where Bin Laden was, just as they know where other high ranking Al Qaeda members are. They are not our ally, nor is Hamas, who came out in support of mourning the Arab world’s loss of Bin Laden. Yet, the rest of the Arab world’s governments were decidedly silent on the matter, recognizing how many more Arabs Al Qaeda has killed than Westerners, and recognizing what a destabilizing butcher he was, even if his purported purpose was principled.
Going forward in our foreign policy, we must make Pakistan chose which side of history it is on; that of the freedoms demonstrated by the Arab (and Muslim) Spring, or the side of tribalism and national strategic self-advantage. For that matter, we should look for all the countries of the Middle East to make a decision on this historic matter, and that includes Israel. We should look also to allies like Turkey to help us in this endeavor, and later, hopefully, to Iraq.
The CIA, our intelligence services and the military have all firmly re-established themselves in good graces. The ghosts of the failed hostage rescue mission in Iran in 1980 and Black Hawk Down in Somalia have all been exorcised. We are effective again. Our human intelligence on the ground and technological capabilities in the sky have come together to show U.S. strength and can-do ability. How impressive was it that our intelligence services identified the hideout of Bin Laden by the fact that someone of importance was hiding in an expensive house without internet or phone service, because it was too dangerous for him to use these mechanisms, as doing so would help us catch him. What an effective deterrent our intelligence apparatus has created by closing down one’s ability to easily communicate.
Let’s hope the glow of our determination is turned to other important difficult matters, like deficit reduction, immigration and energy reform.
Lastly, there was a photo later shown on TV showing Barack Obama from a side profile giving his speech to the American people explaining the mission’s success. I know this will sound odd, but it was the first time since his inauguration that it ever crossed my mind that he was a black skinned man. I think it was a combination of the angle of viewing and the realization that it was a black man who brought us to this great moment of success in American history. I thought of all the people in our country, present and especially in the past, who probably couldn’t fathom it would be a black person who would one day lead us so brilliantly.
It was quite an event my daughter woke me from the couch to watch, quite a moment in U.S., and perhaps, world history.
This is Randy Feldman on WCRN's 830 AM Midday Report every Tuesday at 11:50 AM and every Friday from 12 noon until 1:00 PM.
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