After thousands of missions, perhaps as many false leads and dashed hopes, U.S. special forces on Sunday received orders from President Obama to get Osama bin Laden.
They eliminated the world’s top terrorist in a shabby villa in Abottabad, Pakistan, whose notorious intelligence services had protected bin Laden for several years. Perhaps he had become complacent or was tired of running, and it was just a matter of time before our intelligence agencies — determined to avenge the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent people on 9/11 — found their man.
Navy Seals shot bin Laden in his guts and above his left eye, and not a moment too soon. They also killed several members of his entourage and injured his wife. Bin Laden’s corpse was flown out in a helicopter and taken to a U.S. carrier, where he was dumped into the sea, all in accordance with Islamic law — although you have to wonder: Why treat a mass murderer with respect?
The killing of Osama bin Laden has rekindled the spirit of 9/12, when all Americans felt as one after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
At airports around the country this week, service members were applauded. TSA employees were in a better mood. Passengers felt less besieged standing in security lines.
At least for now, there’s less partisan bickering as Democrats and Republicans have stopped sniping at each other and agreed that the killing of Osama bin Laden was a victory for all Americans.
Second District Cong. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.), a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, told us yesterday, “I commend President Obama for his deliberate and resourceful pursuit of Osama bin Laden and his personal engagement on this critical national security issue.”
The fight is not over. It may not even be the beginning of the end, as Winston Churchill said during the Second World War, but it could be the end of the beginning of our war on terror. We shall prevail.
