If this operation had failed, there would be one and only one individual taking blame for the failure. That would have been Obama. He risked his presidency giving the go-ahead for this operation. There's enough credit to be spread around to everyone involved. This was only a success because everyone did their job correctly, including the president. Originally Posted by KCJoe
If this operation had failed, there would be one and only one individual taking blame for the failure. That would have been Obama. He risked his presidency giving the go-ahead for this operation. There's enough credit to be spread around to everyone involved. This was only a success because everyone did their job correctly, including the president. Originally Posted by KCJoeYou got that right. High risk, high reward event. If things don't get worse, jobs, gas prices, etc, or improve slightly, he can ride this along with any other steps he takes to win in 2012. If t his mission had failed,
72 virgins? I'd rather have 72 Queens, or Graces, or most any of the ladies here. 72 virgins would be awful. They'd be wondering what their mother would think, what their friends will say, etc. That would not be paradise. But, yes, today is a good day for America. Thank you Mr. President, for not insisting that he be arrested and brought to trial. Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
A summary of thoughts after considering new information learned today:So KSM was water boarded 183 times and all they got was the courier's nickname at some point? KSM didn't tell them the courier's real name.
1. I gave Obama the credit he was due earlier, but as more information is revealed, I would say he deserves far more kudos than I initially posted earlier. He was one cool customer Friday night at the Correspondent's Dinner, while he knew that in a matter of hours (the operation was originally planned for Saturday and postponed due to weather), a critical operation would be taking place on his go order.Check out vid of Obama laughing at Seth's Bin Laden joke. Also, while a drone missile might have made more sense since it didn't risk any American lives, he made a very tough (and in my mind correct) call by deciding to use ground forces. Convince Galt. He's the first person that would be blaming Obama if the helicopters crashed and burned like Carter's attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages.
2. SEALS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. Apparently, the name of the courier WHO?was obtained from Khalid Sheikh MohammedI think you might be mixed up. , after he had been repeatedly water board.SOURCE?!? Don't go spreading info like that if it isn't true! Oops, apparently torture does work. No, it is counter-productive.Does this mean that we have to pay Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the $25 million reward offered for any information that led to the kill or capture of OBL? If so, I say we bill him $1 million for every gallon of water used to get the information from him.
4. SEALS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5. It turns out that OBL was hanging out directly under the noses of the Pakistanis. THIS is a story. What did the ISI know and when did they know it?His compound was right next to a military installation, and was located outside the Pakistani Capitol of Islamabadd. Last year, we gave Pakistan $3 Billion (with a B) in aid to get them to help us in our fight against Al Q. We just got done with heated discussions about our bloated deficit. I think we can all agree that we've found $3 billion of our budget that can be better spent elsewhere.
6. SEALS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7. We buried him at sea, Which is sure to enrage the tinfoil hat crowd. Expect video of the kill and video of the burial to be leaked.which makes sense once I had time to think about it. No shrine, headstone, or memorial stands for anyone to enshrine. I can only hope they gave him a bath in bacon grease before consigning him to the deep blue sea though.
8. SEALS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
9. The following conversation was allegedly recorded by our vast intel network:
OBL to Hitler: Greetings abu said, I did not realize Paradise would be so hot!
OBL to Teddy Boy: Can you tell me where my Virgins are? I was promised many virgins!
Hitler to Teddy Boy (pulling out the lube): You want to explain the rule about 'virgins' to the new guy or shall I? Originally Posted by SinsOfTheFlesh
I think we can all agree that we've found $3 billion of our budget that can be better spent elsewhere.We've been watching this house for quite a while, in fact one could make the argument that all of the apparently ridiculous sucking up to Pakistan the last two presidents have done might have something to do with landing helicopters in a private compound next to a military base.
Convince Galt. He's the first person that would be blaming Obama if the helicopters crashed and burned like Carter's attempt to rescue the Iranian hostages.That is precisely why he deserves credit for the decision he made. It could very easily have blown up in his face, and there is no doubt that he would have caught holy hell if it had. He had more cajones than I gave him credit for though, and made the tough call.
It turns out that OBL was hanging out directly under the noses of the Pakistanis. THIS is a story. What did the ISI know and when did they know it?LOL well his compound was about 30 miles outside of Islamabadd, which is the capitol of Pakistan. Additionally there was a military academy not far from his compound. Varying stories have said it was a few hundred meters from the compound, while others said the Academy was a few miles away. Looking at the satellite image however, leaves no doubt that it was in the same vicinity. So yes, OBL was quite literally, living right under the nose of the Pakistanis. To believe that no one - not one person in Pakistan knew who was in that compound requires a monumental suspension of disbelief. So yeah, I have no doubt about it - they cashed our multi-billion dollar check, and then looked the other way.
So KSM was water boarded 183 times and all they got was the courier's nickname at some point? KSM didn't tell them the courier's real name.Well, to clear up several misconceptions. The courier's name was given initially by KSM, but not while he was at GITMO. The name was confirmed later by another source though. As far as whether or not KSM was being subjected to waterboarding at the time he coughed up the name of the courier, meh, who knows. After all the waterboarding he'd been subjected to by that time, it was probably a moot point. He was a broken man. A few years ago, during Senate hearings, some Colonel (can't remember his name) testified before Congress and testified to several situations in which information obtained by KSM after waterboarding him that proved to be extremely useful. The case that waterboarding works had already been made prior to this. This was the icing on the cake.