President Obama made the hard decision. He will send in the Seals and take the risk of the mission being a failure or not finding bin Laden or being detected by the Pakistanis. In the end "fortune favored the brave" and the Seals killed their quarry, picked loads of materials and left with the Pakistanis none the wiser.
He could have taken the easier and safer decision and bomb the compound, but that would have left doubts as to the outcome, especially as it related to bin Laden. He must have been aware of the attempt made by President Carter in 1979 to rescue the American hostages in Iran and the consequences of that failure on Carter's failed re-election. He did not take the safe way out. He wanted proof positive that bin Laden was there, was captured or killed and that was how it ended. In the end, the mission was a huge success. bIN Laden was killed photographed, DNA tested and buried at sea, a treasure trove of information was collected and there was no American casualty (other than a helicopter that had to be destroyed).
Americans celebrated, the Pakistanis fumed and atleast for a while Obama's political enemies were caught off-guard (some even gave reluctant and half-hearted credit and the Birthers were dumfounded). President Obama "the Lord of War"(as I referred to him previously), showed his nerves of steel and his willingness and ability to make the hard decision, irrespective of the political fallout. He was also tough on Pakistan, not telling them ahead of time, for fear that someone woul inform bin Laden, and questioning how the Pakistani military, intelligence and government did not know that bin Laden was living in their midst for over five years and even had a fortified compound built in an area where many military officials live.
Paskistani politics "is Byzantine and double -dealing"(Time,May 20).The government of President Zardari,(he blames al Qaeda for the killing of hiswife, former President Benazir Bhutto), the Military and the Inter-Service Intelligence have their own agenda. While the government and some parts of the military are fighting the Taliban and other terror groups, other parts of the government and the military and especially the ISI are aiding,abeting and supporting them...the Taliban, Laskar-e-taibi, the Haquanis etc. In the case of bin Laden, he was pursued, protected and ignored, all at the same time.
Now he is no more. His last years were lived in isolation, in a fortified compound, a prisoner of his own making, with no cable/internet/phone, looking at grainy pictures of himself on television(in the "good" days), with 3 "old "wives. Now, in death he gets the martyr's reward, 72 virgins...."It is a far, far better death that I go to". Ain't death grand.
He could have taken the easier and safer decision and bomb the compound, but that would have left doubts as to the outcome, especially as it related to bin Laden. He must have been aware of the attempt made by President Carter in 1979 to rescue the American hostages in Iran and the consequences of that failure on Carter's failed re-election. He did not take the safe way out. He wanted proof positive that bin Laden was there, was captured or killed and that was how it ended. In the end, the mission was a huge success. bIN Laden was killed photographed, DNA tested and buried at sea, a treasure trove of information was collected and there was no American casualty (other than a helicopter that had to be destroyed).
Americans celebrated, the Pakistanis fumed and atleast for a while Obama's political enemies were caught off-guard (some even gave reluctant and half-hearted credit and the Birthers were dumfounded). President Obama "the Lord of War"(as I referred to him previously), showed his nerves of steel and his willingness and ability to make the hard decision, irrespective of the political fallout. He was also tough on Pakistan, not telling them ahead of time, for fear that someone woul inform bin Laden, and questioning how the Pakistani military, intelligence and government did not know that bin Laden was living in their midst for over five years and even had a fortified compound built in an area where many military officials live.
Paskistani politics "is Byzantine and double -dealing"(Time,May 20).The government of President Zardari,(he blames al Qaeda for the killing of hiswife, former President Benazir Bhutto), the Military and the Inter-Service Intelligence have their own agenda. While the government and some parts of the military are fighting the Taliban and other terror groups, other parts of the government and the military and especially the ISI are aiding,abeting and supporting them...the Taliban, Laskar-e-taibi, the Haquanis etc. In the case of bin Laden, he was pursued, protected and ignored, all at the same time.
Now he is no more. His last years were lived in isolation, in a fortified compound, a prisoner of his own making, with no cable/internet/phone, looking at grainy pictures of himself on television(in the "good" days), with 3 "old "wives. Now, in death he gets the martyr's reward, 72 virgins...."It is a far, far better death that I go to". Ain't death grand.
