Bin Laden DEAD, US has Body

[Cvstos]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

Osama bin Laden, the Saudi extremist whose al-Qaida terrorist organization killed more than 3,000 people in attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, was shot and killed Sunday in a U.S. military operation in Pakistan, and the U.S. has recovered his body, President Barack Obama announced Sunday night.

About time.

This is going to open up a whole new can of political worms, in many ways, but at least he won't be masterminding any more attacks.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

Unless he was only ever just a "figurehead".

His second-in-command is still out there.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Meh. As noted elsewhere, "10 years, 2 presidents, 2 wars, 919,967 deaths, and $1,188,263,000,000 later, US managed to kill one person. Do they really celebrate such stupidity?"

[Alondro]

*watches the conspiracy theory chats and blogs going crazy*  Oh boy, this'll outlast the Kennedy conspiracies.

[Kafzeil]

I wouldn't celebrate quite yet. I'd prefer if we made damn well sure killing him wasn't like beheading the Hydra before we broke out the champagne and confetti.

[Cogidubnus]

Meh. As noted elsewhere, "10 years, 2 presidents, 2 wars, 919,967 deaths, and $1,188,263,000,000 later, US managed to kill one person. Do they really celebrate such stupidity?"

Hard to say.

When you look at those numbers, of course it wasn't worth it. And it was longer than 10 years - President Clinton was chasing this guy too. If I recall, he was responsible for the bombing of the USS Cole way back then. Even so - it's impossible to say that any one person is worth such a price.

But on the other hand, that cost isn't really indicative of the effort to kill one man, but make an remake an entire region of the world. It is not entirely fair to say that killing one man cost that entire, huge amount, just as it is not fair to say that the sum of the US's goal so far was merely to kill one man.

To answer the question, though, I can't help but feel satisfaction that we finally did get him. I assumed that he would simply disappear into the desert and never be seen again, or die in some unknown cave somewhere and never be found. With the US is lost in the midst of these wars in the middle east and having such difficult unmiring ourselves from the current economic situation, all the while watching our rivals in Asia grow ever stronger - the accomplishment of a single concrete, if entirely symbolic goal, is satisfying. No other way to put it. It doesn't really much much in a purely practical sense, and yet it does. Symbolic goals have worth. It was a hard thing to do, and we did it. It makes you think that once again, America can do anything that it puts its mind to. False comfort, probably, but comfort nontheless.

I suppose that yes, I take some measure of happiness from it - although I do wish that it had cost less. Another such victory as this, and we are undone.

[Valynth]

Unless he was only ever just a "figurehead".

His second-in-command is still out there.

He was an actual planner and organizer of the 9/11 attacks. He only became a figurehead when the U.S. started actively (though incompetently) hunting him post 9/11, forcing him to go into hiding. 

Also, we kill "the" second-in-command every day, take that as you will.

[VAE]

Unless he was only ever just a "figurehead".

His second-in-command is still out there.

He was an actual planner and organizer of the 9/11 attacks. He only became a figurehead when the U.S. started actively (though incompetently) hunting him post 9/11, forcing him to go into hiding. 

Also, we kill "the" second-in-command every day, take that as you will.

Agreed.
I am no fan of what USA does internationally (specially the whole Yugoslavia mess) but this made me pretty happy.
I mean, it's not only what his people did in the USA - his ideological colleagues was responsible for the casualties when the Soviets helped Karmal's government, and then proceeded to estabilish power by  . among other, welding opponents into barrels and leaving them up in the sun.
Never mind that if i remember right, he and his sort were also in contact with moslim fanatics in Southern Europe.
Only a pity he died "like a martyr" like some sources say - People like him should really be hung.

[hapless]

I actually heard someone pointing out an important thing - there's a fair chance the fight to become new leader of terrorists will be a "who makes the most successful attack" "competition"...

[Valynth]

I actually heard someone pointing out an important thing - there's a fair chance the fight to become new leader of terrorists will be a "who makes the most successful attack" "competition"...

Either way it creates a split or fragmentation of the organization which reduces its effectiveness dramatically.

[Brunhidden]

Shoot the dictator and prevent the war? But the dictator is merely the tip of the whole festering boil of social pus from which dictators emerge; shoot one, and there'll be another one along in a minute. Shoot him too? Why not shoot everyone and invade Poland?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Shoot the dictator and prevent the war? But the dictator is merely the tip of the whole festering boil of social pus from which dictators emerge; shoot one, and there'll be another one along in a minute. Shoot him too? Why not shoot everyone and invade Poland?

Those darn French will be all le tired, have ze nap, and zen fire all ze missiles.

And that'll just ruin your whole day.


(and Australia will still be double-yew tee eff, mate?)

[Valynth]

Only a pity he died "like a martyr" like some sources say - People like him should really be hung.

That would probably backfire due to the massive carnival show/media frenzy it would turn into making it a more public display of martyrdom than a quick bullet/burial/footnote martyrdom that it was (see Jesus the Chirst as an example of this "media backlash into religious icon").