Ryan Streeter
Some initial thoughts on the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
Celebrations are in order. Crowds cheering in front of the White House and at Ground Zero into the early morning hours are the first non-sporting event gatherings we've seen in awhile here in America that haven't been protests. The images of the celebration are heart-warming. They are a good picture of just how much 9/11 is embedded in our national psyche, and how much the pursuit of justice for those responsible still matters. Some will say that celebrating will stoke anger for the U.S. among extremists, but there isn't much we can do to make them hate us more. So let the flag-waving continue.
When you look at who killed him, and where he was when he was killed, you get a sense of just how bad things have gotten in Pakistan. U.S. special forces didn't kill bin Laden deep in some cave on the Afghan border. He was killed in Abbottabad, which is about 40 miles northeast of Islamabad and known as a tourist town. Bin Laden was in a mansion reportedly worth about $1 million. At a visceral level, justice seems better served by having U.S. special forces carry out the killing. But one has to wonder how bin Laden could have been holed up in such a place without the Pakistanis knowing or doing anything about it.
OBL's death didn't end the mission in Afghanistan. Dave Weigel points out that bin Laden's death will mean a quick erosion of public support for the operations in Afghanistan. He may very well be right. But we didn't send troops there just to kill bin Laden. We went there to root out those who were creating a safe haven for terrorists and training them. We'll need public leaders to rearticulate the mission, starting today - which would be good since it's been a long time since the American people have heard a good explanation for why we are there, given Obama's lack of interest in talking much about it (despite doing the right thing in surging troops the region) and our national preoccupation with domestic affairs (which, given our fiscal position, has been justifiable). Very little, actually, has changed in our overall mission, as Jim Lacey points out at NRO.
Get ready for backlash and conspiracy theories. Bin Laden's body has aready been buried at sea. U.S. officials say they were working out of respect for Islam's requirement that bodies be buried within 24 hours. We can assume some image of bin Laden's face will be shown as proof, but surely there will be those extremists who will see a plot of sorts behind the U.S. account of the death and burial. And for those that don't, but who still hate America, we can expect statements and demonstrations that remind us of those post-9/11 days when it became clear just how violent, hateful, and extreme are the fanatics who seek our demise.
Here is a good round-up of immediate reactions to the news of bin Laden's deaith, including views on how it will affect markets.
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