OSAMA BIN LADEN DEAD

[The Romulan Republic]

While I would have preferred for him to be taken alive, I am glad he is no longer at large. Also glad that no Americans were killed, and hopefully no civilians died either. I'm also frankly kind of shocked. This is so sudden, and so unexpected, after so long.

Question: who, if any one, claims the reward they posted for him?

[weemadando]

How that speech should have gone:

[Xess]

Well done Obama, well done.

I hope all the Americans on the board enjoy this, you guys deserve it.

[Mr Bean]

The major reason, the real major reason to stay in Afghanistan is now gone. If Obama is smart he will go to Congress tomorrow and say he's pulling troops out of A-Stan because our entire reason to go to Afghanistan is now gone. There's one or two guys on our little list and nothing is stopping us from continuing to hunt them via drones and Intel. If we go into 2012 with Osama mounted above the fireplace, and zero troops in A-Stan and Iraq the base will forgive Obama many sins.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Apparently, some of the more insane members of the far right are starting into conspiracy shit, saying Osama's been dead for years and Obama is doing this just to get election votes.


I must say, I'm pleased to hear this. One less blood-thirsty psychopath with entirely too many people who are willing to do what he wants them to has ceased to be.

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Gotcha bitch! Now let's all come home!

[erik_t]

I'll do one better.

[Tomzilla]

I'm listening to Queen's 'We Are the Champions'. It's so fucking fitting.

It's about damn time.

[The Romulan Republic]

The major reason, the real major reason to stay in Afghanistan is now gone. If Obama is smart he will go to Congress tomorrow and say he's pulling troops out of A-Stan because our entire reason to go to Afghanistan is now gone. There's one or two guys on our little list and nothing is stopping us from continuing to hunt them via drones and Intel. If we go into 2012 with Osama mounted above the fireplace, and zero troops in A-Stan and Iraq the base will forgive Obama many sins.

Bullshit.

This war is bigger than Bin Laden. You may not like it, but most of the reasons to be in Afghanistan still stand.

As for Iraq, it had fuck all to do with Bin Laden. That's a whole other story.

[Mr Bean]

Bullshit.

This war is bigger than Bin Laden. You may not like it, but most of the reasons to be in Afghanistan still stand.

As for Iraq, it had fuck all to do with Bin Laden. That's a whole other story.

What "reasons"
We don't have oil to steal, everything we've built in Afghanistan results in it take three times as much as it should for double the money due to corruption and within the year it will be destroyed by the insurgents. To a timeless bit of Afgani wisdom
Foreigner:'Why are you fighting us?"
Native:"Because you are here"

This has not fucking changed in ten goddamn years, the only thing that's gotten better in A-Stan is the number of insurgent attacks and by better I mean there are more of them. Death's are up, attacks are up and why are we in Afghanistan? Because we are in Afghanistan.

[FSTargetDrone]

He's dead, they killed him, do we really need to desecrate his corpse?

I'm still curious what people think will likely be done with the body.

[DrStrangelove]

Good riddance to bad rubbish

[Zadius]

Does anyone know what they did to Zarqawi's body?

[weemadando]

You stay classy Fox.

[Havok]

As ANTI "America Fuck Yeah" i.e. the over abundance of unnecessary patriotism since 9-11, as I am, and having the intelligence to know that we didn't just destroy 'terrorism', I do admit to a weight being lifted from my mind as you better absolutely believe I wanted vengeance for the attacks.

That said, Republicans just took a collective crap in their pants. Good job Mr. President and here's to a successful four more years and to the ability to parlay the best piece of political capital into some positive movement for your incentives and for our country.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella. By successfully hiding in a Pakistani cave for ten years, Osama Bin Laden became the bogeyman used by so many, so successfully, to degrade and diminish the civil liberties, and even the most fundamental human rights, of many people across the world.

It couldn't last. Bin Laden couldn't credibly be the bogeyman forever. He'd distinctly outlived his usefulness in that regard. Bin Laden was in the process of becoming regarded in the same sphere of credibility as Sasquatch when Navy SEALs dispatched him to whatever comes next. Indeed, the honor of Big Bad Bogeyman has passed on to his organization; and even to his entire religion. Indeed, there are no shortage of very-vocal ignoramuses who would dismiss what is going on in Libya due to a few al-Qaeda fighters turning up in the rebel ranks; or what is going on in Egypt due to the EVIL MOOZLEM Brotherhood; or would seriously push legislation to dictate what architecture may be built, or what clothing may be worn, solely because of religious and racial prejudice.

Tonight, we celebrate the death of a bogeyman. That's definitely something I can drink to. Shame they couldn't have taken the man himself alive though, to properly answer for the crimes levied against him.

[FSTargetDrone]

Shame they couldn't have taken the man himself alive though, to properly answer for the crimes levied against him.

He has answered for it.

I'm still curious what people think will likely be done with the body.

This might be a stretch, but would returning his body to the family be terribly ill-advised? There's not much to be done with it, as far as I can see, would his corpse really be much of a rallying point?

Pilgrimages to his burial site would be... unappealing.

[CaptainChewbacca]

They're dancing in the streets in Time Square.

JUSTICE: FUCK YEAH!

[Coyote]

I love it. Obama's been pretty awesome the last week or so. Trading barbs with the GOP frontrunners over "birth certificate" nonsense and making them all look like clowns while he concentrates on "real shit"! Well played, Mr. President!

It took Obama three years of a Presidency what Bush couldn't do in 7+ years, even after being handed a turd sandwich of a war that had been allowed to stagnate. And now it's done!

I hope this puts wind in the sails of all the folks in the Middle East who say that "radical Islam isn't going to help". I hope this chills Qaddafi's very bones and convinces him to surrender. I hope this makes the Saudis re-think their position on supporting Wahhabist nutbaggery. Maybe folks like Ahmedinijad and Assad will rethink their hard-line stances. Maybe.

Personally, a smart move by Obama now would be to declare that our mission in Afghanistan will wind down as soon as we can turn the country over to folks who will be more responsible. Start making post-war noises and point to Iraq as proof that we stand by it. Continue drone strikes, etc, certainly as needed but make it obvious that we're willing to table the war if the people over there are ready to quiet down. Afghanistan will never be a real country as we understand it-- it will be, at best, a sort of quasi-Pakistan-esque confederation of warring tribes with a weak government (probably seen as just a particularly big warring tribe by other Afghans) but we can pull back and let it stew in its own juices while we get back to the economy.

[Block]

Now they're singing "Hey hey hey, Goodbye!"

[Pelranius]

The Bin Laden family has disowned him for years.

And going from rumors, a lot of his own children didn't like him because of how big a dick he was to his wives.

[erik_t]

You stay classy Fox.

http://c0013749.cdn1.cloudfiles.rackspa ... x2_5d69043

I don't know if you screencap'd this, or from exactly what time tonight it was taken, but that was a 100% legitimate headline not more than an hour or two ago.

[FSTargetDrone]

Reaction from Bush:

By The Associated Press

Former President George W. Bush says he has congratulated President Barack Obama after hearing about the death of Osama bin Laden.
In a statement Sunday night, Bush said Obama called that U.S. forces had killed bin Laden. Bush said he also congratulated the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to the mission.

Bush said, "This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001."

He also said the U.S. "has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done. "

I wonder if Obama phoned him? There was certainly time for it.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Check the spelling, Erik.

[MKSheppard]

To everyone trying to politicize this:

FUCK YOU.

Personally, to me Obama’s speech was...OK.

But to hell with whether it was the best speech ever given (tm) or just average.

Obama took a goddamn big risk -- he earned his pay 500 fucking percent -- because he took the EXTREME FUCKING BIG political risk of sending in a ground SOF team into Pakistan...especially right near Islamabad of all places after the Raymond Davis incident.

This could have ended up as Desert One II -- it was that risky politically. But he still signed off on the Kill Order. So mad fucking props to him for that.

While I was watching CNN (ugh, Geraldo on FNC at this time of night); I noticed that a spontaneous demonstration was occuring outside the WH while we waited for the speech with people waving our flag, shouting USA USA and singing the national anthem.

I've also heard that at the Mets-Phillies game crowd chanted USA! USA! as news spread amongst them.

Brings a tear to me eye.

That reminds me...I liked how Obama ended his speech with the closing line from the Pledge of Allegiance.

PS: Maybe we warned the royals? Notice how the Newlyweds were going to honeymoon in Jordan, and how they delayed that?

PPS: I’m surprised this didn’t leak. It shows we can keep secrecy when we feel like it.