Death of Osama bin Laden, ten years later ... Options

[CharlotteWebb]

That's the first thing I thought when I saw the spelling of the location this morning

This is rather a sad thing, but this is the second Important World News Item that I first heard from Wikipedia Review.

What was the first?

Tsunami I think.

I'm guessing the death of Tedward Kennedy doesn't rise to that level.

[It's the blimp, Frank]

The US government is now admitting that bin Laden was unarmed. Presumably his wife was unarmed, too, when she was shot while "rushing the assault team." She must have looked pretty scary.

Osama bin Laden (T-H-L-K-D) does not acknowledge any of this. It says that "Bin Laden, three other men, and a woman were killed in a firefight in which U.S. forces did not experience any injuries or casualties." Well, Duh.

Death of Osama bin Laden (T-H-L-K-D) says that "According to U.S. officials, Bin Laden resisted the American special operation team. He was unarmed when he was shot." Since apparently he was not "rushing the assault team" along with his wife, exactly how was he resisting? Flipping the bird?

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

[Tarc]

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

I'm a flaming liberal on most issues, but not on this one.



for that fuckead. End of story.

[A Horse With No Name]

Wow, LessHeard vanU in a gif!

[Sololol]

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

I think it's going to be the best boost for Obama so far. He's already pissed off the civil rights mavens by refusing to shut down Gitmo and not stopping the military tribunals but that's not a demographic that will decide 2012. Even Wassila AL could vote for the man who killed bin Laden.

Osama is not the first unarmed enemy combatant killed in the field by the U.S., just the only one people've noticed. I don't think it was a violation of international law or the US rules of engagement but, frankly, nothing would happen if it were.

This post has been edited by Sololol: Thu 5th May 2011, 3:11am

[EricBarbour]

I think it's going to be the best boost for Obama so far. He's already pissed off the civil rights mavens by refusing to shut down Gitmo and not stopping the military tribunals but that's not a demographic that will decide 2012. Even Wassila AL could vote for the man who killed bin Laden.

Don't kid yourself. The lunatic right is still trying to attack him.

For example: Breitbart is doing his best to spread a conspiracy plot.

This post has been edited by EricBarbour: Thu 5th May 2011, 3:06am

[Sololol]

I think it's going to be the best boost for Obama so far. He's already pissed off the civil rights mavens by refusing to shut down Gitmo and not stopping the military tribunals but that's not a demographic that will decide 2012. Even Wassila AL could vote for the man who killed bin Laden.

Don't kid yourself. The lunatic right is still trying to attack him.

For example: Breitbart is doing his best to spread a conspiracy plot.

But kidding myself is what gets me through the day

Maybe Barry should have just taken Cheney's advice and used the nationally televised "Running Man" scenario Dick had planned. Or at least put up a Youtube video of Condi Rice eating Bin Laden.

[taiwopanfob]

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

I'm a flaming liberal on most issues, but not on this one.

This isn't an issue of "liberal" etc. It's called "common sense", and you and the elements of the US government that ordered the hit are not evidencing any.

The options were:

1) ignore the man -- for all intents and purposes he has been dead for almost a decade.

2) capture, followed by kangaroo court

3) kill while attempting to capture

4) extrajudicial execution

(3) is much worse than (2), and (2) is massively, incredibly, worse than (1). That what went down was clearly option (4) ("take no prisoners"), is easily the worst thing imaginable from almost any rational perspective. What a complete mess! Someone clearly thought they could manage the situation, and now all we have are backpedaling on mission details and concerns about "inflaming the situation"(!!!).

Rah rah, though. Have your party, or whatever it takes to keep the smile on your face during your next anal probe at the airport. Think of it has OBL reaching out from the grave: praise be to Allah! Or whatever bin Laden would say.

[Milton Roe]

Rah rah, though. Have your party, or whatever it takes to keep the smile on your face during your next anal probe at the airport. Think of it has OBL reaching out from the grave: praise be to Allah! Or whatever bin Laden would say.

You have it backwards. It's that picture in my mind of bin Laden with a couple of bullets through the eye, Moe Green/Bugsy Siegal/Goldfinger style, that will get me through my next airport experience. He got us first, but we got him last.


One good skullfuck deserves another.
-- Not M.K. Gandhi

[Milton Roe]

Maybe Barry should have just taken Cheney's advice and used the nationally televised "Running Man" scenario Dick had planned. Or at least put up a Youtube video of Condi Rice eating Bin Laden.

Nobody would believe it, since Condi probably has yet to eat any man.

However, if you slathered bin Laden's corpse with bacon fat, I'll bet you could have gotten Andrew Zimmern to take at least two tastes. They missed thinking of that, and it would have made GREAT network TV. And serve a great many appetites all at once, while sending a message. I'd watch it.

[anthony]

Death of Osama bin Laden (T-H-L-K-D) says that "According to U.S. officials, Bin Laden resisted the American special operation team. He was unarmed when he was shot." Since apparently he was not "rushing the assault team" along with his wife, exactly how was he resisting? Flipping the bird?

They said "surrender", he said "no", they shot him (*)? That pretty much seems to be within the rules of engagement, though I can't tell for sure since they're classified.

(*) "First, UBL was targetable based on his status alone, not just his conduct at the moment, so long as he had not surrendered (just as a bomb may be dropped on the quarters of enemy soldiers (and their commanders) while they sleep, unarmed). There is no obligation in combat, under IHL, to say to an otherwise lawful target “surrender or we’ll shoot.”" - Leon Panetta (http://www.lawfareblog.com/2011/05/on-the-...title-50-issue/)

An enemy combatant can legally be shot in the back while he tries to escape, can't he?

2. A person is hors de combat if:
(a) he is in the power of an adverse Party;
(b) he clearly expresses an intention to surrender; or
© he has been rendered unconscious or is otherwise incapacitated by wounds or sickness, and therefore is incapable of defending himself;

provided that in any of these cases he abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape.

(http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/470?OpenDocument)

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

It's too bad he hadn't.

This post has been edited by anthony: Thu 5th May 2011, 4:53am

[Herschelkrustofsky]

I'm a flaming liberal on most issues, but not on this one.

[Tarc]

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much. I don't think even Dubya would have done this.

I'm a flaming liberal on most issues, but not on this one.

This isn't an issue of "liberal" etc.

Sure it does; liberals are anti-war pussies, conservatives are wargasming hawks. This one time, I side with the hawks. No Trial of the Century, no cozy Supermax...hell, not even a burial site for them to make a martyr's shrine out of, he sleeps with Luca Brasi.

This post has been edited by Tarc: Thu 5th May 2011, 7:34pm

[Herschelkrustofsky]

This one time, I side with the hawks.

With all due respect, you side with the sheep. The evidence linking bin Laden to the 911 attacks is dubious and/or secret. His organization lacked the expertise and logistics to carry out 911. He has been mythologized by the media into a Jihadi superstar, and this whole extravaganza was like a giant "APPLAUSE" sign lit up by the people who brought you Obama. Can you say "Pavlov"? Don't worry, the effects will wear off by the end of the week.

[Zoloft]

This one time, I side with the hawks.

With all due respect, you side with the sheep. The evidence linking bin Laden to the 911 attacks is dubious and/or secret. His organization lacked the expertise and logistics to carry out 911. He has been mythologized by the media into a Jihadi superstar, and this whole extravaganza was like a giant "APPLAUSE" sign lit up by the people who brought you Obama. Can you say "Pavlov"? Don't worry, the effects will wear off by the end of the week.

He did confess, and the threads all led to Al-Qaeda. Next thing you know, people will be accusing Queen Elizabeth of being a drug pusher.

[Herschelkrustofsky]

He denied it for three years, until he realized that claiming credit for it was the equivalent of winning American Idol in the world of Islamic Radicalism.

[NuclearWarfare]

This looks like a summary execution, and I don't think it is going to help Obama's popularity all that much.

I can't find the article now, but I think it was the LA Times which quoted an unnamed official as saying something along the lines of "He had a rifle next to him, and the SEALs were like, OK, not going to bother with trying to take him prisoner." Your choice whether to believe that or not.

The NY Times' most recent poll put Obama's popularity as having gone from 46% approval to 57% approval. Most of that is going to be temporary, but good for him?

[RMHED]

He denied it for three years, until he realized that claiming credit for it was the equivalent of winning American Idol in the world of Islamic Radicalism.

Osama was just a sideshow, he was used by the CIA and Islamic extremists and subsequently discarded by both.

The real threat to world security is Pakistan, which is rapidly approaching the tipping point. Now I wonder who'll gain control of their nukes...

[anthony]

This one time, I side with the hawks.

With all due respect, you side with the sheep. The evidence linking bin Laden to the 911 attacks is dubious and/or secret.

What about all the other acts of terrorism that al-Qaeda has committed? Or do you not believe the evidence that Bin Laden was a key player in al-Qaeda either?

He denied it for three years, until he realized that claiming credit for it was the equivalent of winning American Idol in the world of Islamic Radicalism.

A confession, following three years of denial, does not qualify as evidence?

[Zoloft]

<snip>The real threat to world security is Pakistan, which is rapidly approaching the tipping point. Now I wonder who'll gain control of their nukes...

Joint Special Operations Command (T-H-L-K-D)