Crimson Red Sports

(http://media.al.com/wire/photo/9541231-essay.jpg)

I want to know what they're see right now.  Notice how BHO and hilary seem to be the most stressed.

A few other good photos here.

BHO getting some great press out of this.

(http://photos.al.com/alcom_photo_essay/2011/05/white_house_during_osama_bin_l.html)

LOL. RTR!

Biden not really sure why they woke him up.

I was about to say that ol' Joe looks a might con-fu-sed.

I would hate to see him take over the highest office in the land. Lord we would be in trouble then. RTR!

Hillary is thinking "I can't believe I lost to this liberal moron".

Lol, Hillary, what a wild thing it would be if she did get the White House. I don't think she would have signed off on the raid to take out Laden. RTR!

For good reason, this was one of the most daring actions in the history of our country.  The decision to put an elite unit on the ground well behind enemy lines to close with and capture/destroy OBL is a defining moment of not only the president's time office in terms of risk-reward decision making but to its impact on the ongoing war on terror and struggling diplomatic efforts worldwide (hence Clinton's concern).

Failure meant the bodies of our soldiers would most likely be put on display as a huge morale booster for the OBL faithful while an international incident unfolded around them due to the decision to act unilaterally in a sovereign nation which would score a huge loss for US interests in the war on terror. 

Very proud that the decision was made.  It was the right call.  And, I am even more happy it was executed without issues.  No doubt there will certainly be ongoing issues due to the decision, but the results justified the means in this case.





 

Are we sure he (BHO) made the decision and not Leon Panetta?

They are busy drinking coffee looks to to me like. RTR!

I'm no fan of this administration, but I have to give credit where it is due. Whoever made the call for this mission, the fact that it was called takes some guts. That room looks very tense (I can feel it just coming off my computer). The operatives who did the deed deserve all the credit for pulling the trigger, but I reserve respect for PBO for making the order.

I understand that Gen. Penatta made the call. Obama just found out later and was getting fed the uptodate info. RTR!

To clear things up, Leon Panetta is the (soon to be former) CIA director.  He was discharged from the military as a 1st Lieutenant.

I have full confidence that Mr. Panetta, Mr. Gates, and Gen Petraeus all made the recommendations to execute the operation based on the significance of the target and its impact to the war.  That decision was no doubt weighted against the Secretary of States recommendation as to what the diplomatic fallout would be should it fail.

But, the decision was the Presidents.

Even if the target was time sensitive, approval was either gained directly or indirectly due to a strict execution matrix based off of direct guidance from the POTUS.

Very high risk operation for a multitude of reasons.  This would not have happened without approval from the commander in chief.  Too many risks, variables, and agencies involved for any other proponent to make the call on their own.

Thanks for the post.  So what's your opinion about the operation? Do you think Pakistan was hiding him?  What's next?

First, I'll reiterate that it was one of the singularly gutsiest calls a US President has made for a military operation given the uncertainties on the objective and the huge downside for diplomatic advances and the war effort as a whole.

That said, I'm personally glad that the kill-capture mission ended in a kill.

I think it is for the best. The capture, detainment, and eventual trial/execution of OBL would have created an entire different set of issues and concerns with little intelligence to be gained as I doubt he would be very forthcoming with cell/network design.

In the end he would still be just as dead.

Other than the death of OBL, untold raw intelligence will be exploited and turned actionable to drive many more missions worldwide (about which we will never hear) from the sensitive site exploitation of OBL's mansion.

But, ending the extremist rallying cry that OBL was a Holy warrior whose continued existence and freedom openly defies the infidels of the western world is HUGE in itself even if not a single shred of evidence is found from SSE.

No doubt, there are several individuals formerly associated with OBL worldwide who have moved to new locations and have a whole new pucker-factor each time they hear a helicopter overhead...possibly even some regimes we may see change leadership soon. But that of course is pure speculation.  As far as the Pakistani g'ment.  I doubt they knew the exact whereabouts of OBL.  Certainly members within the g'ment or local authorities in the area in which he lived knew, but corruption at lower levels doesn't represent complicity for all.  We need Pakistan as an ally to continue this fight.  That is why it was so important that this mission was successful, as entering a sovereign nation to conduct a military operation is a pretty big deal about which we have probably not heard the end of internationally, but it was justified and a dang strong statement by President Obama.

What we've learned from every major target which has been killed is that another stepped up almost immediately to replace them. OBL would be no different, but it does deal a huge blow to their propaganda efforts. Plus, it is much easier to ID cell activity when the scramble to re-organize and the internal struggle for control commences.

Collection assets worldwide most certainly have witnessed more activity in the last week than they have since Al-Zarqawi's death. The more active the cells are (which lie dormant often times disassociated with one another until they are directed to act), the greater our chances to identify their location and structure to help in monitoring their activity and interdicting them when necessary.

For their own protection and future operational security, the names of the ground team or the 160th guys flying the aircraft will never be known, but this was without a doubt the most daring mission the US military has ever conducted IMO. All are true warriors and each deserve the highest honors which can be bestowed upon them, even if they go into their restricted files never to be known publicly.  Hopefully, that is what the POTUS is doing on his visit to Ft. Campbell.

 #+

I love to get your opinion on these things.

I read somewhere, maybe in the article I posted in the Ferg about osama being scared, that BHO was going to meet with them and the helicopter pilots.

 #+ Thanks Che. This is better information than we are getting by our news sources.

Yeppers is a get insight to what is happening. I do however believe they maybe shaken up for a few days until they determine that new leader. RTR!

For the record, in his brief announcement Sunday night BHO used the word 'I' ten times, the word 'me' three times, the word 'mine' five times, and the word 'my' three times.

Do you actually think he might be running for reelection? RTR!

He should take notes:

"If anything goes bad, I did it.  If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. "  - Paul "Bear" Bryant