Obama did his job here. Nothing more. Stop overselling it.

[Chris_Texas]

I certainly hope I do not need to elaborate on this, but on the off chance I do here you go:

His job is to make the final decision where such is necessary and take responsibility for the outcome. He did not find OBL, hedidn't fly the choppers or pull the triggers. His involvement was to weight the risks others presented and make a decision. The decision he reached is almost certainly no different than that which would have been reached by Bush or Clinton or anyone else we put there, as it is the logical decision militarily and politically -- minimal risk for maximum gain.

I am not attempting to minimize the celebration or throw a wet towel on your support for Obama. Rather, I am cautioning you all that the hero BS is beginning to go a bit too far, and some few are beginning to sound as silly as the delusional folks trying to give Bush the credit.

[johnson542]

1. If McCain was in office, we wouldn't have gotten Bin Laden.

Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuFggrxzAR0

[countingbluecars]

2. This president has taken heat

for things that go wrong. He should get kudos when things go right. Both are part of the job.

[Solomon]

16. I don't see many "hero" posts at all. All I see are posts

demanding a certificate. Some kind of proof. The republicans would have bombed the whole damn city. But the poster here seems to think Bush would have done the same thing as Obama.

What bullshit.

[countingbluecars]

23. I agree.

Proof-Bush bombed a whole damn country that had nothing to do with 9/11 or Bin Laden.

[spanone]

3. comparing Obama to bu$h* on this topic is bullshit.

bu$h* ended the search for bin laden.

[phleshdef]

4. Presidents who purposefully order the takedown of top international terrorists get hero treatment.

Theres nothing you can do to stop that. Get over it.

[CJCRANE]

5. Do you even read DU?

Your analysis is totally off.

[wtmusic]

6. Nope - Obama chose to put boots on the ground

which saved lives. Bush would not have (he bombed the hell out of Saddam's office building, killing how many inhabitants we'll never know).

It was not the logical decision, it was the tough decision and the right decision. Obama did more than a job - he did a great fucking job. :thumbsup:

[leftstreet]

7. In all fairness, they're politicians. Image and party branding IS the job n/t

[JoePhilly]

8. No. The GOP would be landing their President on an aircraft carrier for far less.

Oh wait ... they DID THAT.

Bullshit.

Dems need to point out the Iraq Distraction, over and over and over and over and over and over.

And Obama, needs to do what he always does, stay cool.

[RichGirl]

9. Except that he is a hero.

So therefore I will call him a hero.

[seabeyond]

10. firstly... his decision is absolutely different than bushco. bushco probably would have gone along

with military to have massive bombing instead of a special op assault. (get informed). it was a risky and gutsy decision, per military.

he directed intense investigation to finding obl. bush closed the department that had that responsibility. another difference in decision making.

thru obamas leadership, they followed their leads and investigated. another difference between him and bush

if you are going to argue for factual, you should be informed enough to do the same.

[LiberalAndProud]

11. It could be argued that Bush had his chance to "do his job".

And failed miserably.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0304/p01s03-wosc.html
How bin Laden got away
In retrospect, it becomes clear that the battle's underlying story is of how scant intelligence, poorly chosen allies, and dubious military tactics fumbled a golden opportunity to capture bin Laden as well as many senior Al Qaeda commanders.

Moreover, as the US military conducts new strikes with its Afghan allies in nearby Paktia Province, sends special forces into Southeast and Central Asia - and prepares for a possible military plunge into Iraq - planners will need to learn the lessons of Tora Bora: Know which local leaders to trust. Know when to work with allied forces on the ground. And know when to go it alone. "Maybe the only lesson that is applicable is: whenever you use local forces, they have local agendas," says one senior Western diplomat, now looking at options for invading Iraq. "You had better know what those are so that if it is not a reasonable match - at least it is not a contradiction."

[LiberalAndProud]

29. Here's another account for your edification.

http://foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Tora_Bora_Report.pdf

But the Al Qaeda leader would live to fight another day. Fewer
than 100 American commandos were on the scene with their Afghan
allies and calls for reinforcements to launch an assault were
rejected. Requests were also turned down for U.S. troops to block
the mountain paths leading to sanctuary a few miles away in Pakistan.
The vast array of American military power, from sniper
teams to the most mobile divisions of the Marine Corps and the
Army, was kept on the sidelines. Instead, the U.S. command chose
to rely on airstrikes and untrained Afghan militias to attack bin
Laden and on Pakistan’s loosely organized Frontier Corps to seal
his escape routes. On or around December 16, two days after writing
his will, bin Laden and an entourage of bodyguards walked
unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan’s unregulated
tribal area. Most analysts say he is still there today.

[WingDinger]

12. WRONG, it was his plan, and his alone. Eone else wanted to drop bombs.

His insistance on no/few collateral damage was HEROIC, and risky.

[TTUBatfan2008]

13. Minimal risk? Hardly...

That thing could have easily turned into a clusterfuck if one or two things turned out differently. For one thing, this involved a breach of Pakistan's sovereignty. If they found out, showed up and started firing at our SEALs, we would have ended up in an international crisis. CIA chief Panetta even brought this up in an interview with Time Magazine today.

[Richardo]

14. You know, when you put it that way, ANYONE could have made that decision.

Except they didn't.

And when Bush had an even better opportunity at far LESS risk at Tora Bora he punted it to the Afghans, with the results we've all lived with for nine additional years.

So no, the decision he reached is NOT certainly the one which would have been reached by Bush or Clinton or anyone else we put there. His other options - such as aerial bombardment - were far LESS risky some aspects, especially in the risk level to American servicemembers.

[Drunken Irishman]

15. Minimal risk?

You really believe this? The decision Pres. Obama made had a huge risk to it and I don't think I need to elaborate on this, but on the off chance I do here you go:

Are you familiar with Operation Eagle Claw in 1980? The Carter administration sent in air units to save hostages in Iran and the mission turned into a complete disaster. Not only were two helicopters unable navigate through a sand storm, one of those choppers was forced to crash land.

At that point, Pres. Carter aborted the mission and during the pullback, another chopper crashed into a transport aircraft. Eight soldiers were lost and the hostages weren't saved. Because of this, Pres. Carter was wounded at home and would go on to lose in a landslide to Ronald Reagan.

Then there was Operation Gothic Serpent in Somalia (Black Hawk Down) and I'm sure you vividly remember that one.

No one knew how this mission would develop. The chopper could have crashed, the military could have lost 22 or so of its men. Bin Laden might've been able to escape the compound - maybe he wasn't there in the first place.

Then you're looking at a situation where 20-25 American troops were killed on what Republicans can effectively call a whim - in a sovereign nation without the approval of their government.

So don't act like this was a slam dunk. Don't act like there was no risk. There was huge risk. Yet he went forward anyway, knowing full well had anything gone wrong, it could have effectively ended his presidency (just ask Carter).

[kentuck]

17. Bull.

The easy decision would have been to send in a missile and blow the place to smithereens, with no DNA and no evidence. This was a very courageous decision at every stage.

[MindandSoul]

18. I partially agree: I agree that there really isn't reason to rejoice

Getting Bin Laden was something that needed to be done, but I do not like all the rejoicing at someone's (anyone's) death. Seeing all those "Patriots" rejoicing over the man's death reminded me too much of the rejoicing that went on on 9/11, which everyone in the U.S. found despicable.

I also agree that President Obama just did his job. But he did it well, he stayed cool (even attending the roasting the night before, while he knew full well what was about to happen), and he did it the right way (surgical strike by the most elite team of SEAL). He idd it without "Mission Accomplished" sign, and he informed us of it with a very subdued, direct, message. No great arrogance or jubilation. In fact, he sounded quite grim.

I disagree that Bush would have done the same thing. I think he didn't even try to find Bin Laden.
I also think that if he had had to make the final decision, he might have selected a more "theatrical" way. Maybe even invade Pakistan, with the consequences of many more deaths on both sides . . . but a "stupendous" opportunity to unite once again the U.S. around a "legitimate (?)" reason to invade a contry!

No, I think Obama does deserve a lot more credit than we realize. He just doesn't need all the "hoopla" that goes with it.

[FrenchieCat]

19. Are you doing your job?

Are you doing it well or lousy?

[DefenseLawyer]

20. That's some quality concern right there. n/t

[jpak]

21. Boo hoo hioo - Obama ordered the strike as (((Commander in Chief))) - yes Barack *Hussein* Obama

Born in Hawaii

concern noted

:rofl:

[quinnox]

22. I hear ya, but let them celebrate

Personally, I think the blowing up of this is absurd, especially the Hitler comparisons, which are beyond ridiculous, but the core Obama supporters are humans and so its understandable they want to crow a little over this.

[CJCRANE]

24. Bush (and the Repub candidates) specifically said that they would not go into Pakistan.

That's why Bin Laden was sitting pretty there for so long.

[ProSense]

25. "some few are beginning to sound as silly as the delusional folks trying to give Bush the credit"

So giving Obama credit is like "trying to give Bush the credit"?

And you have the nerve to claim that others "sound as silly as the delusional folks trying to give Bush the credit"?

No one should get Credit?

President Obama just happened to be the guy in the WH when this operation carried out itself?

[pnwmom]

26. Wrong. Fully half of his advisors recommended that he make a different decision.

There is no reason to assume that Bush or Clinton "or anyone else" would have made the same decision. Gates, for example, supported the original plan to bomb the compound, since it would have posed less risk to troops (after hearing that original plan, and being concerned about collateral damage, Obama asked the military to draft alternatives). Others urged Obama to delay any action until more proof of OBL's presence could be found.

[dkf]

27. Peggy Noonan says it was the return of competence and I think that is right.

The sad thing is I do celebrate competence nowadays.

[Drunken Irishman]

33. Wow, Peggy Noonan said that?

[dkf]

38. Yup. She was pretty complimentary.

[Bragi]

34. Not sure about that

I am concerned that the official story seems to be unraveling, or at lest changing.

First OBL had a gun, then no gun. Then there was a woman he used as a human shield, then he didn't do that.

This makes me wonder if the WH released this story in too much detail too soon. They should have known that whatever they released would be subjected to enormous scrutiny.

The changing story here could be a real problem, and does not suggest competence.

[MatthewStLouis]

28. Hero? I am sincerely happy for President Obama! Proud of our Navy Seals and happy for our nation!

No one's worshiping heroes here. If you ever had nightmares of this happening on Bush's watch; you'd understand why people are giving our President the credit he is due.

[Modern_Matthew]

30. I won't oversell it until he uses the momentum to get us the hell out of there. nt

[one_voice]

31. Blah, blah, blah...sorry that's all I can hear...

Cuz of this..

[KittyWampus]

32. He did a lot more than "make the final decision".

[Renew Deal]

35. No, Bush made a different decision when he had the chance.

"On June 2, 2009, just over four months into his presidency, Obama had signed a memo to CIA Director Leon Panetta stating “in order to ensure that we have expanded every effort, I direct you to provide me within 30 days a detailed operation plan for locating and bringing to justice” bin Laden."

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54093.html

This is a major policy change from http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1005815&mesg_id=1005815">"I just don't spend that much time on him to be honest with you." -- George W. Bush, 2002

Obama bet his presidency on this operation and won. Too bad if you don't see that.

[livetohike]

36. Yes, please do. Please elaborate, because I would like to

understand where you are coming from.

To compare this thoughtful President to Bush and saying Bush would do this same thing, in this same way is ludicrous.
Bush and logic are not two words one usually finds on the same page.

[dennis4868]

37. yep....

Obama did something great....move along....nothing to see here.....let's go back to bashing the guy....that's more fun.