Osama bin Laden, who sought personal glory and world tyranny through mass murder and terror, has been killed. He was in a mansion in a compound at Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, Pakistan, when a U.S. surprise attack sent him directly to Hell.
All who love life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can celebrate.
As word spread at the Mets-Phillies baseball game in Philadelphia around 11 o'clock tonight, the fans started chanting "USA! USA!"
President Obama spoke a little later: He thanked the Americans who carried out the operation that killed bin Laden and took custody of his body. The president said:
"Justice has been done."
By midnight, crowds were cheering "USA! USA!" in front of the White House. Soon after, joyous crowds packed Times Square and Lower Manhattan, close to ground zero.
The Long War Journal notes that bin Laden was not where "experts" guessed he was:
Abbottabad is far from Pakistan's tribal areas, where most analysts have speculated he was hiding. Abbottabad, a settled district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is located 30 miles north of Islamabad, the capital of Rawalpindi, and about 125 miles east of the Afghan border.
Bin Laden never carried out the spectacular encore he threatened. Nearly 10 years after 9-11, he is food for the worms. The CIA and a Navy SEAL sniper team put an end to him.
Two other thoughts:
First, the death of bin Laden should give U.S. officials a chance to re-evaluate what we are doing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It may be time for U.S. forces to leave. Maybe not. But let's give this a complete review.
Finally, imagine if those U.S. airstrikes that reportedly killed Moammar Qaddafi's son in Tripoli, Libya, on April 30 also had killed Qaddafi. A big weekend would have been even bigger.
Frank Warner
I miss him.
Hah. Just kidding!
Posted by: Kevin | May 01, 2011 at 11:53 PM
Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead.
Posted by: jj mollo | May 02, 2011 at 12:14 AM
Killer bin Laden is dead,
a free man's bullet in his head.
Posted by: Frank Warner | May 02, 2011 at 12:18 AM
Zawahiri needs to be captured or killed as well. He has been the Al Qaeda #1 guy for a while and he had just as much to do with 9/11 as Osama. The pressure should stay on Afghanistan until that happens.
We get Zawahiri and then I think the pressure can come off in Afghanistan.
Posted by: What? | May 02, 2011 at 06:23 AM
Bush calls bin Laden death "momentous achievement"
Posted by: CJW | May 02, 2011 at 09:45 AM
Man unknowingly liveblogs Bin Laden operation
Posted by: CJW | May 02, 2011 at 10:13 AM
It appears that Bin Laden’s 72 virgins are a bunch of guys who love to play World of Warcraft all the time. They alternate with Hilter to have sex with UBL
Posted by: Neo | May 02, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Dante's Divine Comedy of 1814 spoke of the gates of hell. "Abandon hope all ye who enter here." President Obama is right, justice has been done. I truly believe that he'll pay for his countless murders and bloodshed over the years. The world is a better place without men like him.
Posted by: Joseph | May 02, 2011 at 11:45 PM
1321?
Posted by: jj mollo | May 03, 2011 at 01:54 AM
CNN Poll: Majority in U.S. say bin Laden in hell
Posted by: CJW | May 04, 2011 at 11:24 PM