Bush reacts to news of Osama bin Laden's death

Former President George W. Bush reacts to news of Osama bin Laden's death

Associated Press
May 1, 2011

DALLAS - 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 was already having a good weekend. Seeing this on the news Sunday night made it great.

This is wonderful news.

Yeah, I'm likin' it quite a bit. I hope he's enjoying Hell right now.

Obama finally gets one right!!! Good for him!!! Proves the old saw that even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and again!

Seal Team Six is one kick ass outfit!!! This is the stuff novels, movies and legends are made of. These guys went in in the dark of night, deep into enemy territory, and got their target and extracted him - albeit dead. So much better than a missile strike.

I hate to put a dampener on things, but this will change very little in reality. Sure, Al Qaeda might implode due to power struggles but what is equally likely is that they have been prepared for such an eventuality for the last nine years. The man was, allegedly, very ill requiring regular dialysis.

If I were Obama I would heed Cameron's advice and be prepared for revenge attacks.

Oh and by the way, the conspiracy theories have started already:

http://www.infowars.com/red-alert-government-had-osama-bin-laden-frozen-for-years/

He's been dead for years, and this was an elaborate ploy to boost Obama's flagging popularity.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:I hate to put a dampener on things, but this will change very little in reality. Sure, Al Qaeda might implode due to power struggles but what is equally likely is that they have been prepared for such an eventuality for the last nine years. The man was, allegedly, very ill requiring regular dialysis.

If I were Obama I would heed Cameron's advice and be prepared for revenge attacks.

I personally believ that this changes nothing. Even Bush said such when he was president that if they did catch/kill OBL, nothing would change. OBL was just the man at the top of a very extensive organixation.

I saw video tape on ABC this evening showing his medicine cabinet. Nothing in there regarding kidney medicine. The SEAL's found no evidence of anything of the sort elsewhere either. But I'm sure we'll know more in the coming days.

Yeah, we're a target that's even bigger now.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:Oh and by the way, the conspiracy theories have started already:

http://www.infowars.com/red-alert-government-had-osama-bin-laden-frozen-for-years/

He's been dead for years, and this was an elaborate ploy to boost Obama's flagging popularity.

I don't buy into the theories. I read some other stuff today regarding this. I have yet to see any right wing conspiracy theories. Anti-war crazy, Cindy Sheehan, is already saying that it's a hoax. She's not even close to being a centrist either. She's from the outer limits.

One thing though.... congress is looking into the 3+ billion in aid we send to Pakistan each year. Our congress is wondering how OBL's compound was so close to a large military base and very close to Pakistan's version of our own West Point (a military academy for officers) and how OBL was supposedly undetected by the Pakistani gov't. I welcome this inquiry.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:I hate to put a dampener on things, but this will change very little in reality. Sure, Al Qaeda might implode due to power struggles but what is equally likely is that they have been prepared for such an eventuality for the last nine years. The man was, allegedly, very ill requiring regular dialysis.

Sure, they'll find a new leader, but it won't be OBL. Does that matter? Time will tell. AQ was always a very decentralized outfit and became more so once we started hunting them; bin Laden's role was more inspirational than operational at the time of his death. So while his death won't cause all the splinter cells across the world to shrivel up and die, it will (hopefully) be a heavy blow to the movement's morale.

Even if nothing changes, it feels damn good to know he's dead.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:If I were Obama I would heed Cameron's advice and be prepared for revenge attacks.

They'll need to hatch a plot and execute it. Our and your intelligence services are normally on the lookout for this kind of thing anyway; hopefully they'll have the good sense to step their game up a notch or two after this.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:I hate to put a dampener on things, but this will change very little in reality. Sure, Al Qaeda might implode due to power struggles but what is equally likely is that they have been prepared for such an eventuality for the last nine years. The man was, allegedly, very ill requiring regular dialysis.

If I were Obama I would heed Cameron's advice and be prepared for revenge attacks.

I don't think anyone is under the illusion that this will create any real changes in the threat of terrorism - and might indeed result in the revenge attacks Cameron spoke of.

It's just damned satisfying to have finally caught up with this bastard and dispatched him. And if nothing else, this sends a clear signal to anyone who would step into his shoes that the US is very serious about hunting down terrorists and is quite capable of doing so, no matter how long it takes. This will make the rest of the terrorist world look over their shoulders quite a bit more than they have to this point. I mean, we went into a sovereign nation in the dark of night, with absolutely no permission, no sanction, no head's up, and took out the spiritual head of Al Qaeda. That has to get one's attention if nothing else.

Seal Team Six is one spooky bunch of operators with balls the size of cantaloupes...

dblboggie wrote:I mean, we went into a sovereign nation in the dark of night, with absolutely no permission, no sanction, no head's up, and took out the spiritual head of Al Qaeda. That has to get one's attention if nothing else.

Seal Team Six is one spooky bunch of operators with balls the size of cantaloupes...

hmmm, would the SAS have got your blessing in the 1980s if they had gone into Boston and killed prominent members of NORAID largely acknowledged to be supplying money and weapons to the IRA to kill British civilians?

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:

dblboggie wrote:I mean, we went into a sovereign nation in the dark of night, with absolutely no permission, no sanction, no head's up, and took out the spiritual head of Al Qaeda. That has to get one's attention if nothing else.

Seal Team Six is one spooky bunch of operators with balls the size of cantaloupes...

hmmm, would the SAS have got your blessing in the 1980s if they had gone into Boston and killed prominent members of NORAID largely acknowledged to be supplying money and weapons to the IRA to kill British civilians?

Quite possibly, if I knew what you were talking about. Not really being up to speed on NORAID (or even having heard of it), I couldn't say for sure... but if all things being equal (bin Laden and NORAID), then yeah... quite likely.

The_Amber_Spyglass wrote:Sure, Al Qaeda might implode due to power struggles but what is equally likely is that they have been prepared for such an eventuality for the last nine years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110506/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_bin_laden

Meanwhile, Pakistan's intelligence agency has concluded that bin Laden was "cash strapped" in his final days, according to a briefing given by two senior military officials. Disputes over money between the terror leader and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, led al-Qaida to split into two factions five or six years ago, with the larger faction controlled by al-Zawahri, they said.

Interesting.

kronos wrote:bin Laden's role was more inspirational than operational at the time of his death.

It's beginning to sound like I was wrong about this. bin Laden was a pivotal strategic player, deeply involved in operations; not at all just a figurehead.

kronos wrote:

kronos wrote:bin Laden's role was more inspirational than operational at the time of his death.

It's beginning to sound like I was wrong about this. bin Laden was a pivotal strategic player, deeply involved in operations; not at all just a figurehead.

Yep. And he had all the dough, too.