# Obama's Ad on bin Laden, Romney: Fair or Foul? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 30, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415 "2012-04-30T15:09:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/81 "2012-05-02T15:11:34Z")
> [@emcee2k](#): > > Seems accurate and fair. What’s crazy, is that I actually agree with Romney here. Or, rather the Romney quoted in the ad, probably not current Romney. I’m sorry, Romney 2.0 is out of date. The current version is Romney 2.1.17 ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/82 "2012-05-02T17:59:40Z")
> [@platoon1016Guy](#): > > Every politician says what s/he thinks people want to hear, Obama and Romney included. Some more than others. > [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > So, I think it’s a good idea for Obama to say that he finished it, he deserves the props for that, and he can put it against Republicans as a whole since he did in half his term what Bush couldn’t do in two whole terms, but I don’t think it’s really a point to attack anyone else directly with. That is, it should just be something on his list of accomplishments, not a list of things he did that Romney wouldn’t have done in the same position. I think its fair to highlight how gutsy the call was by highlighting how others (specifically Romney) might not have made the same call. Lets remember the timeline: They find out and receive preliminary confirmation of OBL presence in the compound in August. Obama is advised to bomb the place and get DNA evidence to confirm the kill. Obama, is staring at a brutal mid term election but decides it is better to delay the strike so that the SEALs can train for the mission for several months. A million things can go wrong but things work out. Republicans spend the next few weeks trying to convince America that Obama did little more than nod assent to killing OBL, I mean who wouldn’t give the go ahead to kill OBL. When it comes to foreign policy and security, crticizing Obama is like monday morning quarterbacking the winning team because you think you could have covered the spread by a wider margin. > [@Jophiel](#): > > I think the point they’re trying to make here is that Obama understands that some things are more important and bigger than columns in an actuarial table. Some things are worth fighting for even if the accountants say they’re not. Tell that to NASA. > [@](#): > > Romney wasn’t so much “I’d never kill OBL” or “OBL doesn’t matter” but rather “My numbers tell me that OBL isn’t worth the risk:reward ratio” > > They’re drawing a distinction between someone who’ll do the right thing because it’s right versus someone who’ll do the right thing when there’s a net profit in it. I think they’re drawing a distinction between somsone who is willing to risk their second term to kill OBL against someone who isn’t. > [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Funny you should bring up Carter and “Desert One”. Carter made the same sort of ballsy decision that Obama did, except that it ended rather poorly. To be fair if the Iraqis had actually greeted us with flowers and kumbayahs, Jeb Bush would be the sitting President right now. > [@fumster](#): > > I’m sorry, Romney 2.0 is out of date. The current version is Romney 2.1.17 I don’t dislike Romney. I just don’t think he has enough of a spine to stand up to a “severely conservative” congress if they send wingnut legislation to his desk. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/83 "2012-05-02T18:05:15Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Republicans spend the next few weeks trying to convince America that Obama did little more than nod assent to killing OBL, I mean who wouldn’t give the go ahead to kill OBL. This is something that should be emphasized. This is not the first time the Republicans have tried to argue that Obama had basically no role in the whole process. They failed a year ago and they’ll fail now. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/84 "2012-05-02T18:08:08Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > They’re drawing a distinction between someone who’ll do the right thing because it’s right versus someone who’ll do the right thing when there’s a net profit in it. That principle didn’t work so well when GW Bush was president. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/85 "2012-05-02T18:53:25Z")
Once again, this is a case where I wish Romney would just own his own bullshit. I mean, why not just say, “Yeah, I said I wouldn’t go after binLaden with incredible fervor, and here’s why: \” But, no, Romney instead pivots and says that of course he would have gone after ol’ Osama. Even though he said explicitly that he wouldn’t. Now, I have no doubt that, had Osama knocked on the Romney’s door and said, “Howdy,” that Romney and Co. wouldn’t have shot him dead. But Romney never said he wouldn’t pull the trigger on the guy if he showed up somewhere. He just said that he wouldn’t move Heaven and Earth to do it. Own that and explain it. Same for healthcare in Massachusetts. Own it and explain why it was right for MA and wrong for the rest of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/86 "2012-05-02T20:13:45Z")
Based on how the Republican Party have comported themselves in the last 3-4 years, Obama has freebies to go as far as he wants with wild claims, hypocricy, and downright filthy play. Shit, he could even rape a few 9 year-old girls if he wanted and he’d still have the moral high ground on the rabble of derelects who have sought only to block and never to perform. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/87 "2012-05-02T21:51:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Not what I meant. I mean it needs to be positioned around a future scenario where it would actually matter. The fact that Romney would not have killed Bin Laden is irrelevant because he would not have to kill Bin Laden in his presidency. It’s highly unlikely there will be a similar situation in the next four years. > > What I’m saying is, to make it fair, we need a realistic scenario showing Obama, based on his past actions, doing the right thing, and Romney, based on his past actions, doing the wrong thing. It is easy for anyone to say they’d do the right thing in hypothetical future scenarios. Bush claimed he was a compassionate conservative. But how can you tell what someone would actually do except by looking at past statements. Besides Osama, we also have Detroit. Sure Detroit is unlikely to nearly go bankrupt in the next four years, but isn’t Romney’s rejection of the bailout worth noting? Especially because he still rejects it? Obama is taking a page from the Karl Rove book, which is attacking the strengths of your opponents - in this case national security. It is totally fair, and honest, to make Romney responsible for his past statements, especially since he has been all over the map. However, given the record of the Republicans, I don’t give a crap about fair. Truthful, yes, fair no. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/88 "2012-05-02T22:00:01Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Obama is taking a page from the Karl Rove book, which is attacking the strengths of your opponents - in this case national security. Since when is national security a Romney strength? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/89 "2012-05-02T22:02:26Z")
Right, that makes no sense at all. Romney’s strength would be his business background. National security is a strong issue for Obama here. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/90 "2012-05-02T22:07:58Z")
I think that **Voayger** ’s point is that national security is traditionally seen as a Republican strength. It is not necessarily truthfully a Republican strength, but that is the perception. It is certainly not a Romney strength (what are his strengths again?), but there ya’ go. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/91 "2012-05-02T22:11:08Z")
I don’t think that’s going to be the perception in the 2012 election. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/92 "2012-05-02T22:11:53Z")
I think that **Voyager** means that national security has traditionally been regarded as a strength of the Republican party. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/93 "2012-05-02T22:59:58Z")
The ad is Fair and truthful. Romney degraded the effort to get Osama and challenged the policy of going into Pakistan. Obama’s success differentiates the two. Obama is running on his record. Romney is trying to make one up. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/94 "2012-05-02T23:09:32Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Shit, he could even rape a few 9 year-old girls if he wanted and he’d still have the moral high ground on the rabble of derelects who have sought only to block and never to perform. This kind of disgusting rhetoric is beyond the pale. Raping children is better than pursuing a conservative agenda? Really? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/95 "2012-05-02T23:15:29Z")
I wonder what he toned it down from… 8 year olds? Boys? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/96 "2012-05-02T23:36:37Z")
**Did** Obama even make the right call here? Innocents might have been shot by SEALS, if the intelligence was at all shaky. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/97 "2012-05-03T00:04:26Z")
So what? Pakistan was knowingly harboring the bastard. We stepped back from hitting the compound with a JDAM because of possible collateral damage. SEALs were the best call. As for Romney and the rest of the [del]Right[/del] Wrong… suck it. Our guy did what your guy couldn’t, and that’s that. And **Oak**? Just about _anything_ is better than pursuing the conservative agenda. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/98 "2012-05-03T01:08:23Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > What matters is how this looks to the electorate. A number of present and former SEALS have criticized the ad. > > [http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/SEALs-slam-Obama-binLade/2012/04/30/id/437580](http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/SEALs-slam-Obama-binLade/2012/04/30/id/437580) > > This gives Republicans something to gloat about. I think it would have been more Presidential for President Obama to use the day to thank the SEALS for a job well done, and not to try to score shots against Romney. Obama thanks the Navy Seals and others: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/EAw25BNfzlE/hqdefault.jpg "US President Barack Obama praises Navy Seal unit who carried out deadly Osama bin Laden raid") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAw25BNfzlE) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8nMHJXJUGM0/hqdefault.jpg "Obama thanks Jack") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nMHJXJUGM0) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HrOFRN19Xp0/hqdefault.jpg "Navy SEALs thanked") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrOFRN19Xp0) **[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VnWsMx7MQ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41VnWsMx7MQ)** OKAY, he didn’t spend all day giving out kudos, but it’s not as if he never thanked folks down the chain of command. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/99 "2012-05-03T01:11:49Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > This kind of disgusting rhetoric is beyond the pale. Raping children is better than pursuing a conservative agenda? Really? > > :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: Yeah, that post might be a wee bit hyperbolic. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415/100 "2012-05-03T02:04:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And **Oak**? Just about _anything_ is better than pursuing the conservative agenda. So I’m worse than a baby raper because I’m conservative? That what you’re saying? Yeah. We’re done here. It’s not even worth pitting you for that shit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-ad-on-bin-laden-romney-fair-or-foul/620415.md?page=6)