# Osama bin Laden is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437 "2011-05-02T02:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/61 "2011-05-02T04:22:36Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Good for Bush? Hardly, he never seriously tried to catch Bin Laden. At one point he said Bin Laden didn’t matter and had to be pushed by Congress into at least going though the motions. Nonsense. They were trying for years to get him. Obama even called Bush to let him know they got him. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/62 "2011-05-02T04:23:23Z")
Wow…wasted in a suburban mansion. That certainly doesn’t bode well for OBL’s mountain cave terrorist street cred. Bill Maher tweeted recently "Somali pirates, Gaddafi’s son, now bin Laden - do NOT fuck with Obama, he’s Gangsta!!? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/63 "2011-05-02T04:25:48Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > The only reason I agree is because we shan’t bring ourselves to their level. However, if anyone’s naked and beaten corpse deserves to be impaled on a spike in front of the White House, it is Osama bin Laden’s. That’s the whole point. It isn’t about respect for him. It’s about reinforcing the message that this isn’t a war against Islam. Despite what the freepers are saying. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/64 "2011-05-02T04:25:58Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is it too much to ask that we give him the [Mussolini Treatment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussolini#Mussolini.27s_body)? (Seriously, this is one of those rare times that I WILL celebrate someone’s death) Oh, I give my fuckwad brother about a week before it shows up on his online dating profile, right under the picture of him with his “bronze star citation”. (Evidently he is too cheap to buy the actual piece of tin online.) ETA - sorry, that was in response to Argent Towers talking about military fakers. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/65 "2011-05-02T04:26:30Z")
Wiki has already updated the Abbottabad entry for OBL’s death ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/66 "2011-05-02T04:26:33Z")
Yeah, CNN is saying dude was in a really fancy mansion with twelve-foot walls (the Navy Seals used a helicopter, kick ASS!) and had been there for years. So much for the spiritual cave-dwelling aesthete. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/67 "2011-05-02T04:26:52Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Bush would have loved to have killed Ben laden. I am sure it was a very big thing in his admin. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **xtisme** [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/images/buttons/viewpost.gif](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13752292#post13752292) > Horseshit. The joint special forces thing got rolling under Bush. I’m not going to give him all that much credit, as the gutsy call was Obama’s, but it’s ridiculous to say Bush did nothing to try and get Osama. Guess Again. “The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.” - G.W. Bush, 9/13/01 “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” - G.W. Bush, 3/13/02 “And so shortly after taking office I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden the top priority of the war against Al Qaeda… …Today at my direction the US conducted an operation against that compound in Abadabad, Pakistan …After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body…” -Barack HUSSEIN Obama, 5/1/2011 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/68 "2011-05-02T04:27:08Z")
Y’know, many comments I’ve read have been snarking “so now we can withdraw from Afghanistan now, right?” But that did make me wonder: what DOES this mean for the Afghan war? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/69 "2011-05-02T04:29:18Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Horseshit. The joint special forces thing got rolling under Bush. I’m not going to give him all that much credit, as the gutsy call was Obama’s, but it’s ridiculous to say Bush did nothing to try and get Osama. > > -XT AFAICR Bush almost got him at Torabora; unfortunately, Osama escaped and then we got Bush first smirking that he did not know where he was, and that he was not much concerned about him, it was a very humiliating thing for Bush, so then something had to be done to avoid more pointed questions… [“Fuck Saddam, we are taking him out!”](http://dir.salon.com/books/review/2005/10/07/packer/index2.html) And so the focus did go elsewhere, and I will never forgive Dubya for misleading the American People. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/70 "2011-05-02T04:32:04Z")
I’m curious to hear from our Pakistani dopers (We have about 2 or 3, right?) how this is playing over there. I hope that at least this leads to more peace in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/71 "2011-05-02T04:32:05Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Guess Again. > > “The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.” > - G.W. Bush, 9/13/01 > > “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” > - G.W. Bush, 3/13/02 > > “And so shortly after taking office I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden the top priority of the war against Al Qaeda… > …Today at my direction the US conducted an operation against that compound in Abadabad, Pakistan > …After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body…” > -Barack HUSSEIN Obama, 5/1/2011 > [@](#): > > On **May 1, 2003** , Bush became the first sitting President to make an [arrested landing](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Arresting_gear) in a fixed-wing aircraft on an aircraft carrier[[2]](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_speech#cite_note-1)[[3]](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_speech#cite_note-2) when he arrived at the [USS _Abraham Lincoln_](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/USS_Abraham_Lincoln_%28CVN-72%29) in a [Lockheed](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Lockheed_Corporation) [S-3 Viking](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/S-3_Viking), dubbed _[Navy One](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Navy_One)_, as the carrier returned from combat operations in the [Persian Gulf](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Persian_Gulf). He posed for photographs with pilots and members of the ship’s crew while wearing a [flight suit](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Flight_suit). A few hours later, he gave a speech announcing the end of major combat operations in the [Iraq War](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Iraq_War). Far above him was the warship’s banner stating “Mission Accomplished.” [Mission Accomplished speech - Wikipedia](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_speech) 01 May 2011 - Mission _truly_ Accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/72 "2011-05-02T04:32:21Z")
So, who’s in charge of Al Qaeda now? They certainly must have planned for this contingency. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/73 "2011-05-02T04:35:04Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Guess Again. > > “The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.” > - G.W. Bush, 9/13/01 > > “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” > - G.W. Bush, 3/13/02 > > “And so shortly after taking office I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden the top priority of the war against Al Qaeda… > …Today at my direction the US conducted an operation against that compound in Abadabad, Pakistan > …After a firefight they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body…” > -Barack HUSSEIN Obama, 5/1/2011 Bush backed off when he couldn’t get him. He would have had to admit a failure to get enemy number one. I believe Bush always wanted to get him and tried for 7 years. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/74 "2011-05-02T04:37:01Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > So, who’s in charge of Al Qaeda now? They certainly must have planned for this contingency. Mullah Omar whatshisname is still kicking, innit he? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/75 "2011-05-02T04:38:38Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > 01 May 2011 - Mission _truly_ Accomplished. Someone elsewhere posted [this](http://libertymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/obama-mission-accomplished.jpg) appropriate photoshop. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/76 "2011-05-02T04:38:56Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > So, who’s in charge of Al Qaeda now? They certainly must have planned for this contingency. Bush took out so many of Osama Bin Laden’s second-in-commands that they must have hardly any second-in-commands left. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/77 "2011-05-02T04:40:37Z")
It was more an issue that they had Iraq and The Afghan war to deal with. Also they didnt know where he was and they were not getting much support from Pakistan to get Obama. They had to deflect and lessen expectations. Look at it this way, Bush would have given his right nut to kill Obama before the '04 election. It is probably more a case (as we will soon find out one way or another) that Obams thought the heat was off or at least lessened such the he could move around more freely. He was thankfully mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/78 "2011-05-02T04:40:37Z")
> [@Enfant Terrible](#): > > Mullah Omar whatshisname is still kicking, innit he? He’s not Al Qaeda, merely the former ruler of a country which supported them. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/79 "2011-05-02T04:43:26Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > So, who’s in charge of Al Qaeda now? They certainly must have planned for this contingency. Zawahiri is still alive and free. IIRC he was running a lot of the day to day ops anyway. Right now Islamic terrorism seems a more diffuse thing than it did running up to 9/11. Al-Qaeda just seems like something you call yourself to sound tough, like your local bar’s softball team might call itself “the Eastside Brewhouse Red Sox.” ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437/80 "2011-05-02T04:44:40Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Look at it this way, Bush would have given his right nut to kill Obama before the '04 election. He must have had some seriously good intelligence to know what would happen four years later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/osama-bin-laden-is-dead/580437.md?page=5)