Citing regard for “who we are” as a people, as well as concern about providing a ghoulish icon to inspire or incite other terrorists, President Obama announced this afternoon that he will not be releasing photos of the dead bin Laden.
He noted that nobody of any consequence has expressed any doubt about his death, and that even photographic and DNA evidence will do nothing to convince conspiracy theorists of his demise.
I am constrained to note, however, that this reasoning, perhaps unwittingly, suggests that Obama thinks it was un-American (or too much “spiking the football”) for his predecessor, George W. Bush, to have “trotted out as trophies” the photos of the dead sons of Saddam Hussein.
But even though I would have released the photos based primarily on this Bush precedent, I fully appreciate and respect Obama’s decision to set a different one. I am mindful, though, that he finally gave in to the birthers by releasing his birth certificate after stating on principle that he would not.
Maybe Donald Trump will now take up the cause of those who still want to see him release these photos…. But as far as I’m concerned, this closes the book on bin Laden. Long may he burn in hell!
Incidentally, beware the “viral” Internet photos which purport to be of the dead bin Laden with a gaping hole in his head over his left eye. I’ve seen them. They are fakes.
On the other hand, Obama would be well-advised to dispatch CIA Director Leon Panetta to make a very public show of briefing the heads of state of all strategic and interested countries on the photos and all other evidence which confirm bin Laden’s death. Top on Panetta’s itinerary of course should be the leaders of Muslim countries like Pakistan.
This will force these leaders to try their best to disabuse their own people of lingering doubts – lest they too be accused of complicity in an American conspiracy to proclaim bin Laden dead.
NOTE: I’m sure “no offense was intended” but I urge the Obama Administration to apologize to the Apache tribe for Special Forces using the code word “Geronimo” to signal their successful hit on bin Laden. For one can plainly see why associating an Indian legend with this “mass murderer and cowardly terrorist” in any way would offend all Native Americans – as it reportedly has.
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Osama bin Laden is dead
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