In less than one week since the announcement by President Barack Obama that American Special Forces had found and eliminated Osama bin Laden, the American right has done everything possible to spin the accomplishment as something less than what it truly is: an historic achievement by this administration.
Of course there are statesmen and women and, dare I say, patriots on the right who have behaved exactly as they would have if this event had taken place six years ago. However there have been far too many of the chicken hHawks and right wingers who have constructed some type of rationale to criticize and diminish the president’s handling of this affair. Their reaction begs the question: Can this president do anything to please the 15 – 20% of Americans who just cannot stand the fact that Obama is our president?
Many on the right have claimed the majority of the credit for nailing bin Laden should go to the Bush Administration. I say balderdash! Let’s review the facts. By the spring of 2002, the Bush Administration had begun a four year campaign to downgrade the importance of neutralizing bin Laden. And of course, in 2003 the president decided it was prudent to divert our armed forces away from Afghanistan to invade Iraq after lying about that country’s complicity in the 2001 attacks.
But let’s start at the beginning. In the opening days of America’s fight in Afghanistan our civilian commanders had, in essence, allowed the terrorist leader to escape to the mountains that border Afghanistan and Pakistan in an area called, Tora Bora. During the initial invasion of Afghanistan bin Laden was cornered in the caves of the mountainous region but escaped. It would be the first of a series of missteps which would become the rule in Bush’s hunt for the terrorist. In an April, 2002 page one story The New York Times published the following report: “The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al Qaeda, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge… the intelligence community is persuaded that bin Laden slipped away in the first 10 days of December.”
Article comments
1 - Glenn Contrarian
Very true, Ronald -
The OBL affair is just another example of the determination of the Right (or at least most of the Right) that "thou shalt not give Obama credit for doing anything right or patriotic or beneficial to America"...and "thou shalt accord all blame to the Democrat party, and thou shalt not accord any blame to the Republican party".
There are a few Republicans and conservatives with enough courage and honor to speak up and say that President Obama's done this or that right...but they are a pitifully small minority.
2 - Boeke
I think it's clear that the republican political strategy is unrelenting and unreasoning opposition to Obama.
3 - Clavos
There are a few Republicans and conservatives with enough courage and honor to speak up and say that President Obama's done this or that right...but they are a pitifully small minority.
Almost as small as the list of things he's done right.
4 - Glenn Contrarian
Clavos -
So...what state was the economy in when Obama took over?
5 - Clavos
So...what state was the economy in when Obama took over?
Better than it is now, with lower deficits and less unemployment, among other things.
Bad question Glenn, you set yourself up.
6 - handyguy
That's nonsense. The economy was in free fall then, and we are in a fragile recovery now. The direction things are moving make for a more meaningful metric than a static number. Have you always played partisan games with numbers? I hadn't noticed before. I thought you were above that. Guess not.
7 - Boeke
When Obama took over Bush had just sent $6-7trillion direct to the bottom line as National Debt, the Financial system was collapsing and Geithner/Paulson were pushing a Blank Check for THEIR friends at Goldman, AIG, Morgan, etc., unemployment was rising, etc.
How much more do you need?
8 - Clavos
When Obama took over Bush had just sent $6-7trillion...
And Obie has poured trillions more on top of that and promises (threatens?) to keep adding more yet...
And handy: "fragile recovery?" The housing bust is expected to last at least another two years, unemployment hasn't improved, consumer confidence rightfully is in the cellar -- what recovery???
9 - Clavos
In fact,the economy is still so bad, it will likely make a one term prez out of Obama.
The ONLY good thing he's done was to off OBL, and half the lefties in the country are dumping on him for it.
10 - Boeke
8-clavos is just wrong: the Obama stimulus added 3 million jobs and stopped the collapse. Obamacare will save $300billion, etc.
9-clavos is just wishful thinking.
Do some research bud. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
11 - handyguy
8 million jobs were lost, more than 2 million have been recovered. It was never going to happen overnight, but there has been job growth every month for a year now.
If McCain or Hillary or Ron Paul were president, we'd still be climbing out of the same deep hole. Presidents are not magicians or superheroes. The purpose of stimulus spending is not to magically save the economy, but to hold it steady until it heals itself. But then you know that, you are just indulging in pointless, repetitive partisan sniping. Boring.
12 - Cannonshop
One of the most important jobs of any President, is to act as a magnet for the fury of the crowd. Universal Love and Adulation isn't one of the perks of having your address at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.
hate-mail, ridicule, barbs, backseat driving and monday-quarterbacking ARE.
Libs are just upset because, with their guy in office, he's being treated only slightly better than the previous occupant.
It's part of the job.
13 - Clavos
It was never going to happen overnight, but there has been job growth every month for a year now.
Actually, no. According to the BLS, it only started dropping in November, 2010, and it bumped up again in April.
14 - Clavos
And Boeke #10:
Post some verifiable proof, as I did in #13.
Otherwise, yer just flappin' your gums (or fingers, in this case).