The most surprising thing about the long-awaited death of Osama bin Laden is how few surprises there were.
Was receiving assistance from Pakistan’s ISI until the very end? Check.
Vague (and likely impotent) threats of retaliation? Check
Personal cowardice in the face of danger? Check.
A US President who unhesitatingly gave the order to kill him? Check.
There were two parts that did surprise. First, finding him in Pakistan, so close to the capital. If he’d escaped Afghanistan, I expected he’d have exited the entire region. Wrong. Well, bin Laden had made his bed with the ISI a long time ago, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find him still tucked snugly (but not safely) into it.
The second surprise? That President Obama sent in SEAL Team Six instead of jets, a UAV, or a cruise missile. Obama usually prefers his wars a little more antiseptic, but he made the right decision here. Killing Osama was personal, not business, and I’m glad a US shooter made the ID and took out the target.
Well done, Mr. President. Thank you.
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