President Obama announced tonight that Osama Bin Laden is dead and that his body is in the custody of U.S. military forces. Here is his announcement in it's entirety.
"Good evening.
Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.
We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.
And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.
Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.
The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.
Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.
We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America."
Is he saying that thanks to him, bin Laden is dead? He used the word "I" an awful lot in that speech so is he taking credit for what was done? Or is he sort of throwing himself on the sword and taking the responsibility and blame that the terrorist world is going to be lobbing? It's kind of political genius because he's covering both his bases and letting people draw their own conclusion. I'm not sure myself which of these is true, although my first inclination after watching his speech was that he was taking credit but that's probably because I'm not an Obama fan.
I can see an insinuation that President Bush didn't making any strides in finding and capturing bin Laden after 9/11 and Obama supporters are crowing about that. But if Obama had been in office when 9/11 occurred would we have even gone to war? No one can answer that one. Besides, weren't Obama supporters the ones complaining that Obama had "inherited" Bush's war? And now they're taking credit and saying that at least their president got the job done? He didn't get the job done, he may have made the call and said, "Do it," but he only said that after being advised to do so by his national security team...you know, those men who have military and/or law enforcement experience, those men who really understood what the intelligence meant, those men who have spent the last 10 years gathering said intelligence. Obama supporters need to get off their high horses and realize that this had very, very little to do with Obama and more to do with several key players. Obama is nothing but a figurehead in all of this. And so the, "Obama just won his re-election for 2012," oh geeze. Let's hope that there is enough time between now and the 2012 election for people to let go of the high from this victory and base their voting on merit and performance, not on emotion and appearances.
But I'm conflicted about bin Laden's death and the celebrations that have ensued. Why are we "happy" and exhibiting patriotism because "we" killed someone? Weren't we disgusted almost 10 years ago when we witnessed Taliban supporters whoopin' and hollerin' about 9/11? Why are "we" sinking to their level like that? It's not a surprise, Americans aren't exactly known for class.
I wasn't a mommy when 9/11 happened but I'm a mom now and I'm glad that G isn't old enough to understand because I don't know how I would explain this to him. Murder is wrong and death is sad but it's acceptable when murder is done in retaliation and death is happy when it's someone that we don't like? Don't get me wrong, I'm relieved that bin Laden is dead but really his death doesn't solve anything does it? It gives a sense of satisfaction, a palpable proof that we're fighting back.
I do believe that the "mission" wasn't to kill bin Laden but to capture him and have him stand trial, although the presidents speech does not make that clear. If they'd just wanted to kill him they could have bombed where he was hiding on gone on about business. But then again if they did that, they wouldn't have a body to prove that they got him, right? I like to think that the objective was to put him in custody, bring him to the U.S. to be tried for his crimes and then incarcerate him or execute him and that when special forces went in to do that, a firefight broke out and they were simply responding as they had to. And why is there no talk about other people who might have been killed? You can't tell me that there was a fire fight at the compound and bin Laden was the only person killed. Obama's speech does say that no American lives were lost and I'm grateful for that but the public needs to think about the fact that there was more than just bin Laden's life.
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King, Jr.
And now that one key person is dead what's next? That's a frightening thought to ponder but I hope that Obama's national security team has measures in place to continue to gather intelligence that will keep Americans (and people in other countries) safe from the Taliban. Bin Laden was not a stupid man and he had a lot of supporters. He had the last 10 years to groom plenty of men to take his place and I have no doubt that many of them have already stepped up to take over the reign of terror.
P.S. I can't be the only one having a hard time and mixing up the names Osama and Obama, right? Hopefully I caught them all in my ranting.
