I think Obama is doing the right thing:
To: Doug Pratt
From: CNN Breaking News
Subject: CNN Breaking News
Date: Wed 1:36p May 4, 2011
Sent: Wed, 04 May 2011 13:36:03 -0400The president has decided not to release death photos of Osama bin Laden, an administration official briefed by the White House tells CNN.
One CNN Center Atlanta, GA 30303 © & ® 2011 Cable News Network
Releasing the photos would serve no useful purpose. Domestically, the anti-Obama extremists won’t believe the photos are genuine anyway, just as they demanded to see his birth certificate then refused to accept its authenticity when he released it. Internationally, showing the corpse would only incite further anti-American sentiment. If bin Laden’s alive, I’m sure he’ll let us know.
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t – that’s the frustration of being President. I agree with your position, Doug! Tastewar: HA! Too funny! I suspect you may be right about Palin simply looking for opportunity. I think Donald Trump does the same thing, and so do a lot of other politicians. They’ve turned what is supposed to be serious government into a game. Like a chess game. It’s all about posturing and strategy. And BOTH parties are guilty of it.
I read today that bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan was close to an important Pakistani government’s military installation; the parallel was made to the United States’ West Point Military Academy, or to infamous criminal John Dillinger living near FBI headquarters. The question was posed, was Pakistan’s government that inept to have bin Laden hiding under their very noses, or were they actually sheltering him? But, I would pose the question another way: WHY would bin Laden CHOOSE to live in that compound, so close to Pakistan’s military? Apparently he didn’t think it was an unsafe location for him! Here’s what I suspect: he did it very deliberately, so as to have quick, efficient, direct access to leaked information from a Pakistani military souce sympathetic to bin Laden. That way, he could be OUT of there and on the run immediately if necessary. Instead of bin Laden having to wait hours for leaked information warning him, to be relayed to him by courier to some remote rural location hide out. I think the use of cell phones was restricted due to the possibility of being discovered. Mountains and caves can adversely affect cell phone reception, too. I could be all wrong, of course, but I do wonder…
If Obama had released the photos, we’d have heard, “this is endangering our troops.”
What I would like to know is, did Palin, who is criticizing Obama for not releasing the photos, express an opinion before the decision was made? Or was she just waiting to hear his decision so she count stand counter to it no matter what.