Congratulations to President Bush for putting into operation the plans and operations that ultimately resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. Congratulations to President Obama for forcefully pushing those plans forward and particularly for approving the amazing strike that killed bin Laden. It was a gutsy call that required real personal conviction.

President Obama said “Justice has been done.” Hugo Balz, writing in the Washington Post, calls this a “huge national security win… ” They are both wrong. Justice requires some sort of process in which the accused has a chance to defend himself. Hunting down bin Laden was revenge, which provides a great emotional lift to us and furthers our cause, but it is not justice.

Nor is there much evidence that Bin Laden was, today, a substantial security threat to the USA. The hostile attacks upon us and others in the past five years have been put forward by other terrorists groups. Perhaps with bin Laden’s approval and encouragement, but he was not in the planning nor the execution of these hostile actions. Our attempts to find and kill bin Laden have kept him carefully secreted and not in easy contact with the people who are actually engaged in terrorist activities.

Bin Laden has been a highly respected figurehead and spokesman for his cause. He will be a martyr but with his death, our security has not been improved by even a little bit.

This is not the end of the story. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, upon the news of bin Laden’s death, “The fight continues and we will never waver.” She is right. This is a long-range, worldwide struggle, no less important than our struggle with communism. And no more easily won. It is just a different kind of war, requiring different tactics and strategies with a willingness to pay the price over a long period time.

It is clear that up to now our presidents have been willing to press the struggle. The real, and most important question, is, “Are the American people willing to make the sacrifices in money and lives for the very long period of time necessary to prevail?”

Jim Stevens
Davis

Comments

comments