CNN Reporting Bin Laden is dead

[Jimmy]

I agree that the photo's should be held.  There is no legitimate reason to release them.  Photo's prove nothing and are in demand by the media simply to gin up business.  The USG should make no more comments on this incident or what was obtained during the raid.  Forget the talking heads.

Agree completely. I suspect they'll find their way our (wikileaks or otherwise). But the US should not strut. We shouldn't gloat. No victory laps. That job is done, now back to work on the other real problems confronting the country.

[KenFSU]

For argument's sake, let's put victims' rights to closure aside. Let's also assume that Americans -- despite the last four Presidents having been caught in some pretty significant lies, from Iraq, to Monica Lewinsky, to Iran-Contra -- are willing to completely give the President the benefit of the doubt on this one and not demand any empirical evidence.

What about the rest of the world?

Bin Laden has been a world wide menace for decades. His attacks and the results of his attacks have left trails of dead bodies in Libya, Riyadh, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and even Iraq.

Do we not owe the world proof?

Don't you guys consider it to be a pretty significant problem that, within days of Bin Laden's death, much of the world simply does not believe us and is demanding further proof? Afghanistan and Pakistan, two countries that have suffered great losses in our pursuit of Bin Laden, do not believe that we killed him in the absence of photographic or physical evidence. The Taliban doesn't believe us. Egyptians are expressing doubt. Even Canadian politicians are publicly requesting proof. And we're less than four days removed from his death.

Let's face it, we certainly haven't earned a free pass from the world in the last ten years.

It's not gloating if the world is out there asking for the proof.

And is denying the rest of the world the photographic evidence that they are actively requesting preferable to having them actually believe that he is dead?

A previous poster mentioned that "photos prove nothing."

There are tens of thousands of people behind bars who will tell you otherwise.

Nothing is what proves nothing.

I understand the point some of you are trying to make, and I really do think it is a fundamental difference of opinion (general trust vs. skepticism), but this isn't your ordinary case. This man's reign of terror has defined the last ten years. Tens of thousands of people have died, directly and indirectly, by his hand. Millions more have been affected. He brought America to her knees. He made us afraid to fly and afraid to open our mail. He's taunted us on television. We've watched his henchman decapitate Americans on the evening news. For ten years, we've lived in his shadow. We've felt his presence in the airport security line, at the library, when reading our email, when placing phone calls, and when making financial transactions. We've given up the right to travel anonymously within our own country. In hopes of capturing him, we've violated the Geneva Convention (putting our soldiers in far graver danger than releasing a photograph ever could), subjected prisoners -- some later found innocent -- to torture involving simulated drowning, insects, and sexual humiliation. We've rendered others to third world countries where they likely suffered far worse. We've lost over 10,000 lives.

America, and the world, needs the finality that can only come from seeing with our own eyes that he has been vanquished and is not coming back.

If people still doubt it, there's really nothing else you can do. But we saw Saddam hang, and the world believed it. We saw the bodies of his sons Uday and Qusay, and no one doubted. We've seen the dead bodies of numerous Al Qaeda leaders in the news pages and on TV, and people were convinced.

Yes, you run the risk of retaliation, but I question if there is a terror group out there that is going to retaliate simply because we release a photo of Bin Laden's body. If they are going to attempt to attack us, it's coming regardless of whether a photo is in the newspaper or not.

I'm sorry if I come off as abrasive, it's just something I feel very strongly about it. It's not about blood lust, it's about closure. 9/11 was something deeply personal to me, and seeing with my own eyes that this man is finally gone is the only thing that will truly provide that catharsis necessary to move on.

[Timkin]

Ken, you make some very valid points.   IF it would bring closure to those who have suffered because this man has lived and that was the only purpose that providing proof ,by photographs would do , FINE, I would be all for it, although personally, I did not like images of the man when he was alive, when he did all of the horrific acts as you very well laid out.  I really wish it was as simple as showing a picture or two of him dead.  But you see,  THEN the masses would say, oh no.. that is not him.. that is someone who looks like him.. VERY possible for that to be the case.. there are countless similar-looking men to Bin Laden as there are to Saadam Hussein.   As I indicated earlier,  If Bush had bothered to do his job right in his 2 terms in office, HE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE JOB DONE, and GLADLY  had the images up within the day.. he had no problem doing that with Hussein.  

Without a body.. Without DNA, Without some kind of physical proof ( other than pictures)  I seriously doubt that the general masses of the world will accept that he is dead.  Hell, for all I know, he is still alive, but in my heart, I do not think Obama would risk the consequences of lying and the consequences of such. I have been reading all of the same sources about doubts, and I AGREE WITH YOU....to a degree that there are some that deserve proof that OBL is dead. I hate to say it about another human being, but I sure as hell hope he is because he certainly never seemed to display any remorse for a single soul whose life he either personally took , or had someone else take.  I wish there had been a capture , rather than a killing, but it went down as it went down.  I do not like people like this man who think it  serves a god they worship to kill masses of people.  From where I come from, the God I pray to , would not want that.

I hope there will be some amicable solution to this.  But however it turns out.. pictures or no pictures, body, no body, DNA, no DNA,   Terrorism did not cease to exist, last Sunday, IMO  As sure as I am sitting in my favorite chair posting this, it is merely my opinion, that retaliation will follow.  It is what those types do. I hate it. I wish it would end. I am SICK of wars, of attacks , of people like this murdering others and creating havoc. I am sick of the United States of America having to be World Police, instead of putting its Country and People FIRST, just as every other Nation in the World does.

[BridgeTroll]

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/top-secret-stealth-helicopter-program-revealed-osama-bin/story?id=13530693

Top Secret Stealth Helicopter Program Revealed in Osama Bin Laden Raid: Experts

Before an elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs executed a daring raid that took down Osama bin Laden, the commandos were able to silently sneak up on their elusive target thanks to what aviation analysts said were top secret, never-before-seen stealth-modified helicopters....

[CityLife]

They will eventually get out , I am sure.. but I don't think it is wise at this point ...

I think the Obama administration may even want them to get out too, but diplomatically they know that it will play better if they are somehow "accidentally leaked".

Wonder how much NY Times, Washington Post, Time, or heck even TMZ would pay for the pictures? Don't they pay like a million dollars to see a picture of celebrities new born babies? Bet someone could make an 8 figure payday with a copy of the pics.

[NotNow]

I care not one whit for the "feelings" of AQ or their cheerleaders.  I don't care about "gloating" or "spiking" any footballs.  OBL was killed by our military.  I don't want him captured or displayed.  I don't need his body provided to anyone for "proof".  We bore the load and we continue to bear the responsibility.  We don't owe the world any further explanation.  War is not a people please'n business.

I'll take the President at his word.  There is no reason to distrust the man, and anybody here can tell you that I am not a democratic cheerleader. 

Photo's do not prove a thing without documentation, a proper chain of custody, and corroborating evidence.  There are tens of thousands roaming our nation free who should be behind bars that can attest to that.

The jihadist will retaliate whether they see photo's or not.  There are plenty more that need to be killed.  This is not over.  This is not political.  All of the Bush v. Obama crap is just demagogging, and detracts from what we should be discussing and thinking about...what is the next step?  What is the next strategy?  How can we better thwart those that would kill us? 

[JeffreyS]

NN right on target.

[Timkin]

I care not one whit for the "feelings" of AQ or their cheerleaders.  I don't care about "gloating" or "spiking" any footballs.  OBL was killed by our military.  I don't want him captured or displayed.  I don't need his body provided to anyone for "proof".  We bore the load and we continue to bear the responsibility.  We don't owe the world any further explanation.  War is not a people please'n business.

I'll take the President at his word.  There is no reason to distrust the man, and anybody here can tell you that I am not a democratic cheerleader. 

Photo's do not prove a thing without documentation, a proper chain of custody, and corroborating evidence.  There are tens of thousands roaming our nation free who should be behind bars that can attest to that.

The jihadist will retaliate whether they see photo's or not.  There are plenty more that need to be killed.  This is not over.  This is not political.  All of the Bush v. Obama crap is just demagogging, and detracts from what we should be discussing and thinking about...what is the next step?  What is the next strategy?  How can we better thwart those that would kill us? 

Well-put , Not Now  +1

[Dog Walker]

Clear, correct and to the point!

[CityLife]

Pretty cool story about a dog or dogs possibly being used on the UBL mission.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110505/ts_yblog_thelookout/intense-interest-surrounds-dog-who-helped-capture-bin-laden

[Ajax]

All of the Bush v. Obama crap is just demagogging, and detracts from what we should be discussing and thinking about...what is the next step?  What is the next strategy?  How can we better thwart those that would kill us? 

I, for one, would love to see the President come out and say "mission accomplished - for reals this time" and then promptly get our troops the hell out of there.  All of this counterinsurgency/nationbuilding bullshit is not making us safer.  By most accounts I've read, there are about 100 al Qaeda members left in and around Afghanistan, and keeping 100,000 troops over there is just pissing off the locals and pretty much every other Muslim that sees us occupying multiple Muslim countries.  No matter how much money we throw into that region, Afghanistan will not be a nation - it's a collection of tribes.  If we start having trouble from that region again, send over some CIA operatives, a team of SEALs and a few drones.  So far that appears to have been our most effective counterterrorism strategy. 

[Timkin]

+1,000,000 Ajax!!!!

[JeffreyS]

Love it Ajax.

[Dog Walker]

Ajax,  That is what we did in the first place to run the Taliban off.  Special forces guys allied with some of the tribes and did the job in a matter of weeks.  That's when we should have pulled back and let the Afghans run their own thing.  If the Taliban or Al-Quaeda came back; repeat step one.

We find Saddam Hussien, turn him over to the Iraqis and then LEAVE.

We need to leave both places NOW and get ready to go into Pakistan which is actively supporting terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Kashmir and India.  It's only a matter of time before one of those groups starts hitting targets in Europe and the US. 

Pakistan has nukes!  Most of the people there hate the US and India.  There are people in the Pakistani intelligence services and military who would not hesitate to smuggle one into India and set it off in Delhi.

[BridgeTroll]

Somehow we knew this was coming... 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/exclusive-pornography-found-bin-laden-hideout-officials-162214194.html

..Exclusive: Pornography found in bin Laden hideout:

By Mark Hosenball and Tabassum Zakaria | Reuters â€" 31 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A stash of pornography was found in the hideout of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. commandos who killed him, current and former U.S. officials said on Friday.

The pornography recovered in bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, consists of modern, electronically recorded video and is fairly extensive, according to the officials, who discussed the discovery with Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The officials said they were not yet sure precisely where in the compound the pornography was discovered or who had been viewing it. Specifically, the officials said they did not know if bin Laden himself had acquired or viewed the materials.

Reports from Abbottabad have said that bin Laden's compound was cut off from the Internet or other hard-wired communications networks. It is unclear how compound residents would have acquired the pornography.

But a video released by the Obama administration confiscated from the compound showed bin Laden watching pictures of himself on a TV screen, indicating that the compound was equipped with video playback equipment.

Materials carted away from the compound by the U.S. commandos included digital thumb drives, which U.S. officials believe may have been a principal means by which couriers carried electronic messages to and from the late al Qaeda leader.

Three other U.S. officials familiar with evidence gathered during investigations of other Islamic militants said the discovery of pornography is not uncommon in such cases.