Thursday afternoon, President Obama made his first visit as president to ground zero in New York City.

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Osama bin Laden dead: President Obama makes his first visit to Ground Zero Telegraph.co.uk Bin Laden's death brings a close to the 9/11 decade, but Barack Obama still has work to do, says Toby Harnden. Barack Obama pauses after laying a wreath at the National Sept. 11 Memorial at Ground Zero Photo: AFP By Toby Harnden 7:00AM BST 07 May 2011 ... Probing Link to Bin Laden, US Tells Pakistan to Name AgentsNew York Times Obama Congratulates Bin Laden Commando Assault Team for a 'Job Well Done'Bloomberg Obama meets assault team that killed Bin LadenLos Angeles Times Washington Post -Fox News -Wall Street Journal all 88,601 news articles »

Countdowntoarmageddon Bellevue : Ground Zero Teens Center on 2011-05-14

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Pres. Obama honors forces involved in bin Laden operation NECN (NECN: Alysha Palumbo) - "The terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again," said President Barack Obama. A public pep rally of sorts after a private meeting with the Navy SEALS and special ops "Night Stalkers" who ... Treating with terroristsTrinidad & Tobago Express President Obama Visits Ground Zero, Bed-Stuy Residents Show SupportPatch.com Friday File: GOP Presidential Candidates Bash ObamaCouncil on Foreign Relations (blog) WBEZ -PNW Local News -Forbes (blog) all 10,044 news articles »

3:23 P.M. CDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Hey, it’s good to be back with you all. I’ll tell you what.  I want to thank General Colt for accompanying me up here.  I get the honor of introducing the General.

I was back here on February 11th, to welcome home members of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan -- 155 of you got off that plane in the middle of the night, and the only thing that was more exciting than seeing you getting off is watching your families watch you all get off.  So it’s an honor to be back here so soon.

I know many of you have just gotten home in the past few weeks -- so welcome home.  And I know from experience that your families want more than anything to spend time with you.  And so, every time I show up at a welcome home ceremony, I’m always worried about getting in the way.  Because I remember when my son came back home from Iraq after a year, there were all these ceremonies.  And I kept saying, hell, man, stop, I want to see my kid.  (Laughter.)

So, anyway, I get it.  So let me just say how much gratitude the President and I have, and all Americans do, for you all.  You guys have been in the fight from the beginning.  And the risk you’ve taken, the incredible sacrifices you’ve made, the comrades you’ve lost, the losses you’ve personally endured -- you’ve been in some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world.

I’ve been there a number of times, back up those damn mountains.  I’d get a helicopter to go down 9,800 feet, and all I got on is a vest -- a bulletproof vest and a helmet and I’m out of breath climbing up about 40 clicks -- 40 feet.  And you guys are up there, 60 to 80-pound packs running around.  God, you’re amazing.  You just are amazing.  I’m in awe of the job you do, in awe of the job you do.  (Applause.)

As I said back in February, I want to also thank your families.  They made sacrifices as well, those intangible sacrifices -- those missed births and those missed birthdays, those missed graduations, those missed -- an occasional funeral. Perhaps more than anything else, just being missed, just not having you home.

The famous poet -- there was a famous poet I like to quote, John Milton, who said, “They also serve who only stand and wait.” Your families serve as well.  And the rest of America owes your families a debt of gratitude as well.  (Applause.)  And so, to all the families that are listening, I want to say their service is as real as yours and it’s as appreciated.

To the soldiers here, you are the most capable warriors.  Let me say this without any fear of contradiction, you’re the most capable warriors in the history of the world.  There has never, never, never, never been a fighting force as capable as you are.

It’s my job today and my honor to talk a little bit about the man that I get to work with every day.  We’ve just got to spend time with the assaulters who got bin Laden.  (Applause.)

By the way, I shouldn’t say this, but I’m going to tell you anyway -- the President is going to be mad I’m taking so long -- (laughter) -- but today was “Grandfather’s Day,” so I went by earlier this morning before I came out here to my granddaughter’s little spring play.  And after it’s all over she said, “Pop, come back to my classroom with me.”  I said, “I can’t, honey.”  She said, “Are you going someplace on Air Force Two?”  I said, “Yeah, I am, babe.”  She said, “Where are you going?”  I said, going to -- true story -- I said, “I’m going to Fort Campbell.”  I said, “We’re going to see the guys out there who got Osama bin Laden.” Absolutely true story.  She said, “Pop!” and then she grabbed a little friend of hers and she said,  “My Pop is going out to see the whales.”  (Laughter.)  Not the SEALs, the whales  (Laughter.) Because if they’re that good they got to be big, man.  They got to be big.  (Laughter.)  Well, you guys are the gorillas, I’ll tell you.

I want to tell you, look, I’ve watched -- I’ve been around a while with eight Presidents, so I’ve watched Presidents make some difficult decisions.  They’ve all had to make difficult decisions.  But sitting in every meeting getting ready and planning for this mission and assault, for the mission to get bin Laden, I saw something extraordinary.  I saw a President who was told the odds -- told the odds weren’t but much more than 50/50 that he’d be there and we could do this, but they were considerably less than 100 percent.

And I, along with the all the rest of his national security team and Secretary of Defense, stayed -- everyone else, we sat around there and he asked our advice and we gave him our advice, and we told him told him a little this and that.  And finally, he just looked at all of us and said, I got faith in the -- I got faith in these guys.

He walked off on his own without anybody giving him any guarantees at all and he decided -- because he believed in not only the SEALs, but believes in all of you.  He has absolute total faith in all of you.  And he made that determination, and it was an amazing thing to watch.  But it was because he had the absolute confidence that you were there.

And so he decided, when he got into office, because of the fight you all were in from the beginning, that the number one priority was to get Osama bin Laden.  And he knew the risks, he knew there were significant risks, and more importantly, special operations risks to the people who were risking their lives getting there.  But he didn’t hesitate, nor did your guys.

Bob Gates said something interesting.  I’ve known Bob for a long time.  He said, it was one of the gutsiest decisions I’ve ever seen made and one of the gutsiest raids.  This is going to go down in history, what happened.  This is going to go down in history.

And here to introduce your Commander-in-Chief, the guy that I’m proud to serve with, is one of the country’s leading warriors himself, Deputy Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division, General Jeffrey Colt.  Ladies and gentlemen, General Colt.  (Applause.)

GENERAL COLT:  Thank you, sir.

I can only try to tell you today just how proud of you that this Division and this local community are.  But more importantly, today, you’re going to get to hear from the Commander-in-Chief just how appreciative he is of all of your service and your sacrifices.

Please join me in this great privilege of welcoming the President of the United States, Barack Obama.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Fort Campbell!  (Applause.)  101st Airborne Division—Air Assault, hello!  (Applause.)

General Colt, thank you for that great introduction -- it was great because it was brief.  (Laughter.)  More importantly, thank you for the extraordinary leadership that you’ve shown here at one of the largest Army bases in America.  (Applause.)

And let me just say, I make a lot of decisions; one of the earliest and best decisions I made was choosing one of the finest Vice Presidents in our history -- Joe Biden, right here.  (Applause.)

Chaplain Miller, thank you for the beautiful invocation.

I want to thank General Colt for welcoming me here today, along with your great Command Sergeant Major, Wayne St. Louis.  (Applause.)  The Quartet and 101st Division Band.  (Applause.)  All these troopers behind me —- you look great.  (Applause.)  You noticed they kind of hesitated.  (Laughter.)  

We got a lot of folks in the house.  We’ve got military police and medical personnel.  We’ve got the Green Berets of the 5th Special Forces Group.  I think we’ve got a few Air Force here.  Ohh -- (laughter.)  Well, we thought we did.  There they go -- okay.  Come on.  (Applause.)  And, of course, the legendary Screaming Eagles.  (Applause.)  And although they’re not in the audience, I want to acknowledge the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment —- the Night Stalkers -— for their extraordinary service.  (Applause.)

Now, I’ve got to say, some of you are starting to look a little familiar -- because last December, when we were at Bagram, I was out there to thank you for your service, especially during the holidays.  And we had a great rally, a big crowd -- it seemed like everybody was there from the 101st.

And since then, I know we’ve had quite a few homecomings.  The Rakkasans.  (Applause.)  Destiny.  (Applause.)  Strike.  (Applause.)  Bastogne.  (Applause.)  And some of the Division Headquarters —- the Gladiators.  (Applause.)  On behalf of a grateful nation —- welcome home.  (Applause.)   

Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with General Campbell, Command Sergeant Major Schroeder, and all of the Screaming Eagles and troops that are still risking their lives in theater.  And I’m so pleased that Ann Campbell and Marla Schroeder, and some of the inspiring military spouses are here.  Where are they at?  Right over there.  (Applause.)  We are grateful to you.  God bless you.  There they are.  Thank you so much.  (Applause.)  This happens to be Military Spouse Appreciation Day.  (Applause.)  And we honor your service as well.

Now, I didn’t come here to make a really long speech.  I know you're hearing that.  (Laughter.)  It’s like, yeah, it’s hot!  (Laughter.)  What I really wanted to do was come down and shake some hands.  I came here for a simple reason —- to say thank you on behalf of America.  This has been an historic week in the life of our nation.  (Applause.)  Thanks to the incredible skill and courage of countless individuals -— intelligence, military —- over many years, the terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again.  (Applause.)

Yesterday, I traveled to New York City, and, along with some of our 9/11 families, laid a wreath at Ground Zero in memory of their loved ones.  I met with the first responders —- the firefighters, the police officers, the Port Authority officers —- who lost so many of their own when they rushed into those burning towers.  I promised that our nation will never forget those we lost that dark September day.   

And today, here at Fort Campbell, I had the privilege of meeting the extraordinary Special Ops folks who honored that promise.  It was a chance for me to say —- on behalf of all Americans and people around the world —- “Job well done.”  Job well done.  (Applause.)

They’re America’s “quiet professionals” -- because success demands secrecy.  But I will say this.  Like all of you, they could have chosen a life of ease.  But like you, they volunteered.  They chose to serve in a time of war, knowing they could be sent into harm’s way.  They trained for years.  They’re battle-hardened.  They practiced tirelessly for this mission.  And when I gave the order, they were ready.

Now, in recent days, the whole world has learned just how ready they were.  These Americans deserve credit for one of the greatest intelligence military operations in our nation’s history.  But so does every person who wears America’s uniform, the finest military the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  And that includes all of you men and women of 101st.  (Applause.)

You have been on the frontlines of this fight for nearly 10 years.  You were there in those early days, driving the Taliban from power, pushing al Qaeda out of its safe havens.  Over time, as the insurgency grew, you went back for, in some cases, a second time, a third time, a fourth time.

When the decision was made to go into Iraq, you were there, too, making the longest air assault in history, defeating a vicious insurgency, ultimately giving Iraqis the chance to secure their democracy.  And you’ve been at the forefront of our new strategy in Afghanistan.

Sending you -- more of you -- into harm’s way is the toughest decision that I’ve made as Commander-in-Chief.  I don’t make it lightly.  Every time I visit Walter Reed, every time I visit Bethesda, I’m reminded of the wages of war.  But I made that decision because I know that this mission was vital to the security of the nation that we all love.

And I know it hasn’t been easy for you and it hasn’t, certainly, been easy for your families.  Since 9/11, no base has deployed more often, and few bases have sacrificed more than you.  We see it in our heroic wounded warriors, fighting every day to recover, and who deserve the absolute best care in the world.  (Applause.)  We see it in the mental and emotional toll that’s been taken -- in some cases, some good people, good soldiers who’ve taken their own lives.  So we’re going to keep saying to anybody who is hurting out there, don’t give up.  You’re not alone.  Your country needs you.  We’re here for you to keep you strong.

And most of all, we see the price of this war in the 125 soldiers from Fort Campbell who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment to Afghanistan.  And every memorial ceremony —- every “Eagle Remembrance” —- is a solemn reminder of the heavy burdens of war, but also the values of loyalty and duty and honor that have defined your lives.

So here’s what each of you must know.  Because of your service, because of your sacrifices, we’re making progress in Afghanistan.  In some of the toughest parts of the country, General Campbell and the 101st are taking insurgents and their leaders off the battlefield and helping Afghans reclaim their communities.

Across Afghanistan, we’ve broken the Taliban’s momentum.  In key regions, we’ve seized the momentum, pushing them out of their strongholds.  We’re building the capacity of Afghans, partnering with communities and police and security forces, which are growing stronger.

And most of all, we’re making progress in our major goal, our central goal in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and that is disrupting and dismantling -- and we are going to ultimately defeat al Qaeda.  (Applause.)  We have cut off their head and we will ultimately defeat them.  (Applause.)

Even before this week’s operation, we’ve put al Qaeda’s leadership under more pressure than at any time since 9/11, on both sides of the border.  So the bottom line is this:  Our strategy is working, and there’s no greater evidence of that than justice finally being delivered to Osama bin Laden.  (Applause.)

But I don’t want to fool you.  This continues to be a very tough fight.  You know that.  But because of this progress, we’re moving into a new phase.  In the coming months, we’ll start transferring responsibility for security to Afghan forces. Starting this summer, we’ll begin reducing American forces.  As we transition, we’ll build a long-term partnership with the Afghan people, so that al Qaeda can never again threaten America from that country.

And, as your Commander-in-Chief, I’m confident that we’re going to succeed in this mission.  The reason I’m confident is because in you I see the strength of America’s military -- (applause) -- and because in recent days we’ve all seen the resilience of the American spirit.

Now, this week I received a letter from a girl in New Jersey named Payton Wall.  She wrote to me on Monday after the news that bin Laden had been killed, and she explained how she still remembers that September morning almost 10 years ago.  She was only four years old.  Her father, Glen, was trapped inside the World Trade Center.  And so, in those final, frantic moments, knowing he might not make it, he called home.  And Payton remembers watching her mom sobbing as she spoke to her husband and then passed the phone to Payton.  And in words that were hard to hear but which she’s never forgotten, he said to her, “I love you Payton, and I will always be watching over you.”     

So yesterday, Payton, her mom, and her sister, Avery, joined me at Ground Zero.  And now Payton is 14.  These past 10 years have been tough for her.  In her letter, she said, “Ever since my father died, I lost a part of me that can never be replaced.”  And she describes her childhood as a “little girl struggling to shine through all the darkness in her life.”

But every year, more and more, Payton is shining through.  She’s playing a lot of sports, including lacrosse and track, just like her dad.  She’s doing well in school.  She’s mentoring younger students.  She’s looking ahead to high school in the fall.  And so, yesterday she was with us —- a strong, confident young woman -— honoring her father’s memory, even as she set her sights on the future.

And for her and for all of us, this week has been a reminder of what we’re about as a people.  It’s easy to forget sometimes, especially in times of hardship, times of uncertainty.  We’re coming out of the worst recession since the Great Depression; haven’t fully recovered from that.  We’ve made enormous sacrifices in two wars.  But the essence of America -- the values that have defined us for more than 200 years -- they don’t just endure; they are stronger than ever.

We’re still the America that does the hard things, that does the great things.  We’re the nation that always dared to dream.  We’re the nation that’s willing to take risks -- revolutionaries breaking free from an empire; pioneers heading West to settle new frontiers; innovators building railways and laying the highways and putting a man on the surface of the moon.

We are the nation -- and you’re the Division -- that parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day, freeing a continent, liberating concentration camps.  We’re the nation that, all those years ago, sent your Division to a high school in Arkansas so that nine black students could get an education.  That was you.  Because we believed that all men are created equal; that everyone deserves a chance to realize their God-given potential.

We’re the nation that has faced tough times before -- tougher times than these.  But when our Union frayed, when the Depression came, when our harbor was bombed, when our country was attacked on that September day, when disaster strikes like that tornado that just ripped through this region, we do not falter.  We don’t turn back.  We pick ourselves up and we get on with the hard task of keeping our country strong and safe.

See, there’s nothing we can’t do together, 101st, when we remember who we are, at that is the United States of America.  (Applause.)  When we remember that, no problem is too hard and no challenge is too great.

And that is why I am so confident that, with your brave service, America’s greatest days are still to come.  (Applause.)

God bless you.  God bless the 101st.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END
3:47 P.M. CDT

I membri del commando che nella notte tra domenica e lunedi hanno partecipato al raid in cui è stato ucciso Osama bin Laden sono stati decorati dal presidente americano Barack Obama....

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - President Barack Obama on Friday privately thanked some of the special military operators who killed Osama bin Laden and later told an enthusiastic crowd of more than 2,000 soldiers that America ultimately will defeat al-Qaida.

President Barack Obama waves as he leaves John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Thursday, May 5, 2011, after visiting Ground Zero.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — President Obama met Friday with some of the Navy SEALs who raided Osama bin Laden’s compound and killed him, part of a day of events marking bin Laden’s death that was far more celebratory than was Obama’s solemn appearance a day earlier at Ground Zero.

In private meetings at this Army base, Obama and Vice President Biden congratulated members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6 and units that supported their mission, presenting them with the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest award for a military unit, a senior White House official said.

Read full article >>

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - President Barack Obama on Friday privately thanked some of the special military operators who killed Osama bin Laden and later told an enthusiastic crowd of more than 2,000 soldiers that America ultimately will defeat al-Qaida.

President Barack Obama waves as he leaves John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Thursday, May 5, 2011, after visiting Ground Zero.

NEW YORK—US President Barack Obama solemnly honored victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on Thursday and declared that the killing of Osama bin Laden was an American message to the world: “When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say.”

"One minute to air and they decided to take the flag down from the live shot!" ABC News reporter Jake Tapper tweeted yesterday from Ground Zero, along with the image to the right. It was just afte...

After initial elation, disillusion has set in at Fox News: O'Reilly is angry that Obama, not waterboarding, is getting all the credit

The euphoria surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden is quickly fading as Fox news hosts realise that it may not be the game-changer they wished for.

Bill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly, a longtime advocate of harsh interrogation methods, is growing increasingly frustrated with the Obama administration's reluctance to acknowledge what he has decided was the vital role that "coerced interrogation" played in locating Osama bin Laden (view clip). Even worse, he believes this reluctance stems from the left's inability to separate ideology from truth, so he vows to "stick to the facts" to make his case for the need to use techniques like waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation measures.

Last night, on the [O'Reilly] Factor, we told you the truth that coerced interrogation – most likely, waterboarding – gave the CIA the first clue that led to Osama bin Laden's death. That is the truth. Yet, many on the left in America will not acknowledge it.

He was alluding to an argument he had the previous evening with left-leaning commentator Alan Colmes, who pointed out that even former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that the courier source was not waterboarded or subjected to harsh treatment. The exact text of Rumsfeld's statement, according to Newsmax.tv, was as follows:

"The United States department of defence did not do waterboarding for interrogation purposes to anyone. It is true that some information that came from normal interrogation approaches at Guantánamo did lead to information that was beneficial in this instance. But it was not harsh treatment and it was not waterboarding."

But O'Reilly insisted that he was unprepared to accept any secondhand account of what the former defence secretary may or may not have said, and would question Rumsfeld himself before deciding what to believe. Before talking to Rumsfeld, O'Reilly pointed out that even CIA chief Leon Panetta has said that some valuable information may have been derived using harsh interrogation methods, but Panetta also upset the beleaguered host by adding that the question remains open as to whether or not those approaches were necessary. O'Reilly cut Panetta some slack, however, as he understands that he has to pander to his boss.

Because Mr Panetta works for President Obama, he has to say that. He has to hedge a bit. We don't know exactly how much information we might have got, could have, maybe, had we not dunked the guys in the water, the three guys. OK, I understand the game. I understand Mr Panetta's position, but again the truth is that enhanced interrogation does lead to life-saving information, despite what has been said!

To prove this "truth" that O'Reilly is already sure of, he interviewed Donald Rumsfeld and asked him to explain what he meant when he said that harsh treatment and waterboarding did not lead to beneficial information. Rumsfeld did his best to clarify his position by saying that his remarks had been taken out of context and that all he meant was that no one had been waterboarded at Guantánamo Bay, and that the three people who had been waterboarded (elsewhere presumably) were waterboarded by the CIA and not the military.

Although this response doesn't seem to shed much light on his prior statement, or offer unequivocal proof that waterboarding and so on works, it seemed to suffice for O'Reilly. Rumsfeld took a little detour, then, to make the much-debated point that waterboarding was not torture anyway, but O'Reilly, who was apparently satisfied that the truth had now been established, soon ended the segment.

Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity is growing increasingly disenchanted with the Obama administration for their reluctance to release Bin Laden's death pictures and their seeming inability to get their story straight (view clip). He discusses these issues with political commentator and former marine, Colonel Oliver North.

Look, I don't know how much, I don't care … we got Bin Laden – that, to me, is important. But they did say he was hiding behind a woman. They did say he was reaching for weapons. They did say they were being fired upon. All these things now have shifted and changed and I'm having a hard time understanding.

The colonel understood Hannity's frustration but explained that there are a "lot of filters" between the people who carry out these operations and the people who end up talking about them And as someone who has actually participated in these sorts of missions, North was able to sympathise with those involved. The Navy Seals were naturally more focused on getting their man and getting out alive than making an accurate transcription of the events as they unfolded in order to satisfy the relentless demands of the 24-hour news cycle. He also made the point that in these high-pressure situations, different people see things differently, which might account for some of the subsequent confusion over details. Hannity didn't seem inclined to disagree with a Marine over this and turned to the photo dilemma instead.

We're looking at these photos that Reuters had tonight. Yes, they're gruesome. We warned children not to watch them. A lot of blood, it's gory. I know he was shot in the head, but the rationale is what bothers me the most, Colonel, and the rationale seems to be that by releasing this photo, we will incite people that already hate us – and we put a bullet in the guy's brain. I think they already hate us!

Once again, North surprised Hannity by taking the administration's part in the argument. He explained that while the administration has a penchant for political correctness, they were wise to try to avoid inflaming al-Qaida extremists by flaunting gruesome pictures of their slain leader. Also, he didn't think it wise to release anything to the public that could possibly some day be used as evidence against one of the Navy Seals in an international criminal court. Hannity took his point, but still insisted that the world needed to see those photos and that the administration had gone overboard with their hyper-sensitivity. 

When you look at the burial on a warship, where they say he's not a Muslim but he gets, you know, Islamic custom – buried within 24 hours – dumped at sea after his body is washed; he's put in a shroud; 45-minute funeral, translated into Arabic … seems overboard to me.

These politically correct gestures seemed overboard to North also, and finally the two men found some common ground.

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck had exhausted his celebratory mood over the death of Bin Laden by Wednesday, probably after overdoing it earlier in the week with marching bands and cookie parties (view clip and transcript). He didn't want to hear any more about death photos or about what he termed President Obama's "victory lap" of Ground Zero. Not for the first time, Beck felt himself to be the lone voice of reason, who recognised that there are far more important things to be talking about, such as America having lost her way in the world and, by now, most of her friends.

He went through a list of countries like Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and Israel that he feels were once our friends, but have now fallen into the undecided camp, at best. Japan would probably still be our friend, but since the nuclear thing, there's really nothing left of them. Brazil looks at us like a client. Canada can probably still be counted on, particularly now that they have elected a conservative government, but they're not exactly known for their "fighting prowess". Even England, with whom we have enjoyed such a "special relationship" in the past, may be reconsidering us.

England: things have been a little strained, you know, since we sent the bust of Winston Churchill back and gave the queen an iPod of his best speeches, but they're basically toast. They're still our ally, but, I mean, anybody who watched the royal wedding of – I don't know, Kate and Leopold – they were, they were walking down and somebody on TV said that could be the next king, and I thought, "yes, if there is another king."

Worst of all, the only person who can make the public aware of our impending doom is being slowly driven off the airwaves.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — Brimming with pride, President Obama on Friday met and honored the U.S. commandos he sent after terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, saluting them on behalf of America and the world and capping an extraordinary week for the country. “Job well done,” the President declared.Mr. Obama addressed roughly 2,000 troops after meeting privately with the full assault team — Army helicopter pilots and Navy SEAL commandos — who executed the dangerous raid on bin Laden’s compound and killed the al-Qaida leader in Pakistan early Monday. Their identities are kept secret.Speaking to a sweltering hangar full of cheering soldiers, Mr. Obama said: “The terrorist leader that struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again.”Al-Qaeda will be defeated, he promised from this Army post, whose troops have sustained heavy losses in an Afghanistan war that has grown on his watch.Fresh warnings emerged, though, underscoring Mr. Obama’s caution that the fight against terrorists still rages.The Afghan Taliban said the death of bin Laden would only boost morale of insurgents battling the United States and its NATO allies. Al-Qaeda itself vowed revenged, confirming bin Laden’s death for the first time but saying that Americans’ “happiness will turn to sadness.”Soldiers at Fort Campbell were careful not to celebrate bin Laden’s death, voicing instead a sense of professional pride for the work of the commandos.“We’re not done,” said Major Luis Ortiz, who was at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan when Mr. Obama visited the troops there last December. “We cut off the head of the snake, but the snake is still wiggling around.”Mr. Obama called the bin Laden raid one of the most successful intelligence and military operations in America’s history, and said he had to come to extend personal thanks. Vice President Joe Biden joined Mr. Obama in a briefing with the mission members and then emerged to put it bluntly: “We just got to spend time with the assaulters who got bin Laden.”Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with members of the bin Laden mission team a day earlier to express his admiration and appreciation, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.Mr. Obama’s appearance at Fort Campbell culminated a week-long response to the demise of the long-hunted al-Qaeda leader, from the White House to Ground Zero in New York to Fort Campbell, home of the famous 101st Airborne Division. The division has been integral to Mr. Obama’s war plan in Afghanistan, and many of its combat teams have returned recently from tours of duty.The week gave a political and emotional lift to the president; in turn, he called for the unity that has eluded him in divisive Washington for most of his term.“This week has been a reminder of what we’re about as a people,” the President said. “The essence of America, the values that have defined us for more than 200 years, they don’t just endure — they’re stronger than ever.”With his comments here, Mr. Obama offered a counterpoint to a growing cry within his party and even among some Republicans that the time has come to withdraw from Afghanistan. Mr. Obama will start drawing troops home as promised this summer but has signaled no change in mission.The day also illustrated Mr. Obama’s governing life as it has been and as it is likely to be going ahead.A favorable jobs report still showed the challenges he faces sustaining an economic recovery. And his address at an Indianapolis transmission plant — before he flew to Fort Campbell — aimed to promote his energy policy just as high gas prices, as the pPesident put it to workers, “have been eating away at your paychecks.”At Fort Campbell, the President and Vice President first met with the men who raided the compound itself, probably including those who killed bin Laden.Mr. Obama was then briefed on how the operation was carried out, by those who coordinated the attack from command centers in Afghanistan, and in other undisclosed parts of the region.That team was headed by Vice Admiral William McRaven, a Navy SEAL himself and head of the military’s elite counterterrorism unit, the Joint Special Operations Command.Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden then met with the entire SEAL team unit that carried out the raid — both the two dozen troops who stormed the compound, and roughly the same number who circled above as backup, in case the SEALs on the ground met overwhelming force.The President also met with the air crews from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers, who flew the SEALs to the mission, as well as Green Berets from the 5th Special Forces Group.It’s not known whether the Green Berets were involved in the bin Laden mission, but the 5th Special Forces Group gave rise to the Horse Soldiers, who first invaded Afghanistan right after 9/11.The President awarded the units involved in the raid a Presidential Unit Citation — the highest such honor that can be given to a unit — in recognition of their extraordinary service and achievement.

A lot of people do a lot of weird stuff on the internet, and ground zero for commercial e-weirdness is Craigslist. In Declassified, Torontoist combs over our city’s listings to find the best (and worst) of the bunch. [ more › ]

Hard to conclude anything else: Hours after President Obama left ground zero yesterday, ABC News’ Jake Tapper tweeted a photo of an American flag being removed from a building there. “One minute to air and they decided to take the flag down from the live shot!” he wrote, referring to the live shot he was [...]

The killing of Osama bin Laden has created a series of dilemmas for the left. My colleagues have detailed the debt owed the Bush Administration which the current administration juvenilely and churlishly refuses to acknowledge ( here | here). And many on my side are willing “to give the president credit” for doing his duty. According to reports bin Laden’s location has been known to the administration since March with the same degree of certainty that existed on May 1, so I fail to see what credit is really due unless we are saying that indecisiveness is a virtue.

Bin Laden’s death will eventually be seen as the unofficial end of the US assault on al Qaeda. We will leave a war not won and forsake a victory that would make the world a safer place simply because Barack Obama doesn’t have the guts to prevail. What is worse, he wants to give the impression of being serious.

Intelligence is the key tool in fighting any war. Technical means are valuable but the only way you can obtain insights into the enemy’s operations and intentions is through prisoners.

Taking prisoners and getting intelligence from them carries with it three implications: 1) you have a place to keep them, 2) you have a means to extract the information from them in a timely fashion, and 3) you have a plan for what to do with the prisoners when their intelligence value is exhausted.

Even though Obama has backed off his efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo this does not mean he is supportive of its presence. In fact, the easy way to close the prison is to simply stop adding new prisoners while releasing those prisoners held. If you aren’t going to vigorously interrogate the prisoners, because as Leon Panetta reminds us waterboarding does work, why bother taking them in the first place. Lest anyone think this administration will relent on an policy that succeeded in keeping us safe you need look no further than this exchange at Ground Zero between Obama and a member of the 9/11 families group, Debra Burlingame

If you don’t want to watch the video, this is the story:

When the president approached her table, Burlingame said she told him that as a former attorney she knows he can’t tell the attorney general what to do – an assessment the president agreed with, she said.

“And I said, but that shouldn’t stop you from offering your opinion. After all, we wouldn’t be here celebrating today if they hadn’t done their job,” she said. “And they have the hammer of a possible indictment over their heads. Can’t you at least give him your opinion?”

The president replied that he wouldn’t, she said. She added, “And he turned around and walked away.”

As Jennifer Rubin notes

In addition to eliminating the very techniques that allowed us to track down and kill bin Laden, Obama has permitted the Justice Departmentto reopen investigation of previously cleared CIA operatives. Muskaey explains: “ I say ‘reopening’ advisedly because those investigations had all been formally closed by the end of 2007, with detailed memoranda prepared by career Justice Department prosecutors explaining why no charges were warranted. Attorney General Eric Holder conceded that he had ordered the investigations reopened in September 2009 without reading those memoranda. The investigations have now dragged on for years with prosecutors chasing allegations down rabbit holes, with the CIA along with the rest of the intelligence community left demoralized.”

Having a animus against both holding and interrogating prisoners, the administration has developed a novel means of reducing prisoner intake while giving the illusion of actively pursuing al Qaeda. We have simply started killing people who we should be taking prisoner. First, let me say that I do not fault the SEALs for killing Osama bin Laden. In my view he falls into a unique category of prisoner whose continued presence would cause problems far beyond the value of any intelligence he could provide.

According to the Washington Post:

When a window of opportunity opened to strike the leader of al-Qaeda in East Africa last September, U.S. Special Operations forces prepared several options. They could obliterate his vehicle with an airstrike as he drove through southern Somalia. Or they could fire from helicopters that could land at the scene to confirm the kill. Or they could try to take him alive.

The White House authorized the second option. On the morning of Sept. 14, helicopters flying from a U.S. ship off the Somali coast blew up a car carrying Saleh Ali Nabhan. While several hovered overhead, one set down long enough for troops to scoop up enough of the remains for DNA verification. Moments later, the helicopters were headed back to the ship.

The strike was considered a major success, according to senior administration and military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the classified operation and other sensitive matters. But the opportunity to interrogate one of the most wanted U.S. terrorism targets was gone forever.

The Nabhan decision was one of a number of similar choices the administration has faced over the past year as President Obama has escalated U.S. attacks on the leadership of al-Qaeda and its allies around the globe. The result has been dozens of targeted killings and no reports of high-value detentions.

To say the least, this is not a man who has learned anything about fighting the War on Terror from the death of bin Laden, rather he sees the death of bin Laden as nothing more or less than a monkey that is no longer on his back and it gives him good reason to declare victory both in Afghanistan and in the War on Terror in general.

Our ability to kill or capture terrorists, roll up their networks, and interfere with their operations is being degraded by the lack of fresh information while the administration continues to act like a tee ball team, all the while talking about its “gutsy call.”

And that's not even mentioning the deaths we're inflicting on the civilian population:

WASHINGTON -- White House Press Secretary Jay Carney reiterated on Thursday that the killing of Osama bin Laden would not alter the president’s policy with respect to the war in Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters en route to the president’s Ground Zero visit, Carney said that strategy regarding the Afghan war “remains unchanged.”

“In many ways,” he elaborated, “while the mission against bin Laden was a singular event, it was part of a general intensification of our focus on the AfPak region, on the need to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda, which was the primary goal of the president’s policy in the AfPak region, and it was reflective of a general success that we've been having in taking out al Qaeda members and terrorists in the region.”

"Success"? An economic black hole that's crippling our economy in a country called "the graveyard of empires" is a success? "Taking out" al Qaeda members and terrorists? Come on, Mr. President, it's time to get the hell out of there. Stop channeling Richard Nixon.

The public line is at odds with several reports that have surfaced in the immediate aftermath of bin Laden’s death in Pakistan. The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran, one of the most respected reporters on the beat, wrote on Tuesday evening that the Obama administration was “seeking to use the killing of Osama bin Laden to accelerate a negotiated settlement with the Taliban and hasten the end of the Afghanistan war.”

Several anti-war lawmakers, meanwhile, have heightened their calls for a more precipitous withdrawal of troops -- the process of which is set to begin in July 2011. At least one aide to an on-the-fence congressmember said that bin Laden’s death would encourage his boss to at least re-think his position. Another, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), has acknowledged that he is readjusting his position.

The death of bin Laden would, indeed, seem like an opportune break point at which the Obama administration could make major readjustments in its AfPak strategy without eliciting domestic criticism. A drawdown of forces would be a logical option. So too would be readjusting budget priorities to reflect the growth of al Qaeda’s presence in Pakistan.

On Sunday, President Obama oversaw the only thing conservatives ever wanted to happen in the world: the death of Osama bin Laden. But accepting that the commander in chief of our nation’s military could have a hand in this has threatened some major cognitive dissonance on the right, because doesn’t that guy seem a little [...]

It’s been an emotional week since the dramatic US operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. On Thursday (May 5), President Obama laid a wreath at Ground Zero. He met with loved ones of some of those killed on 9-11 and told them he hoped bin Laden’s death brought them a small measure of [...]

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) - Behind closed doors, President Barack Obama was bringing his personal thanks Friday to some of the secretive special operations forces who stormed Osama bin Laden's compound.

The president was meeting with some of the Navy SEALS who carried out the operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and the elite helicopter crews who flew them in. He was then to speak to troops recently back from Afghanistan, where the fighting and search for an endgame continues despite the death of the terrorist who masterminded the killing of nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hundreds of soldiers clad in fatigues milled about in front of an enormous American flag as they waited in a hangar for Obama to arrive. The mood looked celebratory as troops wearing combat boots broke out occasional dance moves. But Obama has said there's no need to "spike the ball" and revel in bin Laden's death, and presidential spokesman Jay Carney said his comments would reflect that attitude.

"I don't expect you'll hear the president spiking the ball and gloating when he speaks to troops returning from Afghanistan," Carney told reporters traveling with the president Friday on Air Force One. "The point he will make is that while the successful mission against Osama bin Laden was an historic and singular event, it doesn't by any means mean that we are finished with the war against al-Qaida. The fight goes on."

That was underscored by a new al-Qaida statement released Friday that threatened retaliation for bin Laden's death and said that Americans' "happiness will turn to sadness." Its authenticity could not be independently confirmed.

"We are aware of it. We've seen the reports," Carney said. "What it does obviously is acknowledge the obvious, which is that Osama bin Laden was killed on Sunday night by U.S. forces. ... We're quite aware of the potential for (terrorist) activity and are
highly vigilant on that matter for that reason."

Fort Campbell is home to the famous 101st Airborne Division, and many of its combat teams have returned recently from tours of duty in Afghanistan. But another draw for Obama is the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the highly specialized Army unit that carried Navy SEALs to bin Laden's compound in Pakistan five days ago.

Carney would say only that Obama planned to meet privately with "special operators" involved in the bin Laden raid. But a U.S. official briefed on the trip confirmed that the president would be meeting with some of the SEALs who were on the mission, in addition to the helicopter crew members who flew them there. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

Obama's visit to Fort Campbell, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, comes a day after he traveled to New York to lay a wreath at ground zero and talk with firefighters, police officers and family members of those killed on Sept. 11.

At the same time the president was turning his focus back to the rest of his agenda and the country's struggling economy. Before arriving in Kentucky, Obama visited a plant in Indianapolis that produces transmission systems for hybrid vehicles.

He used the stop to promote his clean-energy agenda and welcome news that the economy added more than 200,000 jobs last month. "We are regaining our footing," Obama said at Allison Transmission.

April's labor market report marked the third straight month in which more than 200,000 jobs were created, the best three-month hiring spree in five years and a sign of increasing confidence in the private sector.

"We've made this progress at a time when our economy's been facing some serious headwinds," the president told workers, citing high gas prices and the earthquake in Japan.

"There will undoubtedly be some more challenges ahead, but the fact is that we are still making progress," he said. "And that proves how resilient the American economy is, and how resilient the American worker is, and that we can take a hit and we can keep on going forward."

by Radar Staff

Take a look at Radar Online’s weekly countdown, The POP TEN: From the church pews to the beach sand, we've got all the best in the week that was in pop culture.

Lorenzo Lamas and Shawna Craig got married in Casa Dorada Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

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And the week’s top in pop was ...

Americans celebrated the capture and killing of terrorist Osama bin Laden at landmarks like the White House and Ground Zero.

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Massachusetts families joined Bay State firefighters in visiting Ground Zero as President Barack Obama honored victims of 9/11 days after the death of Osama bin Laden. [ more › ]

By: David Swerdlick

On a day when President Barack Obama sucked oxygen out of the news cycle with his visit to New York's Ground Zero, when marquee names like Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney were no-shows, and even the Associated Press was boycotting over lack of access for its photographers, the first 2012 GOP presidential primary debate -- hosted by the South Carolina Republican Party -- managed to achieve liftoff as planned.

Described by the Daily Beast's Mark Latimer as "whatever-the-opposite-of-thriller-is," the event was clearly lacking star power. And while Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was the only "mainstream" candidate on the stage, the debate set the tone for the coming debate season -- making clear that Republicans will be going after Obama on any and all issues, including foreign policy, even after this week's killing of Osama bin Laden. Herman Cain -- the only African American in the field -- summed it up, saying, "One good decision doth not a presidency make."

And yes, he did say "doth."

Cain offered up mostly standard talking points, but unlike Ron Paul, who tends to meander, Cain got right to the point with lines like "Government doesn't create jobs; business creates jobs."

So far it appears that Republicans liked what they heard. After the debate ended, an on-air focus group run by Fox News pollster Frank Luntz declared, almost unanimously, that Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO, was the winner. Their reaction: "He's a problem solver. He gives the problem, he gives the solution, and that just seems to be a breath of fresh air for Washington."

Maybe. Here's how the rest of the field stacked up ...

Rick Santorum

If you had to concoct the stereotypical Republican candidate in a science lab, you might come up with Rick Santorum. Known more for his conservative social views than for Tea Party passion on cutting deficits, the former Pennsylvania senator -- complete with a tight smile and Brylcreemed hair -- stood in for the old-school conservative faithful. He vowed to stop health care reform that "takes over people's lives," and won applause when he said that on issues like gay marriage and the right to choose -- he's against both -- "If we abandon that, we have given up on America."

Gary Johnson

A former New Mexico governor, Johnson, who freely acknowledges marijuana use, was there for the "legalize it" wing of the libertarian movement -- and spent his time fending off jokes from Fox News' Bret Baier, at one point complaining that "there's been like nine questions for these guys and none for me" (a not-so-libertarian response to the free marketplace of ideas). He's got no shot in this race but did make Ron Paul -- also a long shot -- look mainstream by comparison.

Ron Paul

As the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential nominee and a 12-term GOP congressman, Paul reps the anti-Fed/anti-interventionist "sound money" and paleocon wings of the libertarian movement. He dutifully bashed deficit spending while defending gay marriage, saying, "I have my standards, but my standards shouldn't be imposed on others." The highlight of his night was when Paul -- an obstetrician in his late 70s -- wound up defending legalized drugs, asking, "How many people would use heroin if it was legal?"

Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty is the only one of the five "plausible" candidates that the Washington Post's George Will gives any chance of getting nominated. He sold himself as the only candidate prepared to make the long slog toward not only getting nominated but also winning the general election. On that score he did pretty well, giving Obama credit for getting bin Laden, then slamming the president on economic policies that he called "disastrous." And Pawlenty hung a lantern on his own Achilles' heel, saying "I made a mistake" for his past support of cap-and-trade legislation -- an issue that's a total loser among national Republicans.

But if he hoped to generate any kind of buzz, he'll have to wait. That's where Cain comes in.

When Fox's Chris Wallace asked Cain -- who has never held public office -- why he thought he had any shot at the nomination, Cain was ready. He calmly noted that the folks currently in charge of government already have experience and then slyly queried, "How's that working out for you?"

It was the line of the night, and though it probably won't take Cain all the way to the nomination, it just might carry him for the rest of the debates.

"Plausible" candidates, beware.

David Swerdlick is a regular contributor to The Root. Follow him on Twitter.

Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

In its account of Osama bin Laden's death, the White House made clumsy errors of fact. But it judged the images just right

Despite the almost universal applause for the mission, the Obama administration has struggled to construct a narrative of exactly what happened on 1 May. Rather than release a picture of Bin Laden, the US government opted for the thousand words – and suffered a thousand cuts in the process.

The basic facts are not in doubt: the team lost one helicopter arriving, but moved swiftly through the compound; there was resistance and shots were fired; in the end, the targets, including Bin Laden and one woman, were killed. But in attempting to shape a narrative around Bin Laden's death, the White House has been forced to amend key details of the mission, from its description of the value of the compound, why a helicopter was damaged, the nature of Bin Laden's resistance, whether he was armed, whether he hid behind his wife and even the length of the firefight.

This confusion is ironic, since the photos the White House did release showed the president and his national security team in the situation room, directly monitoring events in Abbottabad. In theory, the people with the right information to construct the definitive account – the "tick-tock", in Washington parlance – were all connected.

In practice, though, the process is chaotic, bureaucratic and prone to error, and has always been that way. As someone who served as a government spokesman for 30 years and regularly briefed the media about ongoing operations, the first reports almost always include factual errors. Even with the best available technology, there still is a "fog of war". For example, in Afghanistan, the international force has constantly struggled to accurately describe military operations that have involved collateral damage and civilian casualties. Regarding the Bin Laden operation, was the woman killed Bin Laden's wife, the courier's wife or someone else?

Unlike sporting events, there isn't the benefit of slow motion replay to clarify important details. In the real world, those reconstructions can take a day or two to resolve.

But a couple of the misstatements were more interpretive. Early descriptions indicated that Bin Laden's hideout was not a cave, as had long been surmised, but a "million dollar plus compound". It was also first suggested that, when the team spotted Bin Laden, he was using his wife as a "human shield". Beyond just reporting the basic facts for media coverage, government spokespeople were also attempting to undercut Bin Laden's narrative – to show that he and others within al-Qaida were hardly the holy warriors they claimed to be.

The buzz phrase in government today is "strategic communication" – what was, perhaps, once called propaganda. Nothing new here, either. For 45 years, the United States had a specific agency – the United States Information Agency – dedicated to what we now call the war of ideas, promoting western capitalism in order to combat the appeal of the competing narrative, communism. And it worked. At the end of the cold war, just about everyone behind the Iron Curtain wanted to be like us.

In the context of combating violent extremism, it has always been clear that, notwithstanding vital operations like the one that killed Osama bin Laden, the solution to this scourge would be more political than military. Convincing people not to support terrorists is more effective – and more affordable – than having to kill the terrorists.

A successful narrative can shape public opinion and drive at least perceptions of winners and losers. But to truly be effective, words and actions must be consistent. One of the key reasons the public support for the operation in Iraq evaporated was that expectations set before the invasion – this will be a cakewalk, quick and cheap – did not match the images that followed: chaos, violence and, above all, no weapons of mass destruction.

The challenge of constructing a timely and accurate narrative will become steadily more difficult. As we have seen during this amazing Arab Spring, technology will only increase the pace and complexity of unfolding events. Media operating under the demands of a 24/7 news cycle demand quick answers and more details. Governments will struggle to keep pace with dramatic events, and respond accurately and meaningfully, in real time.

Ultimately, while words have meaning, images have impact. The White House got some of its words wrong, but it got the picture right: the president, standing at Ground Zero as gleaming new structures rise from the ashes of 9/11, and not Bin Laden's blood-smeared corpse. The US president's image trumped that of the false prophet, who was buried, unseen, at sea.

Did you hear that Barack Obama demanded a massive American flag be removed from Ground Zero while he was there yesterday? It's not true! At all. More »

From the archives.The weather in New York City was beautiful on Thursday, my sister said. You probab

Politico

Interview with Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani RealClearPolitics He's joining us now from New York. Mr. Mayor, thanks very much for coming in and on this important day. GIULIANI: Thank you, Wolf. BLITZER: Who called you from the White House and invited you to spend the day with the president at Ground Zero, ... Obama in New York: 'We Mean What We Say'The Atlantic Wire Rudy Giuliani on Barack Obama is too gracious to be believedCapital New York all 144 news articles »

It was gracious of Obama to invite Bush to Ground Zero; it was just as gracious for Bush to politely decline.

...reached the point of apathy re: Osama bin Laden news. I'm certainly not arguing that's a good thing, but that's what is.

It's not that I don't think there are important conversations to be had about the assassination of Osama bin Laden (see: Nezua's post), but those conversations largely aren't the ones happening.

I just really can't be arsed to give a shit about what Andrew Breitbart thinks about Hillary Clinton covering her mouth or what the jackasses at Time's 2004 Blog of the Year claim about this execution validating Bush torture policies, and I sure as shit can't bring myself to take seriously a ridiculous debate about how President Obama taking down flags at Ground Zero because he's an illegitimate Muslim or whatthefuckever.

I'm still not sure I know exactly how I feel about the killing of Osama bin Laden, but I am positively certain that the public discourse which followed is an absolute disgrace.

Details: No, President Obama Didn’t Have A Flag Removed From Ground Zero

CBS News

Obama is rude and unresponsive to sister of 9/11 victim Washington Post (blog) 11, is one of the more bracing moments of the week: On a human level, this is a shocking reminder of just how emotionally disconnected and downright rude President Obama can be. Rather than simply saying, “I understand your concern about prosecuting ... Osama Bin Laden death: 9/11 families angry over Obama's Ground Zero ceremonyDaily Mail Obama Rejects Plea From Sister of 9/11 Victim to End to CIA ProbeFox News Enhanced interrogation and bin LadenChicago Tribune all 254 news articles »

Michael Moore describes Bush's seven minute fail pretty accurately in the above video. You've probably heard and seen that Bush didn't show up for the Ground Zero memorial today even after Obama invited him:

The White House says Obama's trip will include a private meeting with family members of 9/11 victims, a meeting with first responders that will be open to some news coverage, and a wreath-laying at the 9/11 memorial. Obama invited former President George W. Bush to accompany him, but Bush declined.

"President Bush will not be in attendance on Thursday," The New York Times quoted his spokesman David Sherzer as saying. "He appreciated the invite, but has chosen in his post-presidency to remain largely out of the spotlight. He continues to celebrate with Americans this important victory in the war on terror."

Bush, whose presidency was defined by the al-Qaida-led Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has largely maintained a low public profile since leaving office.

It's not surprising that Bush wouldn't want to be there since he had a chance to get Bin Laden at Tora Bora, but didn't even though those actions contradicted his bullhorn speech.

Digby writes:

Yes. Actually it's quite easy to picture a petulant and jealous Junior Bush not wanting to be part of a ceremony that highlights his failure to achieve his most cherished desire.
--
Bush froze in the spotlight when told the United States was under attack and that 's the equivalent of deliberate decision making in a military operation. But hey, you can't blame them. When you have to rely on a second grader's interpretation of events you know you're reaching --- that and a bullhorn is all they've got left of their mighty, macho warrior president and it's got to hurt. They really care about that crap.

Fox News and the right-wing propaganda machine have gone to great lengths to try and rehabilitate Bush's image after those seven minutes. Now, the wingnuts are pouncing on a news report out by the New York Daily News' Thomas DeFrank: Little Boy George didn't go today because he had a hissy fit.

Little Green Footballs:

This, of course, is delicious red meat for people like Jim “Dim” Hoft (aka “Gateway Pundit”): Bush Wises Up… Won’t Be Prop For Obama’s Victory Lap | The Gateway Pundit

DERPBush wises up.
President Obama was wrong on waterboarding, renditions, the Iraq War, the Surge, Gitmo, military tribunals, and the Patriot Act. Now he wants to take full credit for getting Osama Bin Laden and wants to use George W. Bush as a prop.
Bush ain’t going for it.

Bush policies kept America safe and led us to Osama Bin Laden. (History.com)

The former president feels Obama is ignoring the Bush Administration’s role in the strike on the Osama Bin Laden compound. He won’t be a prop for Obama at Ground Zero today.

There’s just one teensy problem with this idiots’ narrative.

It’s completely false: Wife: Bush skips 9/11 NY event to keep low profile.

Laura Bush told The Associated Press on Thursday that she and her husband were out to dinner Sunday night when they received word that Obama wanted to speak with him. The former president went home to take the call informing him that U.S. military forces had killed Osama bin Laden in a raid of his compound in Pakistan, Laura Bush said.

The former first lady told the AP that her husband declined an invitation to attend Thursday’s event in New York because “that’s for President Obama to do at this point.”

She said she and her husband both felt great pride for military and intelligence personnel after hearing the news.

“It was risky and it was dangerous for our members of the military,” Laura Bush said at a Dallas elementary school where she announced grants from her foundation for school libraries.

I guess they don't believe the former First Lady.

By Mike Keefe, Cagle Cartoons, The Denver Post

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This is great news: Crude oil prices continued to slide on Friday as dealers awaited a report on the U.S. job picture. But the average price of gas at the pump remained at a painful $3.99 per gallon. —YL

Agence France-Presse:

The plunge in oil prices accelerated on Friday, as dealers became nervous about the release of US jobs data later in the day, analysts said.

Both main global contracts had posted gains in the morning as bargain hunters stepped in following Thursday’s sell-off that saw New York crude dive at its fastest pace in two years.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) light sweet crude for delivery in June, slumped as low as $94.63 in London trade after losing more than eight percent to $99.80 Thursday, the first time it had fallen below $100 since March 16.

Read more

 

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By E.J. Dionne, Jr.

Barack Obama is not the man many Americans thought he was. This sudden realization has transformed American politics.

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Earlier this morning, I tweeted a link to Doug Ross’s post highlighting a seemingly outrageous photo from ABC News White House reporter Jake Tapper showing the American flag being removed from Ground Zero.

Tapper wrote: “One minute to air and they decided to take the flag down from the live shot!”

Many, including me, jumped to the conclusion that the stage managers at the White House had the flag removed.

It’s not true.

As Allahpundit points out, Tapper tweeted the photo at the end of the day yesterday after the Ground Zero event and the flag was visible during the ceremony.

I stand corrected and apologize for the error.

Sydney Morning Herald

Obama marks death of bin Laden with solemn Ground Zero visit Vancouver Sun For such a solemn event at contemporary America's most sacred site, US President Barack Obama's visit to "Ground Zero" of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks Thursday marked for many a simultaneously happy ... Tim Pawlenty: Osama bin Laden hit doesn't equal 2012 reelection for President ...Politico Obama honors Osama bin Laden's 9/11 victims at Ground ZeroDetroit Free Press Obama lays wreath at Ground Zero, says, “We will never forget”The Hindu Huffington Post (blog) -The Guardian -The Associated Press all 5,199 news articles »

Good afternoon. Here’s a glance at opinion content published today in The Journal News: Obama at Ground Zero: Editorial We comment on President Obama’s Thursday visit to Ground Zero, where he honored the victims of the Sept. 11 in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s killing. We write: ... The quiet scene in Lower Manhattan [...]

Sadgiqacea has issued the following announcement about upcoming tour dates alongside Mose Giganticus: "We are honored and pleased to announce a ten day tour with Mose Giganticus. We leave in a week. Thank you for your support." The dates are as follows: May 13 ? JAX Blacksburg VA May 14 ? Ground Zero Spartanburg SC May 15 ? The Get Down ... Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

IdahoStatesman.com

Vancouver Craft Beer Week News1130 VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The Pacific Northwest is ground zero for the craft beer movement and Vancouver has certainly been a big part of that scene. We are celebrating the city's contributions, tapping into Craft Beer Week -- a nine-day festival ... American Craft Beer Week 2011 – Sun King Brewing EventsTheFullPint.com Beer connoisseur? This trip's for youOCRegister Orr: An Idahopalooza of craft beersIdahoStatesman.com Metro Canada - Vancouver -Brand X -SF Weekly (blog) all 7 news articles »

U.S. President Barack Obama made an emotional visit to Ground Zero Thursday to mark the death of Osama bin Laden and pay tribute to his victims. Amid high security on… Read the rest

President Obama made it back from Ground Zero yesterday just in time for a packed White House Cinco de Mayo party. He prepared for the crowd all sorts of Mexico-related jokes, for which the First Lady served as a useful prop at times. Mexican food is Michelle's favorite, Obama said, adding that "you do not want to be between Michelle and a tamale." Not that she's fat or anything, he hastily adds — she exercises, too! Oh, to be a prop wife. More »

United States President Barack Obama put out yet another strong message that Osama Bin Laden’s killing in Pakistan last Sunday was “justice done” to the victims of the 9/11 terro...

The Guardian (blog)

Obama honors Osama bin Laden's 9/11 victims at Ground Zero Detroit Free Press President Barack Obama greets Sept. 11 first responders Thursday at a wreath-laying ceremony at Ground Zero in New York. The somber ceremony was tinged with a sense of victory. / MARIO TAMA/Getty Images BY TODD SPANGLER Obama told officers: "You are ... Economy could drag Obama's poll bumpCBS News Are the Republicans a match for new Action Man Obama?The Guardian Okay, Let's Give Bush the Credit He's DueHuffington Post (blog) Daily News Engine -The Week Magazine -WMUK 102.1 FM all 5,626 news articles »