Every time I listen to the news the death of Bin Ladin story keeps changing. What are the reasons? Should we be concerned about the various versions of information? My concern is the the government is either attempting to be straight forward and forthright or we are looking at amateurs trying to "manage" the news.
One of the most dramatic things that I remember was that the initial reports indicated there was a 40 minute fire fight and that the people in the compound were highly armed. Today we were told that there were several AK47s in a locker in his bedroom as well as a handgun but there was no major exchange. Initially, Obama was armed and now it seems that he was unarmed. First reports said that Osama had hidden behind his wife and now it seems that she jumped in front of him. These discrepancies not only cast questions on the validity of the information but the story itself.
The interesting part is that these reports are coming from the White House. Of course, in the heat of battle there can be various views of the situation and it is usually better to delay the information until the participants can be debriefed. Even though the press might be pressing for details, it is much better to get the story right then to get the story out with incorrect or inaccurate information.
This is where the White House is blowing it. They are consistently changing details and not the minor details of the attack but pretty important details such as a firefight. If they cannot get the big stuff right, how can we depend on anything?
So why are they handling the news this way? My opinion is that either they want to keep us distracted from the real issues or they are totally incompetent. If they can keep details of the killing in the news, the real issues facing the US (unemployment, collapsing home values, high gas prices et. al.) will take a far distant second place. If this scenario is accurate, we will continue to have revisions of the "story" coming out each day for months to come. Each one will change part of the story based on "new" information. By the time we are finished, we will not know what the real story is, which is the ultimate goal.
Whether they are incompetent probably depends upon your political persuasion. Republicans will believe that the Obama Administration is and Democrats will deny it. However, history will be the final judge.
If it is planned or incompetency, our loss will be the TRUTH. I do not know what would be so wrong with taking a few hours or even days to get the story right, letting the world know and only having to correct minor issues that arise later. This is not the situation to which we are now exposed. Daily changes in the story only cause thinking people to start questioning the entire story.
Does the government/Administration think that we are so stupid, so naive that we will believe everything they put out? If so, all the details of the assassination/murder/killing of Osama should be questioned. An inquiry by an independent bi-partisan commission should be created and a report generated.
What is your opinion?
One of the most dramatic things that I remember was that the initial reports indicated there was a 40 minute fire fight and that the people in the compound were highly armed. Today we were told that there were several AK47s in a locker in his bedroom as well as a handgun but there was no major exchange. Initially, Obama was armed and now it seems that he was unarmed. First reports said that Osama had hidden behind his wife and now it seems that she jumped in front of him. These discrepancies not only cast questions on the validity of the information but the story itself.
The interesting part is that these reports are coming from the White House. Of course, in the heat of battle there can be various views of the situation and it is usually better to delay the information until the participants can be debriefed. Even though the press might be pressing for details, it is much better to get the story right then to get the story out with incorrect or inaccurate information.
This is where the White House is blowing it. They are consistently changing details and not the minor details of the attack but pretty important details such as a firefight. If they cannot get the big stuff right, how can we depend on anything?
So why are they handling the news this way? My opinion is that either they want to keep us distracted from the real issues or they are totally incompetent. If they can keep details of the killing in the news, the real issues facing the US (unemployment, collapsing home values, high gas prices et. al.) will take a far distant second place. If this scenario is accurate, we will continue to have revisions of the "story" coming out each day for months to come. Each one will change part of the story based on "new" information. By the time we are finished, we will not know what the real story is, which is the ultimate goal.
Whether they are incompetent probably depends upon your political persuasion. Republicans will believe that the Obama Administration is and Democrats will deny it. However, history will be the final judge.
If it is planned or incompetency, our loss will be the TRUTH. I do not know what would be so wrong with taking a few hours or even days to get the story right, letting the world know and only having to correct minor issues that arise later. This is not the situation to which we are now exposed. Daily changes in the story only cause thinking people to start questioning the entire story.
Does the government/Administration think that we are so stupid, so naive that we will believe everything they put out? If so, all the details of the assassination/murder/killing of Osama should be questioned. An inquiry by an independent bi-partisan commission should be created and a report generated.
What is your opinion?
As with most cover ups, the original story had many holes. It is my believe that the administration went in to assassinate ULB. That order is in direct conflict to Obamas' previous positions contrary to Bush, i.e. interrogations, anti-military tribunals, etc. He has since figured out that the terrorists are really nasty people who only care about their own agenda. Having authorized the mission to kill, the administration was concerned about how the liberals, (Obamas') base, the Pakistani, and the Muslim world would turn against him. It is all part of the ongoing campaigning that has been going on since 2007.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion, so you can dismiss it. Once a few of the Seals retire, we'll get to read the book and see the movie.
MajSteve
As with any significant military operation with the level of planning, execution, and different factions of our government involved as the Bin Laden raid, of course there are going to be initial variances in the recounting of events. More important than the public's need to know precise, totally accurate details from the outset is the fact that The United States accomplished our mission with the valor, expertise, and bravery that only a first-rate military and intelligence community could pull off. No matter what is said of President Obama, he will go down in the history books as the U.S. president who brought Usama Bin laden to justice. His leadership in this long-held priority of our nation is to be commended. There will always be conspiracy theories about hidden motives, perverse alliances, and all the rest. For now, let's just relish in the victory over Al Quaeda and all their supporters who sent shock waves of terror through our nation on 9/11. We are a compassionate people, but we will not stand idly by as those who wish to do us harm plot against us. Thanks to the Obama Administration for remaining firm and persistent in the war against terror.
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