Tonight President Obama gave what willl reportedly be his only interview on Osama bin Laden's death to "60 Minutes." After the first half of the interview, which dealt largely with the feelings surrounding the days leading up to the operation that ended in the killing of America's most infamous enemy, a few probing questions arose.
The first of these questions asked why Obama chose not tell Pakistan about the operation. President Obama answered that secrecy was vital to the success of the mission to which the interviewer responded "So you don't trust them."
Obama was also asked what this means for the United States going forward. His answer was that we are gearing up to take our troops out of Iraq, but our job isn't finished.
Not the most probing interview I've ever seen, possibly because it comes so soon after the operation and becuase even the media recognizes this proud moment for America.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Bin Laden's Dead. Who Wants To See Pics??
There have been many debates surrounding the recent mission resulting in bin Laden's death: Does this mean the U.S. was successful or not? Is it wrong to celebrate the death of a human being, no matter who? Was the mission legal? Is Pakistan our ally or foe? Today a new debate surfaced, this time, about President Obama's decision not to release the pictures of bin Laden's body. CBS discusses both sides of the issue in their article "Many in Congress happy bin laden's photos won't be released".
No doubt the release of the pictures would create a media frenzy, sparking yet another debate often had surrounding war coverage about whether or not images of death and conflict have a desensitizing or a humanizing effect on civilians. Personally, I think the death of bin Laden in and of itself is empowering enough for the American people. As Michigan congressman Mike Rogers said, "There's no gain by doing it. The conspiracy theorists aren't going to be believe the photos...they're going to be doubting Thomases forever."
No doubt the release of the pictures would create a media frenzy, sparking yet another debate often had surrounding war coverage about whether or not images of death and conflict have a desensitizing or a humanizing effect on civilians. Personally, I think the death of bin Laden in and of itself is empowering enough for the American people. As Michigan congressman Mike Rogers said, "There's no gain by doing it. The conspiracy theorists aren't going to be believe the photos...they're going to be doubting Thomases forever."
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