The Death of Osama and the Lack of Political Will

The announcement that US Special Forces had found and killed Osama Bin Laden has brought out a variety of reactions to the event and reactions to the reactions. After watching them the old concept of the “theater of the absurd” comes to mind.

While the release of pent up frustration in celebratory reaction by much of the public is understandable, its condemnation as somehow crude or gosh is just as predictable. We we’re told that we should be “better than that,” that we should not celebrate the death of another human being. That it brought us “down to the level” of the Arabs who celebrated in the streets on 9-11.

Well at this point, for me at least, the revulsion factor kicks in. I would ask just who do these sanctimonious jerks think they are? But then I remember that they are most likely the products public education and the victims of some faceless pseudo-Marxist college professor, and are therefore completely lacking in any real exposure to military history. How else can one explain how their pontifications are so out of context with any historical precedent? I guess then that by their standards we had no right to celebrate the end of World War II or when von Ribbentrop or Tojo danced at the end of a rope after their convictions for war crimes. I doubt that the vast majority of them could tell you who von Clausewitz or Sun Tsu were without making a quick check with Wikipedia first. As such I am forced to dismiss their opinions as not worth consideration never mind even being bothered listening to them. This is what happens when people become more concerned with political correctness, moral relativism and “sensitivity.” The very notion that we should be “civil” in how we conduct war is ludicrous on its face. As someone who has traveled through the Arab and Islamic world I can state without hesitation that the only thing they respect is strength, and that they have nothing but contempt for weakness and accommodation.

So what then will become of American foreign policy in the wake of Bin Laden oh so celebrated demise? Given the combination of the particular ideological bent of the current administration and the continued and growing economic problems on the home front I would suspect that the lure of isolationism will become far more appealing. The population in general has grown weary of a seemingly endless war, so I would fully expect this administration to use this as an excuse to declare “mission accomplished” in the Afghanistan Theater and begin pulling out the vast majority of our troops. This would then become fodder for the re-election campaign slogans that Obama “got us out of the war” in Afghanistan. This of course would then begin the pressure to do the same in Iraq. Throwing in the need to cut our expenditures as an added measure may well make such a move politically irresistible. I’m not saying that I would be opposed to such a move if it included the caveat that it include a warning to both the Taliban and Iran that any further terror attacks against Western interests or an aggressive move into Iraq would be met with a swift and decisive move to stop it, up to and including the nuclear option. If he were to couple any such withdrawal with an announcement of renewed support for Israel and that a percentage of our troops in the area were going to be re-deployed there as a tripwire against renewed Arab state aggression against it I might change my mind. Sadly I don’t think such decisive and bold actions are within the realm of this President’s thought or even consideration.

Wars are won by seeking out and exploiting your enemies’ weaknesses. For the Islamists we face their greatest weakness is in their religion itself. Although there are those within the military and intelligence establishment that recognize this, our government lacks both the spine and the political will to exploit it.