By Dennis J. Freeman
President Barack Obama cemented his legacy as the nation’s commander-in-chief when he accomplished what George W. Bush failed to do: he took out Osama bin Laden. And he did it his way. Much like the man himself, the military operation that President Obama authorized to kill bin Laden was covert and without fanfare.
More importantly, President Obama did what three other presidents before him were not able to do, and that’s take down Enemy No.1 on the United States hit list after the al Qaeda leader masterminded the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001.
In authorizing the killing of bin Laden, President Obama once and for all shook off the “soft guy” label and established himself as someone not to mess with, effectively sending a message to all Americans and the rest of the world he is not afraid to unwield his presidential powers.
“I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan,” President Obama said in an excerpt of his speech to the nation. “And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”
bin Laden’s death doesn’t mean America is safe from terrorist threats or the threat of harm from clones and other rogue outfits. Far from it. After all it’s taken two decades to locate the man.
Even with a $25 million bounty on his head, bin Laden manged to avoid incarceration and assassination. Until now.
I remember going to work on Sept. 11, 2001, as a sports reporter for a daily newspaper in Newport News, Virginia.It was an extremely beautiful and sunny day. I arrived at work early that morning.
Soon after I arrived, I see a couple of reporters gather around the television screen and saw darkness in front of my eyes as a plane followed another into the twin towers building in New York.
I remember that moment being surreal.
Soon after news that other planes were in operation to do similar damage began to spread. I remember the dreaded horror exhibited by fellow reporters and workers. I remember seeing the pain and anguish of Americans feeling like the world was coming to an end. That day America nearly collapsed itself. But it didn’t. Somehow, somewhere America found the resolve to fight back.
The subsequent hunt and eventual take down of the bin Laden after years of tracking, showcased that resolve when President Obama gave the OK to a secretive military operation to move in for the kill. It’s a big day for the country, but perhaps an even bigger moment for President Obama.
With the backdrop of rumblings by Americans about Washington’s fierce political infighting, the country’s deficit, high unemployment rates, questions about his leadership and tumbling poll ratings, President Obama scored a huge political and national security victory with the eradication of bin Laden.
What started as a Republican president pledge would up as a Democratic president sealing the deal. As the 2012 presidential election nears, President Obama effectively took out any strategic debates Republicans had in mind in attacking him about national security issues of the country.
It was under President Bush’s watch that 9/11 took place. It is under President Obama’s watch as this nation’s military chief that justice has finally been dealt to the world’s leading terrorist. This moment will no doubt be in voters’ minds when election time rolls around. But at this time the moment belongs to the American people.
“The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens,” President Obama said. “After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
“So, Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.”
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com