Photos of dead Osama bin Laden

Earlier today President Obama decided not to release photos of the dead Osama bin Laden.

Enter conspiracy theorists: "He's not really dead." "It's a government cover up." "The government is lying to us."

Although many loud voices have been calling for the President to release photos of bin Laden to prove that we have killed him and bring closure to the issue, I believe he made the right choice. Sure it would be nice to wrap this up once and for all, but would releasing a photo of bin Laden with a big gash/hole in his face really do the trick?

I say nay. Conspiracy theorists always have something to gripe about, and can never be satisfied. If the President did release a photo, people would start claiming it is Photoshopped. Without fail.

I think Obama made a very wise decision by not seeking to further antagonize and inflame any more anti-U.S. sentiment by showing a mangled picture of the leader of militant Islam. If we want to see an end to al-Qaeda's influence, the best way is to not give them any more propagandizing material as ammunition for sparking further hatred of the United States. With all the progress made in the Arab Spring toward seeing peaceful, stable democracies supplanting radical, authoritarian regimes in the Middle East; it would be foolish to give radical groups a foothold in the reformation of these new states.

More than all this, President Obama has shown a very consistent policy towards the Muslim World. Since his speech in June 2009 in Cairo, we have seen a panoply of positive milestones in achieving a stable Middle Eastern/Central Asian region. Al-Qaeda is clearly declining in influence with the rising power of a generation hungry for democracy (think Iran, Tunisia, Egypt). The best policy the U.S. could take right now is to allow and encourage events to progress as they have the last couple years, with minimal involvement when necessary.

These are my current thoughts. I welcome ideas, responses, and comments below.