Osama Bin Laden's Elimination

Last night, Americans rejoiced at the announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Since 2001, the United States and their allies have been on a worldwide manhunt for this man responsible for the attacks that killed thousands of Americans on September 11th. It is also relevant to remember that he was behind the two African embassy attacks, as well as supporting those that assaulted the U.S.S. Cole; both of these events occurred years before 9/11/01. More than a few incidents strung together, it is important to remember that these are only lightning bolts in a storm of anti-American fury that Osama Bin Laden had unleashed on Western civilization over the last twenty years. But is all of this reason to rejoice at the death of a human being, despite how terrible he is?

The short answer is no. We should not rejoice in the death of any person, no matter who they are. Jesus commanded us to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us. Jesus is unconditional love, not matter what a person has done to the contrary. We all deserve judgement and hell. That being said, we are also called to be protectors of the weak and those who speak up for justice to be done. This IS reason to rejoice. Bin Laden has become more than just a "bad" man. He has become a symbol of terrorism, injustice, and hatred. When the wicked are punished, the righteous rejoice. Rejoicing in justice and that the Lord has trodden down our enemies would be the correct response. But please, remember that we should not rejoice that "we finally got the SOB." Not cool. I can't picture Jesus ever saying those words about anyone.

Politically, this is a victory shared by many. It is a HUGE victory for American foreign policy around the world, proving that our strategy of counter terrorism is actually working and has triumphed in the face of worldwide criticism.

I think our President has done a wonderful job continuing the war on terror that President Bush began after the September 11 attacks. He has authorized more troops and a greater time commitment to Afghanistan, making the location of Osama Bin Laden one of his top priorities. I am proud of his commitment to follow through on this and not lose ground in Afghanistan.

However, I believe that President Obama was considerably amiss in taking almost all of the credit for Osama Bin Laden's elimination. President Bush by far has the greatest responsibility in paving the way for these circumstances to play out like they did, and President Obama did not even give him an ounce of credit. Bad form, and badly done. This should be viewed as a campaign move and an attempt to restore faith in the Obama presidency. President Obama's role should has been primarily to give a head nod for the continuation of Bush doctrine policies. Hopefully, this will all become clear as time goes by.

-Braden

Feel free to leave me any comments below with your thoughts.