Credit where credit is due?

In Sunday’s nationally televised announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of the U.S. military, our soon-to-be ex-president seemed to want to capture all of the glory for himself. His frequent use of “I”, “me”, and “my” was a slap in the face not only to his predecessor who began the hunt for bin Laden, but also to the brave members of SEAL Team 6 who risked a lot more than their approval rating to carry out this mission.

There is no argument that the mission was beautifully executed, as was Osama bin Laden. But who deserves the lion’s share of the credit for its success? The troops who put themselves in harm’s way? Their intelligence gatherers? Their support teams? The Bush administration for setting forth the policy that began and defined the search for bin Laden? All of the above?

The correct answer is, all of the above. I can tell you with all certainty that a self aggrandizing politician looking only to bolster his re-election chances certainly does not deserve the lion’s share of the credit. The only thing that Barack Hussein Obama deserves credit for is continuing the Bush anti-terrorism efforts that he campaigned so vehemently against. Don’t forget, it was just a few short weeks ago that our soon-to-be ex-president was actively considering vetoing the bill that would have kept our troops paid in the event of a government shut down. The very same troops he called upon to carry out this mission.

So what then are we left with? Honestly, more questions than answers. Questions like, will this help his re-election chances? Or, how long will it be before some angry, bitter  Muslim, clinging to his religion and his AK-47, tries to take out Obama? Will Donald Trump demand that we be shown bin Laden’s long form death certificate? And, since the body was allegedly buried at sea within 24 hours, in compliance with Sharia law which we have no business complying with, is Osama in fact actually dead?

All we know for sure is, we have an empty suit going on national television claiming credit for what his predecessor started without so much as a hat tip to that predecessor. That predecessor, by the way, showed a lot more class and decorum than his successor ever even considered showing. No, credit for the execution of Osama bin Laden goes to SEAL Team 6 who, as one person put it, “sealed the deal."

Jim L. Chitty