May | 2011 | The Clampdown

And There Was Much Rejoicing

May 2, 2011

The news is still coming in, the story only half-formed (at best). There’s simply no denying, however, that this is a great day for America. Osama bin Laden is/has stone dead, definitely deceased, bleedin’ demised, passed on, no more, ceased to be, expired, gone to meet his maker, bereft of life, off the twig, kicked the bucket, shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain, joined the choir invisible, feeding the fish. He is an EX-TERRORIST.

One thing this monster is not doing, however, is resting in peace. Hopefully right at this moment his body is providing sustenance for plankton. If it were me, I’d have wrapped his body in bacon, shoved ham hocks in his turban, and fed him to the pigs. But that’s just one New Yorker’s opinion.

The word this morning is the bin Laden was living in a mansion in Pakistan, 35 miles outside of the capital Islamabad. He attempted to use a woman in the compound as a human shield, and was shot in the head by a Navy SEAL. If said Navy SEAL is reading this, the drinks are on me…and there will be a lot of them. He was buried at sea so that his tomb would not become a shrine. Last night crowds descended on the White House, Times Square, Ground Zero and many other places, and there was much rejoicing. There’s apparently no truth to the rumor that Donald Trump is demanding to see the death certificate.

The political slant of The Clampdown is no secret, and I am second to none in my disdain for President Obama, but this is not the time for partisanship. As more details emerge, more praise and criticism of how this was handled will be inevitable. But today is a day to thank President Obama for approving the mission and for being smart enough to make this a “kill” mission instead of a “capture” mission. Would this have happened years ago if we had not spent so much time and resources on Iraq? Maybe, maybe not. Was Obama simply lucky that this happened on his watch? Maybe, maybe not. Today, it’s irrelevant. Today is a day to rally around the flag, rally around the President, and be of good cheer.

The celebrations are understandable, though justice should not be celebrated; it should be expected. Last night a genuine evil was destroyed. While it is certainly true that bin Laden will probably be replaced…this radicalism is a hydra…we take comfort and solace that this particular evil is no more. Osama bin Laden was not a “mad, insane lunatic” as I have seen him referred. He was well aware of what he was doing, planned thoroughly, and ran like a scared rabbit when his actions brought retribution. These are not the hallmarks of insanity, they speak to a man driven by a purpose. The Wild Man of 92nd Street is a mad, insane lunatic. Osama bin Laden was the textbook definition of evil: a coldly calculated purpose driven by the complete absence of good.

Already I have seen someone questioning the propriety of celebrating a “murder.” We did not “murder” bin Laden any more than we “murdered” any enemy general in any time of war. We killed him as a soldier in a war that he started. His death is a time for quiet reflection, and a reaffirmation to destroying the rest of the hydra. There’s also room for a few verses of “Na Na Na Na (Kiss Him Goodbye).”

The Roundup: Michelle Malkin is providing lots of details as they happen, as is Allahpundit over at Hot Air. There is much excellent commentary at, er, Commentary. And the usual quality material on The Corner. I especially like Richard Brookhiser’s succinct comment headlined “A New Yorker Bids Farewell to Bin Laden”: “We’re still here. You’re not. Go figure.”