The Other Tools Work, Too

[The following is a guest post by Mark O'Brien.]

Ironic isn't it?

From credible reports of information from dozens of news outlets, the following list now emerges of "Bush's nearly impeachable atrocities", which were utilized and were deemed to be critical to the success in the targeted assassination of Osama bin Laden, for which The Obama Administration is taking particular pride. I say job well done.

• warrantless wire tapping
• renditions of unlawful combatants to foreign prisons
• detention of unlawful combatants in Guantanamo Bay Prison
• use of enhanced coercive interrogation tactics, "gasp", water boarding
• ordering and carrying out a targeted assassination of a terrorist
• invading a foreign country without UN or Congressional approval

I am proud to be a citizen of this great country which has come so far in the past 30 months in enthusiastically supporting these highly effective tactics, initiated by George W. Bush, and now openly embraced and in full deployment by the Obama Administration in fighting our war on terror (man caused disasters/overseas contingency operations).

Nancy Pelosi is leading the charge to bring this to the attention of all.

Here’s Nancy Pelosi from a press conference on September 7, 2006:

[E]ven if [Osama bin Laden] is caught tomorrow, it is five years too late. He has done more damage the longer he has been out there. But, in fact, the damage that he has done . . . is done. And even to capture him now I don’t think makes us any safer.

And here’s Nancy Pelosi yesterday:

The death of Osama bin Laden marks the most significant development in our fight against al-Qaida. . . . I salute President Obama, his national security team, Director Panetta, our men and women in the intelligence community and military, and other nations who supported this effort for their leadership in achieving this major accomplishment. . . . [T]he death of Osama bin Laden is historic. . . .

Absolutely love to hear from my progressive friends on this issue.

Waterboarding Works

CIA Director Leon Panetta went off script and confirmed the obvious: enhanced interrogation at places like Gitmo has contributed important leads in the war on terror -- including information leading to the location of Osama bin Laden.

From the Daily Caller:

"We had multiple series of sources that provided information with regards to this situation… clearly some of it came from detainees [and] they used these enhanced interrogation techniques against some of those detainees,” he [Panetta] told NBC anchor Brian Williams.

When asked by Williams if water-boarding was part of the “enhanced interrogation techniques,” Panetta simply said “that’s correct.”

Score one for common sense v. political correctness.

Rand Paul Reacts to OBL Death

Sen. Rand Paul has issued a statement in response to the killing of Osama bin Laden. In fact, Paul's staff is so on top of communications that their release went out at 12:12 a.m. Here it is:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Upon news reports of the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden this evening, Sen. Rand Paul issued the following statement:

“I commend our troops, the intelligence community, and the military leaders involved in both the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama for their perseverance and courage in pursuit of this most grievous enemy of the United States of America.”

Bin Laden Plugs Jimmy Carter's Book

Former President Jimmy Carter's anti-Semitic rant against Israel received a thumb's up from Osama bin Laden. It should be noted that Carter published his book a year and a half ago; apparently Amazon's shipping to the caves of the Khyber Pass is backlogged.

Here's how the New York Times reviewed Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” Carter

simply offers a narrative that is largely unsympathetic to Israel. Israeli bad faith fills the pages. Hollow statements by Israel’s enemies are presented without comment. Broader regional developments go largely unexamined. In other words, whether or not Carter is right that most Americans have a distorted view of the conflict, his contribution is to offer a distortion of his own.

It is a rare thing when the Paper of Record pans America's Worst President. Fortunately for Carter, bin Laden -- who has more followers than the Times has readers -- chose to "help" book sales. Here's the Times on bin Laden's review of Carter's book:

While the voice on the tape does not mention this book by name, it calls on Americans to “read what your former president, Carter, wrote regarding Israeli racism against our people in Palestine,” in a characterization of the book that goes beyond Mr. Carter’s own language.

President Barack Obama must be filled with Hope that bin Laden does not decide to endorse Obama's two books.