The news began to trickle out just before 10:00 P.M. Sunday night that President Barack Obama would hold a news conference from the White House at 10:30. Everyone’s radar went up and speculation began as Facebook, Twitter, and the internet exploded on what had been a quiet Sunday evening. An hour later, the rumor that Osama bin Laden had been killed was confirmed by the president.
After the 9/11 terrorism attacks on America, the one consistent figure that represented radical Islamism was bin Laden, the mastermind behind terrorist attacks around the world as well as the United States.
When former President George W. Bush pursued the war on terrorism, bin Laden was wanted, dead or alive. With the myriad of caves and rugged mountains in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and throughout the Middle East, it was known he could be anywhere … and so the search began. It seemed ironic that early reports of his death indicated he was killed in a mansion near Islamabad, Pakistan.
On Sunday evening, Bush released a statement on the death of bin Laden:
University of Virginia political professor and pundit Larry Sabato was tweeting, first noting, “This is a giant political plus for Barack Obama.” He followed that with another that said, “Almost 100% of Obama’s political enemies will praise him for this one. Imagine the 2012 TV ad.”
One Facebook message said, “Instead of sending flowers, I’ll be waving an American flag.” Endless status updates passed along the news of bin Laden’s demise.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that oil futures are crumbling in Asia because of the news of bin Laden’s death.
America’s troops deserve praise for this operation and for their years at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting Americans over there instead of here on the homeland.
However, those close to the military realize service men and women around the world must be on heightened alert as they could now become targets for the followers of bin Laden who may want to avenge the death of their leader. The State Department has issued a world wide alert to U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad.
As this news dominates the next days, emotions will play out for Americans who have not forgotten the terror of 9/11 even as some at home and around the world have already been chanting “USA” at the news.
