Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete
And [the presiden]t could have taken the easy way out.
<Snip>
The question now becomes how this event is used politically in the next 18 months.
|
FWIW, I agree that the president deserves credit for authorizing the raid.
As for the political dimensions, I wonder if the White House set up the Birthers and others who question the president's citizenship. While some spent the last few days showing what they think they know about PDFs, the president was crushing an enemy of the civilized world.
In any case, I think three significant political consequences are that the White House is in a stronger position to argue that GWOT is primarily an intelligence/CT affair rather than a conflict centering around UW. Second, the president has shown that he can make tough decisions and deliver. Third, Panetta can now claim to be more than a political hack.