News outlets are reporting that covert US forces in Pakistan have killed 9/11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden. The US is apparently also in possession of his body, which should allow for the concrete identification the world will demand. President Obama will speak shortly with the details.
Updated with video of the presidential address:
This is awesome news. Now Islamic extremists will retreat to a corner to quietly lick their wounds and bow out of terrorism with the quiet dignity for which they are renowned.
We live in an imperfect world, but I suspect this will be helpful to the families of 9/11, 7/7 and the countless others — Muslims included — whose lives have been tragically affected by this mass murderer. I’m not sure anyone would seriously expect that killing one man, even one so guilty as Bin Laden, would stop all terrorism. In this one case, however, it appears justice has indeed been done, and that’s a good thing.
I think you must have been watching a different network from me last night. NBC’s foreign correspondent seemed to think it was all back to normal now. If only!
Talking heads tend to… talk. They don’t always say much.
Wait, NBC’s correspondent over there is Richard Engel, he is far to good to make a statement like that. Are you sure it wasn’t just an anchor? Engel is probably the best reporter we have in that region.