As you can tell from the previous two posts, this isn't a political blog. But, it's impossible not to comment on the news about the killing of Osama bin Laden.
I go to bed early so the first I heard about this was when I turned on ESPN this morning and saw the news scrolling along the sports ticker. I was so surprised that I actually headed halfway back up the stairs to wake Kim and tell her what had happened. Then I came to my senses and figured she'd rather be woken up by her alarm than by me.
Upon hearing the news, one of my first thoughts was about "Mayor for Life" Marion Barry and his arrest for smoking crack back in January 1990. Back then, I got the news the same way -- early in the morning, still dark, watching TV while Kim was sleeping. Twenty-one years later, I was going through the same thing. I had this stunning information and no one with whom to share it.
In any event, I'd almost forgotten about our hunt for bin Laden. After so many years, I never thought we'd find him. It seemed more likely that he was already dead of natural causes as I'd heard he was on dialysis for kidney failure. The perseverance we showed in continuing to hunt for him is admirable. I'm happy for those in the U.S. who lost family members and friends in 9/11 and for those all over the world who have had loved ones taken from them by other Al Qaeda acts of terrorism.
I'm not sure how I feel about watching people take to the streets to celebrate the news. I prefer the non-emotional approach that Obama took during his televised address (which I saw on tape delay on CNN this morning). I can't imagine what he was feeling inside but his delivery was so dispassionate and his message was so clear. Here's what I took from Obama's speech: "He attacked us. He terrorized the world for years. We said we'd get him. We did. The world is a better place because of that." Perfect.