Thoughts on the Osama Bin Laden raid

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Kayla Phantom

With news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is applauding President Barack Obama for a move that could have brought chaos in his presidency had it gone wrong.

“It really was a tremendously skilled operation,” Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) told The Huffington Post. “I give Obama full credit for this.”

King mentioned that the mission reminded him of President Jimmy Carter’s attempt to rescue 52 American hostages in Iran in 1980 — a failed mission that ended with eight U.S. service members dead in a helicopter crash. This mission could have gone wrong in so many ways, yet it ended with a success giving many people the ability to relax.

He detailed just how difficult the situation was and how careful the administration had to be striking inside the borders of Pakistan based on intelligence that could have come from unreliable sources.

“First of all, Osama Bin Laden could have just as easily not been there, no matter how much you confirm this stuff,” King added “Until you get him, it could be some guy who looked like him; it could have been a setup; they could have had that place filled with kids, or innocent women. They could have had all sorts of deadly surface-to-air missiles waiting for those helicopters. The whole thing could have been a master setup.”

Should the mission have failed the blame would have fallen entirely on Obama’s shoulders and there would have no way to save himself from the failure.

“In that case, it would have been all Obama’s fault,” he argued. “He would have been a failed President the way Carter was.”