The Killing of Bin Laden

[ORAC]

POLITICO Make sure you read this absolute stonker of a story from POLITICO’s Garrett M. Graff on the planning, execution and immediate aftermath of the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden, as told by everyone in the room.

[Less Hair]

If you want to hide in in the satellite age it is just a bad idea to shape your land in the silhouette of Israel with your house put right where Jerusalem would be.

[Fliegenmong]

Oh, I remember for sure!...All those republicans claiming it had nothing to do with Obama...it was all behind the scenes etc., Bush (Dubya) had 8 years to get Obama, invaded Countries, created wars and got nothing!.....

History will recall it was Obama that dispatched Osama.....as distasteful as some still no doubt find that to be...

[Asturias56]

"If you want to hide in in the satellite age it is just a bad idea .."

not to have an internet connection when every other house in the street has one.................. bit like taping over your mouth when you have a secret to keep.....

[MPN11]

Thanks, ORAC ... great link.

[Less Hair]

Or walking the garden each day at noontime with some big cowboy hat to make your face unseen.

[gums]

Thanks, Hair....

I personally would have used a 2K LGB, but I guess we had to have some DNA. I also guess we had some decent intell video beforehand to name the "walker". Oh yeah, some humint dude that risked his/her like to verify the other intell, and then....

Great observation, "mong", and I am sure your uber intell folks would have tracked the perp from the day after 9/11 and zeroed in by Halloween. Gasp.

Gums sends..

[MightyGem]

MIKE MORELL: He gave us two very specific orders at the end of that meeting. The first was “Leon, Michael, find out what the hell is going on inside that compound.” The second orders he gave was “Don’t tell anyone. Don’t share this with anyone.” This is CIA and this group in the White House, and that’s it, nobody else. No secretary of Defense and chairman of the Joint Chiefs, no secretary of State, no attorney general and director of the FBI—nobody else.

Reading that gave me goosebumps.

[fitliker]

They had eyes on UBL in Browntown in the eighties where his family set up one of the largest sesame seed export companies . When was the last time you had an all American burger with a bun covered in sesame seeds ? Not that it matters , until you realize the same family group bought into a biotechnology laboratory in Baltimore 30 miles from Fort Dietrich .
Anyone familiar with Prion proteins ?

[chevvron]

Originally Posted by Fliegenmong

History will recall it was Obama that dispatched Osama.....as distasteful as some still no doubt find that to be...

I don't think they did; he would be of far more use alive if they took him to the Caribean and asked him a few questions in a persuasive manner; if he were to 'lose' his right hand and thus be forced to eat with his left, that would be a start.

[Asturias56]

Originally Posted by fitliker

They had eyes on UBL in Browntown in the eighties where his family set up one of the largest sesame seed export companies . When was the last time you had an all American burger with a bun covered in sesame seeds ? Not that it matters , until you realize the same family group bought into a biotechnology laboratory in Baltimore 30 miles from Fort Dietrich .
Anyone familiar with Prion proteins ?

His family bought into a lot of things - but they weren't terrorists

[Asturias56]

" he would be of far more use alive"

I don't think he was really in the operational loop by then. Of course he might have had some interesting stories to tell about who helped him in Afghanistan against the Russians etc

Anyway alive he'd have been a "cause" for every nutcase to be able to take hostages, anywhere in teh world and a constant source of "news" stories. Better he's where he is - tho I hope it involve standing in eternal security lines at airports in a warm place

[jmmoric]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

.....I hope it involve standing in eternal security lines at airports in a warm place

You just upgraded hell...

[Asturias56]

I didn't insist on JFK or LHR - I have some mercy

[Not Long Here]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

I didn't insist on JFK or LHR - I have some mercy

And then there is LAX........................

[minigundiplomat]

Obama didn’t dispatch Bin Laden. The CIA found him, the 160th flew an assault force across the border into Pakistan and SEAL team 6 despatched him.

Obama gave his permission, after a period of prevarication.

However, he did correct an egregious lack of courage by his Democrat predecessor Bill Clinton who had the chance to nail OBM at Tarnak Farm in the late 90’s and didn’t; mainly due to an ongoing distraction with an intern and DNA evidence on a cocktail dress.

we all know what happened later.....

[fitliker]

Originally Posted by Asturias56

His family bought into a lot of things - but they weren't terrorists

Construction companies have interesting ways of moving money around . Some Construction companies even make more money from moving money than construction .

[double_barrel]

Was there ever a detailed technical explanation for the loss of a helicopter? That article quotes someone who doesn't seem to understand: "the heat came up from the ground and stalled one of the engines"

[Less Hair]

Density altitude.
A'bad is at 4200 feet of altitude in a warm place. Add fuel, weapons, ammo and staff and try to hover this possibly different to handle and unfamiliar helicopter in a tight place in combat conditions and it can be edgy. Sounds plausible to me.

[Asturias56]

Originally Posted by Not Long Here

And then there is LAX........................

I went through LAX just before CV19 struck and was pleasantly surprised by how much better it was . Not to say it was Schipol or Changi but not the awful hell-hole of the past. The introduction of self scanning machines on arrival helps - you still have to pass an Immigration Officer (and customs) but all the paper work has been taken care of by the machine - they just eyeball you and ask why you're there.