Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is dead!

This is really great news, isn't it? Or is it? Don't get me wrong, I think this guy was a menace, and, he should have been brought to justice for the 9/11 attacks on the US.

I am a bit confused though. I thought this administration opposes torture. I thought this administration wants to give "rights" to everyone, including the 9/11 attackers. Haven't we been doing just that for one of the other attackers? It's a bit inconsistent to insist on "humane treatment" for one of the 9/11 masterminds, and then summarily execute another. Yeah, Osama bin Laden was probably more dangerous. But, a public trial would have been better for the American people. My grandfather always told me that two wrongs don't make a right. So, is it right to execute someone, even if they committed murder? I don't want to debate the death penalty in this particular blog. But, I do want you to consider the inconsistencies of this administrations actions.

In the poker world, a change in behavior is called a "tell". Is this a tell? If so, what does it mean?

Justice is a key cornerstone of our country. In order for Justice to be fair, it must be applied the same for all people; despite circumstances. When Justice is not applied equally (according to Dr. Martin Luther King), its discrimination. That said, why summarily execute one 9/11 mastermind, and try to put another on a public trial? Did Osama bin Laden get a secret trial that I am not aware of? Should we be executing people without a trial?

Actually, why kill Osama bin Laden in the first place? Why not capture him and bring him back for a very long and public trial? Politically, I would think this would have been better for this administration. In fact, I will go so far as to say It could have assured Obama a second term. Is this a "tell"?

Not only is Osama bin Laden dead, but, his body was "buried at see" (according to media reports). Okay - why? Why bury him at sea? Yeah, yeah, I heard the explanation from the administration. I just find it curious. Why bury the body at sea? Is this a "tell"?

This administration seems be inconsistent on a number of things; the Osama bin Laden execution is just one example. Then, there is the sudden position by this administration, that the US must stop it's deficit spending. This is not really consistent (in my opinion) with the actions of the administration during it's first two years. I think the deficit numbers and the debt ceiling speak for themselves in this regard.

One thing is for sure, this event (execution of Osama bin Laden) sure put Obama on the front page of every media outlet in the world. He's a global hero. In fact, I hear he is up for a Nobel Peace Prize. Oh wait, he already has one of those. Well, I am sure the world will find a way to reward his actions. This is some serious political capital that Obama has right now. And, based on past his history, I am sure that he will find a way to capitalize on it.

Did you know that the Dollar has been gaining on the Euro since Osama bin Laden was executed? Yep, it was around $1.50 to buy one Euro before Osama bin Laden was killed. As of the writing of this blog, the rate has dropped to almost $1.40 to buy one Euro. And, guess what? The price of gas has been dropping too. But, what caused this shift in the Dollar/Euro rate? Is this just a coincidence, or is this a "tell"?

The administration did say they were going to reduce deficit spending. And, a statement like that might be met with skepticism given the administration's track record; unless, the administration was able to gain credibility through some other means.

Obama is a global hero! He got Osama bin Laden!

I've been wondering for weeks why this administration would choose to get involved in the Libyan conflict. Something just did not add up here. This was completely inconsistent with the administration's position on Bush and the Iraq war. Yet, this administration used almost the same humanitarian arguments to justify the military action. Is this a "tell"?

It is ironic that the French opposed getting involved in Iraq, yet, they seem to be aggressively bombing the Libyan military. Of course, having the US and the UK join forces with the French to "protect the civilian population" almost makes the military action justifiable. Another "tell"?

Do the French have the ability to influence the Dollar/Euro exchange ratio?

Meanwhile, debates have begun in Washington on the debt ceiling. Republicans were gearing up to make their stand. After all, the rationale given by Republicans for NOT shutting down the government during budget battles, was that a stand could be made on the debt ceiling debates.

Americans are dancing in the streets! Osama bin Laden is dead, and, gas prices are dropping. What more could they (Americans) ask for? Americans are breathing a sigh of relief. Things are looking up. There finally is hope!

I've been asking myself why this administration would give the order to get Osama bin Laden now, when they could have easily waited until this event could have a bigger impact on the upcoming election. I'm sure the administration will spin this as putting the country before politics. But, that is just not consistent with the administration's track record. It looks to me like these folks really like being in power, and I am convinced they will do anything to stay in power (see Servants or Masters). Of course, for all we know, the administration might have been waiting for the right moment all along.

So, why go after Osama bin Laden now?

Well, clearly, this will ensure that the Republicans will be very cautious about picking a fight with the administration over the debt ceiling. The American people are celebrating - the debt ceiling is the last thing on their minds right now.

But still, why now? Why use the political capital now instead of closer to the election? And, why was Osama bin Laden buried at sea?

I find it interesting that Al Queda admitted (almost immediately) that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Now, if I was hiding and the press said I was dead, I would want everyone to believe the press so I could keep right on hiding. I would instruct my media folks to go along with the story. I also might be worried that the people who were looking for me might be using this as a tactic to get me to relax my vigilance.

Some are saying that Al Queda intends to use this as a rallying cry for more attacks on the US. This would most certainly lead to higher security (and awareness) in the US for years to come. We know this because of the 9/11 attacks. We also know that national solidarity helped to re-elect Bush in 2004. Bush was the hero back then, because he was keeping the country safe.

Even without Osama bin Laden's body, Obama is a global hero. Americans are celebrating in the streets. And, at this point, the Republicans are back on the defensive. I believe this is precisely how Obama was able to get himself elected in 2008. And, at this point, it sure looks like he is moving in for a win. The Republicans were counting on the deficit and national security as their key issues, and both of these have effectively been neutralized.

In poker, when a player manages to out-play his opponent, the player is congratulated for his exceptional play. Well played Mr. president - well played. The Republicans never saw this coming.

The Republicans should be kicking themselves for not acting when they had the chance. In my opinion, they better start listening to the people who gave them control of congress; they better eliminate the deficit. Otherwise, they are gonna all be voted out in 2012. I know my Republican representative is on shaky ground because he has not voted the way we wanted him to vote.

This administration has proven to me that they can do anything they want, and then spin the media in order to manipulate public opinion. How else can you explain the obvious inconsistencies? In fact, they can even explain the inconsistencies in this blog as conspiracy theories; much the same as the great birth certificate conspiracy theories. I prefer to look at the inconsistencies as "tells". At this point however, it really does not matter whether Osama bin Laden is dead or alive; all play lines lead to the same outcome.

I would hope that most Americans would recognize the true nature of this administration's policies. More importantly, I would hope that Americans would look closely at this administration's actions, and ignore or avoid all of the media spin. I've been reading the articles in Newsweek (and other publications) that explain how hard the president's job is. These kinds of articles are clearly intended to gain sympathy from the public for what I believe is a really is a poor performance record.

Consider this: if things are bad when the administration has to be careful because of the upcoming election, imagine how bad things could get when this is a lame-duck administration.

The election in 2012 must be about this administration's actions; all of their actions, not just those media moments that we are going to get pummeled with over the next year. I believe our only hope is that Americans look closely at this administration's actions, when they are considering who to vote for in 2012.

By the way, it would not surprise me one bit if Osama bin Laden suddenly went on public trial right before the 2012 election; this is my conspiracy theory. You heard it here first! :-)

The true irony is that no matter whether Osama bin Laden is dead or alive, he may have succeeded in bringing the change HE wanted to America, by ensuring a favorable climate for this administration to have a second term - a lame-duck term.

May God have mercy on America.