By Jessica Hopper, Subrata De and Tim Uehlinger
Rock Center
President Barack Obama describes the killing of Osama bin Laden as the “most important single day” of his presidency and said that the decision to carry out the raid was one that he had to ultimately make alone.
“I did choose the risk,” the president said in an exclusive interview with Rock Center Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams. “The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden rather than to take some other options was ultimately because I had 100 percent faith in the Navy SEALs themselves.”
A year after the May 1, 2011, raid on bin Laden’s compound, Obama and several of the advisers who helped plan the operation, known as “Operation Neptune’s Spear,” spoke exclusively to NBC News, reflecting on the tense months spent planning and debating the feasibility of this daring raid. The interviews occurred before the president made an unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday, where he and President Hamid Karzai signed an agreement on the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
“This had to be such a close-held operation,” the president said. “There were only a handful of staff in the White House who knew about this.”
The president did not share news of the mission’s launch with his staff, or with the first lady.
“Even a breath of this in the press could have chased bin Laden away,” Obama said. “We didn't know at that point whether there might be underground tunnels coming out of that compound that would allow him to escape.”
The killing of the 9/11 mastermind had been years in the making, a mission that Obama’s two predecessors had been unable accomplish. President Bill Clinton fired 75 cruise missiles trying to kill bin Laden while President George W. Bush was frustrated by the al-Qaeda leader’s ability to evade capture.
The lead
After years of hunting bin Laden, the Central Intelligence Agency got its biggest break in late 2010.
Helmed by then CIA Director Leon Panetta, the agency identified the home of bin Laden’s courier in the upscale town of Abbottabad, not far from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Satellites revealed someone else living at the same compound: a tall man walking in the courtyard that analysts dubbed “The Pacer.”
“Ultimately it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether this was actually bin Laden,” Obama said.
He and his advisers, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, hammered out the possibilities.
Clinton said that she was brought into the process in January 2011 when a series of intensive meetings began in the White House Situation Room, or “Sit Room.”
In March of 2011, the president ordered Admiral William McRaven, then commander of Joint Special Operations, to outline a possible raid on the suspected bin Laden compound.
“I remember the moment in the Sit Room with General McRaven,” Clinton said, “and, you know, someone said, ‘Well, this sounds really dangerous and we’re going to expose our guys and what do we know is going to happen?’ And he said, ‘Well, with all due respect, we’ve done this hundreds of times.’”
In fact, the night bin Laden was killed, Special Forces carried out several other missions in the region.
“What may not be known is in addition to this operation that night, this specific one, there were multiple operations just like this going on in Afghanistan,” said retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Some of them actually more difficult than the one that got bin Laden. And when I say more difficult, I don't think higher strategic risk, certainly not more important, but physically more difficult, more dangerous than the one that our great Special Forces executed.”
The dress rehearsal
The plan to raid the compound in Abbottabad developed rapidly and by April 21, 2011, Admiral Mullen attended a dress rehearsal in the Nevada desert.
“When I actually went to the rehearsal and watched it at night at a place where they built a compound just like Abbottabad and watched it in execution, that just gave me great confidence that they could execute this,” Mullen said.
He met every member of the SEAL Team Six that would ultimately carry out the mission.
“I got to look each of them in the eye. They showed me in their execution of rehearsal and also in that steely-eyed glare that they give you that they were ready to go,” Mullen said.
Some of the men weren’t yet aware who they were preparing to attack, but Mullen’s presence signaled that they were going after a high-value target.
“They knew certainly how critical this was. They knew who they were and who they were working with,” he said. “They may not even have known it was bin Laden at that point, but I'm sure they suspected it.”
One week later, it looked like weather conditions in Pakistan would be perfect for the raid — a moonless night with clear skies. If the raid didn’t happen that night, it could be months before weather conditions would be appropriate again for this high-risk operation.
Making the decision
Armed with the confidence that the Special Forces could carry out the mission, it was decision time. So on Thursday, April 28, 2011, the president gathered his advisers in the Situation Room, located below ground level in the White House.
“There was no consensus,” Biden said. “The president on the last day got us all down in the Situation Room and he said, ‘Okay, it’s basically a roll call.’”
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended an air strike with no forces on the ground. CIA Director Panetta supported a raid by Special Forces and so did Secretary of State Clinton. Vice President Biden wanted to wait on further proof that bin Laden was indeed in the compound.
“It was never contentious because I think everybody understood both the pros and cons of the action,” Obama said. “People who were advocating action understood that if this did not work, if we proved to be wrong, there would be severe geopolitical consequences and obviously most importantly, we might be putting our brave Navy SEALs in danger.”
During the meeting, the president never indicated which way he was leaning. After the discussion, he dismissed his team and said he’d have a decision in the morning. He had dinner with his family and then went to his study after his wife and daughters went to bed.
“Well, there is no doubt that you don't sleep as much that evening as you do on a normal night,” the president said. “I stayed up late and I woke up early.”
The next morning, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, he told his national security advisers that the mission was a go.
“You have some serenity in knowing that you've made the best possible decision that you can and, you know, in that situation you just, you do some praying,” Obama said.
A trio of national security advisers – John Brennan, Tom Donilon and Denis McDonough – had prepared briefing points for the president, but it was clear his mind was made up.
“My recollection is that he said, ‘It’s a go, we’re going to do the assault. We’re going to do the raid. Complete the orders, let’s go,’” said Donilon.
Keeping the Secret
In order to not raise suspicions, the president and his advisers had to keep up their weekend plans.
Secretary Clinton said she faced an awkward question at a wedding for one of her daughter’s friends.
“It was so ironic,” she said. “All these smart young people who work in all kinds of enterprises, one of them came up and said, ‘Do you think we’ll ever get bin Laden?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I have no way of knowing, but I can tell you this, we’ll keep trying.’”
She also hid the raid from her husband.
“This was such an important secret to keep,” she said. “No one in the State Department knew. “I just felt a personal responsibility to keep it close, but that meant that I was basically, you know, having to consult with myself, to be honest.”
Moments after giving the go-ahead for the raid, the president and the first lady boarded Marine One on a trip to inspect tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, Ala. And on Saturday night – the evening before the raid – he attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and chuckled when a joke about bin Laden was made by comedian Seth Meyers.
“That was a little bit of acting going on there because my mind was elsewhere,” he said.
National Security Advisor Donilon said that when he left the White House Correspondents’ Dinner early, a reporter asked why he was leaving before the event concluded.
“I got this thing tomorrow,” Donilon said as offhandedly as he could.
The raid
On Sunday, May 1, 2011, the president’s advisers gathered in the Situation Room at around 11 a.m. Half a world away, the SEAL team waited for nightfall.
So as not to arouse suspicion that a major gathering was under way in the West Wing, the team ordered pizza from several different places and also sent someone to Costco to get food.
The president played nine holes of golf at Andrews Air Force Base before heading to the Situation Room at around 2 p.m.
“It is one of those rare moments when you know that the man you’re watching is putting everything on the line,” Biden said. “Everything on the line. Not only risking the lives of these incredible, incredible warriors, but also knowing that if he’s wrong about this man, he’s going to pay a very, very high price for it.”
At around 2:30 p.m., word arrived that the first wave of helicopters had left Jalalabad, Afghanistan, for Abbottabad with Navy SEALs, a Pakistani-American translator and a service dog named Cairo. At the president’s request, two Chinook helicopters stayed close by with additional SEALs as backup.
“They were accustomed to operating in the dark,” Obama said. “They were accustomed to landing in the compounds where they weren’t sure what was behind closed doors. These guys were all trained to do that.”
“A lot of them had as much gray hair as you and me and, you know, if you had passed them on the street, you might have – and if they were in civilian clothes – you might have thought they were accountants or doctors or, you know, worked at Home Depot.”
After the mission started, the CIA provided audio and video of the raid in real time in a smaller room next to the Situation Room. The atmosphere, said Admiral Mullen, was tense.
Soon, the president and his advisers began crowding into the room where the video was being played, which was never meant to hold as many people as it did that day. Brigadier General Marshall “Brad” Webb was receiving and interpreting information from the mission. Never expecting Obama to come in the room, he was sitting in the chair intended for the president.
“He started to get up and people were starting to go through the protocol and figuring out how to rearrange things,” the president said. “I said, ‘You don’t worry about it. You just focus on what you’re doing. I’m sure we can find a chair and I’ll sit right next to him.’ And that’s how I ended up (on a) folding chair.”
The group watched the hazy, but intelligible images and gasped when the first helicopter’s rotor stopped turning and it suddenly dropped, crashing over a stone wall.
“That helicopter didn’t make it to the right spot and everyone went, like, ‘Whoa,’” Biden said.
Obama remembers seeing the Secretary of State cover her mouth with her hand.
“It was just the shock of the moment,” Clinton said. “It was, I mean, all of us sitting there, and I would even predict probably our military and defense colleagues, you know, for a minute were kind of holding that breath again.”
The mishap was blamed on a bad downdraft and unusually warm temperatures, which can affect lift and maneuverability. The president called it a “touch and go moment.”
“The only thing that I was thinking about throughout this entire enterprise was, ‘I really want to get those guys back home safe,’” he added. “I want to make sure that the decision I’ve made has not resulted in them putting their lives at risk in vain, and if I got that part of it right, if I could look myself in the mirror and say as commander in chief I made a good call.”
Back inside the Situation Room, the loss of a helicopter didn’t make any difference in Admiral McRaven's monotone play-by-play voice, beamed in from Afghanistan.
“Did not miss a beat. He is a cool customer,” said Obama.
Clinton recalled watching the SEALs leave the helicopters.
“We could see our guys moving,” she said. “It was an intense experience for all of us because it was real time, visually, until we lost the visual connection inside the building.”
The SEALs had moved inside the compound with their body armor, weapons and night vision.
“At this point, I think all of us understand that we’re a long way to go before the night is done,” Obama said. “And, you know, I’ve said this was the longest 40 minutes of my life.”
As the SEALs moved inside, the national security team listened for “Geronimo,” the code name for bin Laden.
“We knew that was the call sign and when we heard that, they felt they had identified Geronimo, that was the first moment, and then Geronimo KIA,” the president said.
Several members of the president’s national security team told NBC News that there were provisions in place to take bin Laden alive.
“But we also understood that it was not likely that he was going to be giving himself up in that way,” Obama said, “and that there was a strong possibility that he would end up being killed if in fact he was in the compound.”
Along with precision and planning, prayer played a role for some of the president’s closest advisers. Vice President Biden and Admiral Mullen both nervously spun rosary rings on their fingers as they received word that the body of the man they believed was bin Laden had been put on a helicopter with U.S. forces.
“We knew the mission had been successful in that bin Laden was on board, but then it was an hour flight back,” Biden said.
Biden had begun to put his rosary away when he felt a tap on his shoulder from Mullen.
“I leaned down," Mullen explained. "I said, ‘Mr. Vice President, not yet. Keep it going because as important as killing, capturing or killing bin Laden was, it was more important to get him out.’ And so we were a long way, even as we got bin Laden, his body in that helicopter, we were a long way from completing that mission at that point.”
The death photo
When the SEAL team made it safely back to Afghanistan, photos were transmitted to the president and his team to offer photographic proof that bin Laden was dead.
When asked about seeing the picture of bin Laden, who had been shot in the head, the president took a long pause.
“I think it’s wrong to say that I did a high five,” he said, “because you have a picture of a dead body and, you know, there’s I think regardless of who it is, you always have to be sober about death. But understanding the satisfaction for the American people, what it would mean for 9/11 families, what it would mean for the children of folks who died in the Twin Towers who never got to know their parents, I think there was a deep-seated satisfaction for the country at that moment.”
Secretary Clinton believes strongly that the president was right not to release the photos.
“I looked at them,” she said. “Obviously, (it's) never easy to see any dead body, but it was part of the job. I think we made the right decision not to sensationalize this, not to desecrate it, so to speak. His body was flown to a Navy ship. It was given a proper Islamic burial at sea and I think that we handled it exactly right.”
After the president and his team felt confident that bin Laden was indeed dead, they began calling Cabinet members, Congressional leaders and foreign heads of state.
The president called Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
“I think it was an important symbol of who we are as a people,” he said of the calls. “We get into these partisan fights, administrations come and go, but there’s a certain continuity about who we are and what we care about and what our values are.”
For Mullen, one of the most important calls placed was to his Pakistani military counterpart about the crashed helicopter.
When the first pictures of the wreckage emerged hours later, aviation websites went wild. The crashed chopper appeared to be proof of a stealth version of the Blackhawk that the United States had been rumored to be developing for years. Its noise-reducing technology and unique fin had been designed for near silent, invisible operation. In coming days, neighborhood children picked through pieces of what had been among the military's best kept secrets.
“I called General [Ashfaq Parvez] Kayani in Pakistan,” Mullen said. “I felt obligated to let him know what had happened … and then part of that conversation was about the helicopter and I said, ‘We need that back.’”
As more calls were made, the news began to leak, spread at lightning speed by the Internet. The president and his advisers, however, were unaware that throngs of young people were pouring into Lafayette Park to cheer outside the White House.
“The thing that surprised me that night and I don’t think we had planned for was the public reaction,” Donilon said. “We walked out and we could hear the noise and I remember very clearly turning to whoever was walking next to me saying, ‘What is that?’”
Secretary Clinton described it as an “astonishing moment.”
“We could hear this roar. We had no idea what it was,” she said. “Then all of a sudden we were able to decipher, 'U.S.A., U.S.A.'”
Telling his family
Before the president heard the cheering crowds and addressed the nation, he checked in with the first lady.
“She’s at dinner," he said. "I let her know, you know, that I’m probably going to miss dinner because I’ve got a few other things going on tonight. It turns out we had a fairly important thing to announce.”
He recalled telling his daughters that bin Laden was dead.
“Malia and Sasha, I think, were too young to fully absorb 9/11. On the other hand, they’ve grown like all our children have grown up in the shadow of 9/11 and terrorism and understood who Osama bin Laden was.”
The president said that the full impact of the mission hit him a few days later when he met the SEALs who had carried out the operation. He said that he gave the pilot of the helicopter that crashed a “pretty good hug.”
“They presented me with the flag that had gone on that mission, signed by all of them on the back and I think it’s fair to say that will probably be the most important possession that I leave with from this presidency,” he said.
Leave a Comment:
Well, it's easy to see where Brian Williams' political leanings are. It's been a slow news week; that's the only explanation for all this NBC coverage. But really, dedicating an entire show to the one year anniversary is all too much for me; I switched off the Nightly News and watched BBC America instead. Needless to say I won't be tuning in for a full hour of the anniversary tonight. I just may stop watching NBC Nightly news altogether.
its the one year anniversary of something that the whole country wanted and cheered about. why wouldnt they talk about it? just because you have to admit obama did a good job and made the right decision and you obviously hate him for whatever imaginary reason that fox news told yo to doesnt mean that we should just ignore what he set out to accomplish and did. if they had failed you would be ridiculing him to no end and so would the entire conservative establishment. they would never tire of talking about it.
Pitt, please NBC is nothing short of a super PAC for the Obama campaign.
Dev--Ah, not like Fox, the admitted mouthpiece for the Republicans. Unlike Fox, NBC will tell both sides of the story and has some journalistic integrity. But, of course, Obama attended a madrassa in Jakarta and Fox had nothing to do with organizing and promoting Tea Party rallies.
Old Vet-462462
I think that is probably the biggest lie you have posted so far.
It's easy to see where Brian Williams' political leanings are. Dedicating an entire hour to the one year anniversary of the killing of Bin Laden is all too much for me. I won't be tuning in for that. I switched over to BBC America as soon as NBC Nightly News started plugging this anniversary this evening. PBS new hour, didn't even mention it. It must have been a slow news week, right Brian?
And it's easy to see where your leanings are. This is the one year anniversary of something that really united this country. This was an historical moment and frankly, as an historian, I was quite interested to see what these folks had to say. Apparently you're not interested in historical events that reflect well on those with whom you disagree. That's too bad. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Old Vet nailed it..again.
Did you count the "I's" in Obama's Afghanistan campaign speech? He was handing out heroism awards to himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JsrSAqRrCc0
count the I s in this video it is priceless!
It's really irritating for you guys, isn't it? Can I get you a box of tissue?
I did an interview with Human Events yesterday on the same subject which hasn’t been published yet, but I made the point that we don’t normally celebrate the anniversaries of deaths of our enemies. When have we ever celebrated the anniversary of Hitler’s death on April 30, 1945? No one has ever suggested we celebrate Saddam Hussein’s death (December 30, 2006) and he was an enemy a lot longer than bin Laden was our enemy. But the difference, I suppose, is that Hussein was captured and killed during the Bush Administration.
From the Daily Mail’s link;
Neither did any of those men issue and order to kill over 3,000 Americans. Further, had the fourth plane succeeded, the White House would have been destroyed. Also, Hitler gutlessly killed himself. Sadam was put to death by his own people. However, given their crimes against humanity I am sure the people of both those countries do celebrate the day of their deaths. I know I would.
If GWB hadn't invested so heavily in his (false) justifications for the Iraq War(as a war on terror) and kept his sights pointed at Bin Laden, things might be different.
The scene outside the White House at the time of the announcement tells you all one needs to know about how important the event was to the American People.
Funny thing..
When Obama travels, and speaks abroad,.. nobody throws shoes at him...
K1200--Does that mean he's not a real American?
Brian: this was a very well done piece. As evidenced by the Obama haters posting, I guess the thing that came through loud and clear to everyone who watched is that the President and the rest of his team did exactly what we expect our leaders to do...act responsibily, make tough decisions and be willing to accept responsibilities.
I just love how all these republicans are having such a hard time with this. It just confirms the fact that when faced with a president who shows true leadership - country over party, these politicians not only refuse to accept it, they simply do not understand it.
Thank you for presenting this to the country. It truly shows the leadership style of this administration and I for one am proud to call him my president.
I will be watching tomorrow morning as Joe, Mika and company take to the air waves and rip it apart.
I assume you are very young for not realizing that Hitler alone took over many countrys and occupied and murdered their leaders not to mention 6 million jews--and saddam put a hit on bush sr---this just scratches the surface
And thank YOU for the thoughtful post. Ironically the haters are probably doing more to hurt their cause by their small minded criticism of Obama over this event than help for it.
So now your spin is "Obama haters"? Why are you not offended by the "anybody who is not a liberal haters." Why do you think no one that has an opinion that doesn't match yours deserves to censored?
We all thought we got rid of people like you when we got rid of Nixon. I know your beliefs are different but your methods are the same.
Rick...criticism is fine except when it's an outrageous lie and hate driven like we are seeing in responses to this article time and again from the RW extremists.
NavyVet65
Rick...criticism is fine except when it's an outrageous lie and hate driven like we are seeing in responses to this article time and again from the RW extremists.
The hypocrisy of the liberal left knows no bounds. You liberals have relentlessly attacked conservative women in a manner you would not tolerate for a liberal female. You liberals use the lowest level insults imaginable for anyone who disagrees with your agenda and then you get all indignant when any one protests or criticizes those methods
Like I posted before. Those of us that had liberal leanings in the early 70s thought we were rid of people like you when Carter was elected but like a Chameleon you all just changed your colors to fit in.
"Rock Center" tonight, 5/2/2012, was absolutely the finest news broadcast I have ever seen in my entire life. Brian Williams is the best.
I remember when he gave the Notre Dame commencement in 2010. He said, "When a future employer asks you where you went to college, you reply, 'I never went to college' (pause) I went to Notre Dame.'"
How anyone could possibly consider voting for anyone other than President Obama is beyond me. Thank you NBC for very positive reporting.
Dr. Earl 820
I would suspect there is a lot that is beyond you.
Rick- I looked you up - you have no friends on these postings that you continually do - did you not get the hint?
Nobody really cares what you think
How sad a voice in the wilderness!
Hey Pittsburg,
Did you not read my Entire post about how Romney AND O BLABLA are working for the same people? Of course you didn't, that would mean that you would have to use a little effort and you can't do that, Just go with what ever CNN or MSNBC tell you. Since you didn't read it I copied and pasted it for you here:
"You are both bought and paid for by the same Slave Masters that want their agendas pushed. BILDERBERG GROUP." You meaning Ol'Mittens and O BlaBla
You see, there is a group of high Elites that until the past 2 or 3 years (only because they have been found out) have met secretly to decide things. They prey on "easy to mold like clay" minds like yours and others to push their agendas. Ron Paul Knows about this and other things (like the Federal reserve is privately owned, or the war on drug is a fake because the CIA ADDMITEDLY have been bringing the drugs into this country (can you say Iran Contra). These are known secrets, they are ALL Admitted. When they get caught they just tell Sheeple to move along, there is nothing to see.
I also wanted to respond to your miss guided facts that Ron Paul can't win, is crazy, and hasn't won any states. Read some clippets from articles around the country. I added a few comments on the tail end:
Ron Paul is winning a majority of delegates in many states, up to 10 or more states this month! But you won't hear that on Fox or CNN etc. Neither will they tell you that Ron Paul has been invigorating liberty supporters by the thousands at his massive rallies.
Surely Mitt Romney found his whitey tighties in a bind when he heard the doctor's numbers in Louisiana where he took more than 70% of the delegates.
Boston.com reports State GOP's caucus picks leave Romney slate slighted, it says, "But when Massachusetts Republicans went to their caucuses on Saturday, many didn't vote for Mitt Romney's picks. Instead, they went for Ron Paul."
Then there is The Daily Caller report, Ron Paul's Minnesota delegate blowout prompts Romney 'panic,' says Paul adviser. Truly that one must have caused the Mitt to place an order for adult diapers when he heard that Minnesota is all about the real revolution, Ron Paul's, that is...It states that Doug Wead's blog points out the panic from Romney due to Paul's major upset. Wead says, "Similar efforts to bolster the Texas congressman's delegate count are underway in Iowa, Colorado, Maine and other states." If that's not all, there is Alaska with over 65% of the delegates standing for Ron Paul. Also, Colorado gave him more than 55% of their delegate count.
And if that is not enough to make you scratch your head and wonder why your local or national news stations haven't given you this information as they continue to tout Mitt Romney as the "projected" winner -- what a crock -- then wait until you see the video above titled, Ron Paul WINNING state Delegate Majorities/Massive Turnout at Rallies.
How's about a teaser of what you'll see above? In Calif., Ron Paul's crowds brought 7,000 to Los Angeles while in Chico 6,000 came to participate in the liberty movement. But make sure you watch the whole thing if you want to see the real truth about the GOP race for the nomination.
Just remember one thing in these times of bias and non-reporting, things aren't always what they seem. Today as I was traveling to my lunch destination, I found myself behind an out-of-state SUV with a bumper sticker on the back, as I fumbled to ready my phone to take a picture, I missed it as the light changed to green. "Oh well, they're everywhere," I thought. "I'll see another Ron Paul bumper sticker I can photograph!"
Ron Paul has apparently secured a majority of delegates in Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington State and possibly other states, and is on pace to do well in others, as the process moves towards the national level. Officially winning just 5 states will mean a formal RNC nomination for Paul.
These are all reports from different REAL Newspapers showing the REAL Reports of who is winning.
Now the Establishment are trying to Demonize Dr. Paul and stating that he is "Stealing" the Delegates. This is how the game is played, but when it does not work for the Establishment and works against them they get upset. They try to make Dr. Paul look like a bad man and tell the SHEEPLE he is up to no good! They tell the SHEEPLE to not like him, or he can't win or "HE'S CRAZY to want to go buy the Constitution", and SHEEPLE like you eat it up like candy and ask for more.
Go find the facts for yourself, Get educated by asking questions. Quit watching fake NEWS FOX or CNN. If you want to come to a battle of brains, bring some Ammo next time! Go back to sleep. Sheeple
Did you mention the racist newletters Ron Paul wrote? Or the fact that he wants to live in women's uteri?
I hope punjig makes bedcheck. The RN's already have enough to do on that wing.
Please post a link to an instance where Ron Paul has voted to limit the freedoms of any group, including women. Personal beliefs and governance are (at least, they should be) separate issues, R.Paul has stated as much, recently, in the primary debates.
Didn't think so.
Rightwing heads exploding. How childish. I could not STAND Bush for all the bad he did. But did he help with AIDS? Yes. I can give him credit for that. It is not in the Repubs souls to give credit when credit is due. So sad and pathetic.
Left wing egos are exploding. I cannot stand Obama for all the bad he has done. Did he give the order to take down bin Laden. Yes. I can give him credit for that. It is not in the liberals souls to take responsibility. And that goes way beyond politics and is the reason the country seems to be going to hell in a handbag.
Tea-publicans are so jealous and bitter it's pathetic. it would be comic if they weren't so willing to destroy everything just to alleviate their bitterness.
What a great report, congratulations to Brian and NBC. I feel grateful that we have intelligent, articulate, bold and communicative leaders like President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, not to mention the heroes of the operation. It was great to see what was going on in the situation room. I'm glad our government officials felt they should share this incredible operation with the people all around the country.
Wow. The Right Wing haters are out in force tonight. Pathetic. King George failed and bankrupted the country on the way out. Republicans could have cared less about America and plotted to destroy Obama. You right wing lunatics don't even deserve to live in America as far as I am concerned. The GOP and all you stupid sheeple following the party of hate, fear and smear are truely the most antiAmerican, unPatriotic, unChristian excuses for human beings I have ever seen. Please America throow out the GOP - they've destroyed America enough. Take your country back from the ignorant, bigoted destroyers of America and vote Democratic for the next 20 years.
The illusion of bipartisan government is equally destructive, especially since there is only one team, and they work, not for 'the People,' but Those people (Corporate lobbies). To blindly vote for EITHER "side" simply because of the letter that follows their name on your ballot, is utter foolishness.
Congrats to Brian and NBC. I feel grateful that we have intelligent, thoughtful, communicative leaders like President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, our military commanders and the guys who carried out the mission. Fascinating to see inside the situation room.
Why are we still talking about the "Situation Room Fairytale," when it was revealed within the first couple of days that there was NO LIVE FEED during the raid? Get it? They were just as easily watching hardcore porn in those photos of the Situation Room. We were, by the grace of evolution, given a prefrontal cortex in which to store memory of events, as they happen, thus making us able to remember, after the fact. Please, please, please use yours.
diatribe - you sir or madam are the most uninformed person who posts here - sorry to say take your little ball and go home never to be seen and heard from again
Adios and good luck in your fantasy world of hate and ignorance - maybe someday which I doubt you will evolve into a thinking human being
OOPS - your kind does not believe in evolution - well I guess you're stuck in your ignorance
In the interim - get lost you are tiresome - Oh Hum!
By the way I love how you hide behind your no-name too cowardly to declare yourself - typical of a Republican
BWAHAHAHAHA! XD
Hate and ignorance?
Republican?
Don't believe in evolution?
I'm a kettle. You're a pot.
BWAHAHAHAHA!
Speaking of evolution...
We were granted, by the grace of evolution, a prefrontal neocortex. This is the part of the brain that enables humans to record experience and memory of events, AS THEY HAPPEN. It is not my fault that your long-term memory is so corrupted by television propaganda that you cannot remember last year clearly.
I do, however, feel sorry for you; both for your need to cling to your "us vs. them" mentality, AND for your clear lack of mastery of the English language.
I suppose the words "hardcore porn" were SO offensive to you that you simply HAD to respond to little ol' insignificant moi?
Shalom, troll. I hope they pay you by the word.
PS- I studied this "evolution" of which you speak as a major.
You may attack me now for not having "friends" on NV. BWAHAHAHAHA!
PPS- My "name" matters as little as yours.
First and foremost it the bin laden mission showed the great military judgment of obama. Once again, it was totally underestimated by mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & bin laden. All they needed to do was to look at what obama did to the 3 somali pirates. He had them shot simultaneously thru the windshield of their boat from another boat while they had their guns pointed to the head of their boat captain hostage. I tell you there was no room for error. One wrong wave and the captain would have his head blown off. And anybody in the nra will tell one thing you do not do for accuracy's sake shoot though windshield glass. No. No. But in fact, in an instant, all three pirates were dead. Before any of them could pull the trigger of their ak-47's. They made the same mistake that mr grover, the gop, the rushbo, & bin laden made. Underestimate obama's judgment. Sure the mission was difficult. But doable. Totally unexpected. The mission like bin laden's defied the odds. And once again people ask. Is obama lucky or good. I tell you nobody is that lucky time and again.
The republicans are going to do anything to discredit Obama. While they were jawing that he was doing nothing, all the while behind closed doors he was working on the elimination of bin lauden. The republicans are crying that he is using this for political gains, but the truth be known, if it were a republican who had accomplished this, they would be doing the same thing. They keep crying that he is doing nothing about Iran, but none of us knows whats going on behind those closed doors. When he does announce a move then the republicans are the first to pounce and say he is giving our advantage away. Hind site is 20/20 and I guess the republicans think that they have pefect vision. Obama is a smart man, and if the republicans are not careful, he will eat their candidate, Romney for lunch.
This will happen whether the Repubs are careful or not. Can't wait for the debates to see the wild eyed look on Romney's puss when Obama shows how it's done.
The "Rock Center" piece about the raid was very good if you are a true patriot.
Zhovti....it was very good if you AREN'T a patriot also. The Romney crowd not only dismissed Obama's credit for the OBL event, they heaped abuse on the veteran news anchor Brian Williams, NBC for daring to air it, and even anyone who watched and applauded. Sour grapes anyone?
Not really, considering OBL was already dead for years.
All - Jon Stuart interviewed Peter Gerber tonight - not only did our president sent in the seals he sent in four chinooks to back them up in case something went wrong - nothing like covering all bases
Boy I really like a brain it's like playing chess - Knight to Queen and always have a King
Too bad you don't use yours for much. If you bothered to pay attention to what was going on in the rest of the world, you would also have been aware that the bogeyman was dead YEARS ago. The only thing you can really know by watching U.S. newsmedia is that you don't know the whole story. Multiple source research can help with that.
You might also consider some kind of mood stabilizer. I hear they are all the rage.
Oh! You meant Peter Bergen... Whatever.
One year after bin ladens death, I am reminded at how the world is a better place without him.
My hearfelt THANKS to the SEAL team, supporting military personnel, and Obama and his staff for ridding the world of this terrorist!
All Americans, regardless of political party, should rejoice that bin laden is gone, and gone forever!
Why now? You didn't bother to pay attention in the nearly ten years beforehand, during which time OBL was dead. In reality, the world is the same, in that respect, as it was before the "raid."
SENATOR OBAMA: And let me tell ya something else that I have had enough of: I've had enough of using terrorism as a wedge issue in our politics!
CROWD: (cheering and applauding)
SENATOR OBAMA: I've had enough of that!
CROWD: (cheering and applauding)
SENATOR OBAMA: I have had enough of that! You know, I, uh... I don't know about you, but I think that the War Against Terrorism isn't supposed to crop up between September and November of even-numbered years --
CROWD: (smattering of laughter)
SENATOR OBAMA: -- and yet that seems to be the pattern
Top aides can talk all they want.
Until photos of a dead bin Laden are released, I, personally, will not believe he's dead.
We saw the video of Saddam's hanging, and the photos of Gaddafi. Why not anything of Osama?
If he's holed up in a dank cell in Romania, great. But that would make his 'death' a lie.
remember, even paranoids have enemies!
Not paranoid, Jack.
I just don't believe a government that lies whenever it's convenient.
sedgwickgrad
Bwahahaha...you wouldn't believe it then either. You'd say they were just photo shopped pics of OBL tanning on the beach. Stick your head further in the sand ,I can still see your ears. (didn't learn much at Sedgwick huh?)
There are no photos because he was already dead.
Please tell me, NavyVet, what is the 'Sedgwick' you think I should have learned from? Since you obviously have your head above the sand, please tell me.
And while you're telling me, please remember you're talking to the mother of a Marine vet, and use the proper respect.
If this had been left up to our republican controlled house of representatives, they would still be arguing over who is and how are we going to pay for the helicopter fuel and the bullets!
The jobs report coming out Friday must be really bad if MSDNC keeps talking about Obama taking credit for what the Seals did.
If only President Obama came to office in 2000. Imagine how history might be different. I can. Perhaps the 9/11/01 might never have occurred but even it they did, it is easy to see what would NOT have occurred. Obama would have gone after bin Laden much more forcefully than Bush did, and he certainly would NEVER, EVER have lost his focus and went ahead and invaded a country who had no involvement in the attacks against us.
God bless you Mr. Obama, you are a good man and a wonderfu president, and this American looks forward to four more years.
Hey Brian, could you shove your head a little more up Obama's ass? Holy @!$%#. What a @!$%#ing Obama suck up. @!$%# you, @!$%# NBC and @!$%# the lamestream media.
Nice @!$%#ing political ad. Will you be doing this for Romney too?
Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Fox News kicks your ass.
And another RWNJ's head explodes.
Wow. Brian, could you jam your head a little further up Obama's ass? I mean, you and your lapdogs in the lame stream media used to simply have your lips permamently glued to his ass, but crap like this shows me and most Americans that you truly are attempting to become one with your messiah.
Nice political ad for your boyfriend. I suppose you will treat us with more of this crap as the general election gets closer? Gee, can't wait.
I'm sure that you and your syncophants in the lame stream media will be doing similar pieces for the presumptive Republican nominee too, right? Hahahahahahaha!
No wonder Fox News continues to kick NBC's ass, as well as CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, PBS, etc.
Plus Obama lied a few times about it: "... “The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden..."
The Obama administration had made clear to the military’s clandestine Joint Special Operations Command that it wanted bin Laden dead, according to a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the discussions. A high-ranking military officer briefed on the assault said the SEALs knew their mission was not to take him alive.
Why not? For more than a decade, the government has said that Bin Laden is the world’s worst terrorist, a terrorist kingpin, the head of the worst terrorist group in the world. But if we captured and interrogated him, he could have spilled a lot of info which would help prevent future terrorist attacks.
We tortured a bunch of innocent farmers, children, grandparents and reporters … supposedly to get information about Bin Laden. But it doesn’t seem like the government was very interested in actually interrogating Bin Laden himself. Why not?
The opportunity to glean valuable intelligence from the leader of a powerful terrorist organization was lost, says retired Army Col. Stuart Herrington, a military intelligence specialist who interrogated generals under the command of Saddam Hussein and evaluated US detention operations at Guantánamo.
Then of course Each and every statement in Obama's May 1st speech at Bagram Air Force base regarding the role of Al Qaeda is a fabrication, a lie.
Obama said, "It was here, in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden established a safe haven for his terrorist organization."
False - Osama was recruited by the CIA, Al Qaeda was set up by with the support of the CIA. His safe haven was protected by US intelligence.
Obama said, "It was here, in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda brought new recruits, trained them, and plotted acts of terror".
Again false - The Mujahideen were recruited and trained by the CIA. America's ally Saudi Arabia financed the Wahabbi coranic schools, Ronald Reagan praised the Mujahideen as "Freedom Fighters". Unknown to the American public, the US spread the teachings of the Islamic jihad in textbooks "Made in America", developed at the University of Nebraska.
Obama said, "It was here, from within these borders, that al Qaeda launched the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children. (referring to the 9/11 attacks)
Yet - To this date there is no evidence that Al Qaeda was involved. Moreover, confirmed by CBS News, on September 10, 2001 Osama bin Laden had been admitted to a Pakistani military hospital in Rawalpindi courtesy of America's ally Pakistan. Did he coordinate the 9/11 attacks from his hospital bed?
Obama said, "And so, 10 years ago, the United States and our allies went to war to make sure that al Qaeda could never again use this country to launch attacks against us".
Again the facts differ with his version - The 9/11 attacks was the justification for waging war on Afghanistan on the grounds of` "self defense". Afghanistan was said to be harboring Al Qaeda and was, therefore, complicit in an outright act of war against the USA.
Yet little publicized was that the Taliban government on two occasions in the weeks following 9/11 offered (through diplomatic channels) to hand over Osama bin Laden to the US Justice system. President George W. Bush refused the offer of the Taliban government, intimating that America "does not negotiate with terrorists".
NATO went to war invoking Article Five of the Washington Treaty: an act of war against one member of NATO is considered an act of war against all members of NATO under the doctrine of collective security.
Obama said, "Despite initial success, for a number of reasons, this war has taken longer than most anticipated. In 2002, bin Laden and his lieutenants escaped across the border and established safe haven in Pakistan. America spent nearly eight years fighting a different war in Iraq. And al Qaeda’s extremist allies within the Taliban have waged a brutal insurgency".
But the Whereabout of Osama bin Laden have always been known to US intelligence. President Obama conveys the illusion that US-NATO forces and their intelligence operatives could not find bin Laden.
Obama said, "But over the last three years, the tide has turned. We broke the Taliban’s momentum. We’ve built strong Afghan security forces. We devastated al Qaeda’s leadership, taking out over 20 of their top 30 leaders. And one year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden?"
Yet a lot was written on this issue. No proof as yet to the identity of the person who was allegedly killed by the Seals Special Forces In the words of Paul Craig Roberts; "The US government’s bin Laden story was so poorly crafted that it did not last 48 hours before being fundamentally altered..."
Obama said, "The goal that I set -- to defeat al Qaeda and deny it a chance to rebuild -- is now within our reach".
Yet it seems that there is ample evidence that Al Qaeda as US sponsored "intelligence asset" is "live and kicking". Since 9/11, Al Qaeda has developed into a multinational entity with "subsidiaries" in various geopolitical hotspots around the world.
In Libya and Syria, Al Qaeda brigades are the foot soldiers of the US-NATO military alliance.
Wherever the US military and intelligence apparatus is deployed, Al Qaeda is present: Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Libya Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), Al Shaabab (Somalia), Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) (Army of Mohammed) (Pakistan), Jemaah Islamiya organization (JI) (Indonesia) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, etc. (See US State Department Foreign Terrorist Organizations, United Nations Security Council, List of individuals, groups, undertakings and other entities associated with Al-Qaida Al-Qaida Sanctions List)
It is ironic that in all these countries, US intelligence is covertly coordinating the activities of Al Qaeda affiliated groups. Officially counterterrorism consists in fighting the Islamic jihad. Unofficially through covert operations, Western intelligence supports their "assets" including terror entities on the US State Department list.
Plus these various terrorist organizations are also now being used in US-NATO covert military operations against sovereign countries (e.g. Libya and Syria). According to Israeli intelligence sources:
"NATO headquarters in Brussels and the Turkish high command are meanwhile drawing up plans for their first military step in Syria, which is to arm the rebels with weapons for combating the tanks and helicopters spearheading the Assad regime's crackdown on dissent. Instead of repeating the Libyan model of air strikes, NATO strategists are thinking more in terms of pouring large quantities of anti-tank and anti-air rockets, mortars and heavy machine guns into the protest centers for beating back the government armored forces."(DEBKAfile, NATO to give rebels anti-tank weapons, August 14, 2011)
Isn't it time we require those serving within OUR government be REQUIRED to stop lying to us?
Isn't it time that mainstream news owned by 6 companies be broken up and we get REAL news REPORTERS here who are NOT under orders from those controlling OUR government?
We have a law that the FCC is SUPPOSED to enforce that require FREE NEWS and not owned by so few so that TRUTH IN REPORTING can exist - Isn't it time "We the People" require it to be enforced?
Isn't it time "We the People" force those who are in OUR government leave whistleblowers alone since they are the ONLY ones reporting on illegal and criminal activities by those serving within OUR government and OUR military?
Isn't it PAST time that we have the Domestic Enemies within the three branches of OUR government arrested and prosecuted?
Isn't it?
Clinton was under impeachment for lying, time for Obama to be also.
Sicko ! Where do these paranoid freaks come from? Stupidity or Insanity--likely
an unholy foul brew of both.
sedgwickgrad
Bwahahaha...you wouldn't believe it then either. You'd say they were just photo shopped pics of OBL tanning on the beach. Stick your head further in the sand ,I can still see your ears. (didn't learn much at Sedgwick huh?)