One thing where Obama has been a failure has been his reluctance to make his administration significantly more transparent than what we are used to seeing from the Bush types.
Now, I am glad Obama oversaw the Kill Osama operation because it probably puts and end to the myth that Republicans know security better than Democrats. Under Clinton and Obama, we saw a lot more focused efforts without wasting too much tax payer money. Under Bush, resources have been diverted so much to Iraq that he failed in the mission to get Osama. The Republicans are looking like ingrates with their reluctant praise of Obama. Obama has let his actions do the talking and it was fun watching right wingers find excuses to praise Bush instead of Obama.
Obama finds it OK to talk about wanting to kill another leader. So why the hush hush after killing the guy. We can take it. Releasing the picture may gross out some people. But it will help more than it hurts. First of all, it removes some of the Osama mystique among his own people. Sure, some people may get riled up and want to attack the US. But a lot of people will see their leaders crushed like an insect and feel at some level, demoralized. It is not exactly martyr like to see their great leader shot up in the head. It is not exactly the visual you see in movies of some great leader shot in the chest who keeps advancing towards the enemy shooter. Its OK to broadcast people jumping from towers on 9/11, showing Saddam;s execution, yet we can't even see a longshot view of Osama being taken away from the house?
ANd this is a question I have for the Obama people. Didn't they ever plan for such an incident's aftermath? Why are they clumsily thinking about what they should release now?
Wouldnt it have been much better if they didn't overthink this issue and invited a few press reporters without cameras and congressmen of both parties and let them inspect the body and call it a day?
Wouldn't we have suspected Bush of some foul play if he pulled off the same crap with disposing off the body without any proof independent of what the adminsitration and the military tells us is the proof? Didn't the military lie about Pvt Jessica or Tillman? Even now, they can't get their story staight on whether Osama fired back or whether he used his wife as a human shield.
Do I believe Osama is dead? Yes. But it doesn't mean we should blindly accept what the administration tells us what is the truth even if the pResident is our guy. We should hold them to a high standard. Obama did a great job right upto Osama's death . But I am not happy with the way they handled it after Osama was killed. I think there is needless worrying about the reaction.
Be transparent about Osama's death. No one is asking the state to divulge secrets on how they tracked down Osama. It's too late to invite the press to view the body. Stop overthinking the reaction and just release some pictures. No one is asking for a closeup of Osama. Just some low res shot.