Osama Code Name: Geronimo

UPDATE, May 5, 2011: Senate Indian panel to discuss racial concerns
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Are Native Americans offended that Osama bin Laden's code name was "Geronimo"?

I'm sure union members would be upset if bin Laden's code name was "Trumka."
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I'm hearing Leftists insist that the mission was called "Geronimo," NOT Osama bin Laden.

That contradicts previous and current reports.

From CBS News Pentagon Correspondent, David Martin:

Target bin Laden: CBS delves into mission to get 'Geronimo'

As the information from the operation flowed into the Situation Room on Sunday afternoon, the president exclaimed, "We got him," based on what he was hearing and seeing. Bin Laden died on the scene, shot fatally in the chest and head.

One official heard a commander on scene say, "Geronimo E-KIA." Geronimo was the code name for Bin Laden; E-KIA is "enemy killed in action."

Clearly, "Geronimo E-KIA" refers to bin Laden.

I think it's odd that the Obama administration has made sure to let the world know that bin Laden's body was treated with care and given a respectful burial.

The corpse was taken to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, officials told ABC News. The ceremony, done according to Islamic law, began about 1:10 a.m. today EST and lasted about 45 minutes, according to officials.

Traditional washing of the body was followed by wrapping in white sheets. A military officer read religious remarks that were translated by a native Arabic speaker, then bin Laden was eased into the sea.

Nice that in death they treat this evil, evil man, killer of thousands of innocents, with such respect but don't give a thought to giving him a code name that could offend Native Americans.

Good grief, it's considered offensive to use Native American names for school teams in Wisconsin. Even positive images are deemed inappropriate.

But call the epitome of evil, Osama bin Laden, "Geronimo."

No problem.

Osama bin Laden = Geronimo

Why isn't that politically incorrect?

Obama has some explaining to do.

Maybe he can hold a Beer Summit with some Native American leaders.

White House Changes Bin Laden Death Details

Apparently, Obama and his administration should have delayed the Osama bin Laden death information that they gave to the public even longer than they did.

The White House had a number of "facts" wrong.

From Politico:

The White House backed away Monday evening from key details in its narrative about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, including claims by senior U.S. officials that the Al Qaeda leader had a weapon and may have fired it during a gun battle with U.S. forces.

Officials also retreated from claims that one of bin Laden’s wives was killed in the raid and that bin Laden was using her as a human shield before she was shot by U.S. forces.

At a televised White House briefing Monday afternoon, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan said bin Laden joined in the fight that several residents of the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound put up against the Navy SEALs during the 40-minute operation.

“He [bin Laden] was engaged in a firefight with those that entered the area of the house he was in. And whether or not he got off any rounds, I quite frankly don’t know,” Brennan said.

At a Pentagon briefing earlier in the day, a senior defense official said bin Laden used a woman as a human shield so he could fire shots. “He was firing behind her,” the official said.

In another background briefing early Monday morning, a senior administration official also said bin Laden put up a fight. “He did resist the assault force. And he was killed in a firefight,” the official said.

However, during a background, off-camera briefing for television reporters later Monday, a senior White House official said bin Laden was not armed when he was killed, apparently by the U.S. raid team.

Another White House official familiar with the TV briefing confirmed the change to POLITICO, adding, “I’m not aware of him having a weapon.”

“The bottom line is the team that entered that room was met with resistance and took appropriate action,” said a third American official.

The White House on Monday night declined to elaborate on the nature of the resistance bin Laden allegedly put up. However, an official confirmed that the Al Qaeda founder was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest.

The misinformation, if it is misinformation, creates uncertainty.

I don't know what to believe.

There seems to be an effort to reconstruct the "facts."

Osama - Obama Media Blunders

Video, from Breitbart.



People make mistakes. There's nothing sinister about it.

Was Ted Kennedy equating Obama with Osama? I don't think so.

Osama: Obama, Democrats - Hypocrites

I've had enough of the Democrats and the Leftists strutting around praising Obama for HIS success in achieving the death of Osama bin Laden.

For years, they attacked and attempted to undermine President George W. Bush and the Bush administration. They vehemently objected to the methods utilized to deal with the terrorist threat and protect us.

Their assault was relentless, accusing President Bush and Vice President Cheney of being war criminals.

WATERBOARDING.

ENHANCED INTERROGATION.

SECRET PRISONS.

WARRANTLESS WIRETAPPING.

Obama was adamant about closing Guantanamo Bay.

He and the Democrats opposed the very methods that allowed for bin Laden to be killed.

Here's a sampling of video, via Mark Levin:

FORMER Sen. Russ Feingold lies and rails against collecting intelligence.



David Gregory lectures President Bush on the interrogation bill.



Matt Lauer accuses President Bush of using illegal methods to obtain information.



Obama signs his first executive order - to close Gitmo.

OBAMA: Guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now.

Of course, that didn't happen.



Dick Cheney defends President Bush and the interrogation methods used to protect the country. This is must-see.



Obama chastises Dick Cheney for objecting to Obama's plan to close Gitmo.



Obama says he "fundamentally disagrees with Dick Cheney."

So, Obama and his Democrat comrades mercilessly attacked the Bush administration, while now they're hoping to take sole credit for getting bin Laden, and wallowing in the news of his death.

It's absurd.

It's a disgrace.

Democrat Gwen Moore wanted President Bush impeached.

Yesterday, she touted the mission, military action within the borders of a sovereign nation. She didn't call for Obama's impeachment because he gave the kill order to get bin Laden in Pakistan.

Moore's statement:

"I applaud our military, our President, and his national security team for ridding the world of the dark presence of Osama bin Laden. He has held the world captive, and his death ends a tragic chapter in a horror story where extremists target innocent civilians with murder, mayhem and fear.

"Bin Laden’s death brings a sense of relief to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and indeed every American. Our global partners and allies and peoples all over the world – regardless of race, creed, color, country, or religion – stand vigilant and unified with us today to rebuke this extremism and break free from the bondage of fear."

Personally, I don't feel a sense of relief. I'm glad bin Laden has been brought to justice, but I don't feel safer at all. This war, and it is a war, is not over.

In sum, Obama and the Democrats are shameless in their hypocrisy.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been vindicated.

Without their efforts and their tireless battle against Obama and the Democrats, bin Laden would be alive today; and Obama wouldn't be planning a 2012 election photo-op at Ground Zero on Thursday.
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UPDATE: During the afternoon White House press briefing, Jay Carney insists that Obama hasn't changed his mind about the Bush policy interrogation methods.

Of course, Obama kept the vast majority of those policies in place, reneging on his promises.

Bin Laden Death Photo

UPDATE, May 4, 2011: WH won't release bin Laden death photo

President Barack Obama has decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden, he said in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," amid concerns that the gruesome image could prove inflammatory.

Obama's decision was reported on the CBS News Web site Wednesday after the president sat for an interview with the news magazine program.

Releasing graphic images of bin Laden's corpse after his shooting in a U.S. raid on his compound could have dispelled doubts that bin Laden is indeed dead. The worry, though, was that it would feed anti-U.S. sentiment.

More, from CBS News:

In an interview with Steve Kroft for this Sunday's "60 Minutes," President Obama says he won't release post-mortem images of Osama bin Laden taken to prove his death.

...Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Wednesday that the Obama administration should not release the gruesome post-mortem images, saying it could complicate the job for American troops overseas. Rogers told CBS News he has seen a post-mortem photo.

"The risks of release outweigh the benefits," he said. "Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."

"Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the internet," he continued. "Osama bin Laden is not a trophy - he is dead and let's now focus on continuing the fight until Al Qaida has been eliminated."

What's Obama talking about?

We saw images of our troops being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. We don't have to imagine what it would be like.

I want to see a photo of bin Laden dead.

Something to go with these images:





Too gruesome?

Too inflammatory?

This from Obama, the man who undermined George W. Bush and his administration at every turn, showing no concern for how it would impact the American troops on the battlefield.

Give me a break!

Hopefully, Obama has the facts wrong about the photo, too. Hopefully, the White House will realize it's a mistake to fail to release a death photo of bin Laden.

Maybe this whole thing is just a dance to make it appear that Obama was forced to release a photo, even though he really didn't want to do it.

The allegedly gutsy Obama should show some guts.
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I believe Osama bin Laden is dead.

I don't think Obama cooked up an elaborate scheme to jump-start his stalled presidency.

I don't think there's any attempt to fake bin Laden's death. There's no conspiracy, but I'm unsure about some aspects of how everything was handled.

There are some questioning the speedy burial at sea of bin Laden's remains according to Islamic law, like Sen. Lindsey Graham.



I think it's strange that the Obama administration is stressing that bin Laden was buried in a respectful manner and in accordance with Islamic law. This evil man who slaughtered thousands deserves no respect. Why try to avoid offending Muslims on the burial issue?

Obama said Sunday night:

Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Obama is saying bin Laden was the enemy of Muslims. Shouldn't Muslims around the world be cheering his demise and thanking the U.S. rather than being ready to criticize the U.S. for dissing him?

The U.S. hunted him down and killed him. This message that bin Laden had a respectful burial is weird.

ABC News reports:

The corpse was taken to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, officials told ABC News. The ceremony, done according to Islamic law, began about 1:10 a.m. today EST and lasted about 45 minutes, according to officials.

Traditional washing of the body was followed by wrapping in white sheets. A military officer read religious remarks that were translated by a native Arabic speaker, then bin Laden was eased into the sea.

Officials said no other alternatives were available.

"We are ensuring that it is handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition," an administration official said. "This is something that we take very seriously. And so therefore this is being handled in an appropriate manner."

What? That's bizarre.

And why slip his corpse into the Arabian Sea so quickly, within 24 hours of killing him, given the circumstances?

That seems a bit hurried and odd to me, but I can accept it. As lame as it is to abide by Islamic rules for the enemy of Muslims, I do accept the government's story.

However, what I need is a photo. I need to see a photo of bin Laden dead.

It has nothing to do with doubts and conspiracies. I just need to see a photo of bin Laden dead.

From ABC News:

As elated crowds celebrated the death of Osama bin Laden after Navy SEALs killed the al-Qaida chief in a weekend raid in Pakistan some are asking, "Where's the proof?"

I wish I felt "elated," but I don't.

I'm glad our great, skilled, brave military brought the evil and cowardly bin Laden to justice. They're heroes.

We can be proud as one nation, but the war isn't over. This is a tremendous victory, but bin Laden's legacy concerns me.

Starting with the morning of September 11, 2001, and continuing today, we've seen many heroes, brave men and women putting themselves at risk to protect us. Thousands of Americans have died in the War on Terror, here at home and on the battlefield.

Bin Laden's dead but there is no peace.

Ending this one life doesn't begin to erase the pain and suffering of the thousands and thousands of bin Laden's victims.

Celebration doesn't seem right to me. It doesn't fit.

Photos depicting a bloodied and bruised face appearing to be that of bin Laden began appearing on Twitter and Facebook last night soon after news of his death spread across the Internet. According to Reuters, an archive photo of bin Laden at a news conference proves that image was a fake. Now people are asking to see the evidence proving bin Laden is dead.

"We have released a tremendous amount of information to date," Obama's top counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said. "At the same time we don't want to do anything that is going to compromise our ability to be as successful the next time one of these guys needs to be taken off the battlefield."

As for the releasing of death photographs, Brennan said that is "something to be determined." But he added they're going to do everything they can to prevent denials of bin Laden's death.

From Pakistan to the U.S. people expressed their skepticism about the death of the man who is perhaps the most infamous terrorist ever known.

"I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Like Sadam I wouldn't have believed it until I saw his body," tweeted MaryGlazerOut.

Eric Solochier, 22, a senior at Penn State University said his dad was one of the firefighters who helped clean up New York City the day following 9/11, so bin Laden's death would be especially meaningful to him -- he wants to believe it, but he's not convinced.

"There has to be some sort of visual or DNA test. You can obviously photoshop anything you want," said Solochier. "They should submit video. It would be somewhat gruesome but it's something we should be able to see. "

I, too, want to see a photo.

It's not that I don't trust the government, but I need an image. Even though I know a photo could be doctored, I still think the Obama administration should let the world see bin Laden dead.

Right now, the images in my mind are the planes flying into the towers, the Pentagon in flames, and the Pennsylvania field smoldering. I see the people jumping from the World Trade Center - such horrific images. And then there are the funerals, all those images from the funerals.

The bin Laden chapter of the War on Terror won't be closed for me until I see him dead.

A photo is necessary.

I'll never get the images of 9/11 out of my head. I want the dead bin Laden to be there, too.
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UPDATE: The death photos

A Senior US Official tells CNN 10 hard drives, 5 computers and more than 100 storage devices which includes discs, DVDs and thumb drives were taken from the compound.

The senior us official also says the White House received 3 sets of photos yesterday. The photos included:

1. Photos of OBLs body at a hanger after he was brought back to Afghanistan. This is the most recognizable with a clear picture of his face. The picture is gruesome because he has a massive open head wound across both eyes. It’s very bloody and gory.

2. Photos from the burial at sea on the USS Carl Vinson. Photos of OBL before the shroud was put on and then wrapped in the shroud.

3. There are photos of the raid itself that include photos of the two dead brothers, one of OBLs dead son (adult adolescent, maybe approx 18 yrs old) and some of the inside scene of the compound.

The official says the challenge is that the picture that includes the most recognizable image of OBLs face – from the hangar in Afghanistan – is so gruesome and mangled its not appropriate for say the front page of the newspaper. On the other hand, this is the one that is most identifiable as him.

I really don't like to see gruesome photos of human beings that have been mangled, even monsters like bin Laden. But this is reality. It's history.

We have the right to see the images. One should have the choice to view them or not.

Jimmy Fallon: Trump, Obama, and Bin Laden's Death

Donald Trump reacted to the death of Osama bin Laden on Monday's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Video here.



Transcript

"DONALD TRUMP": Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know something hugely important and gravely serious happened last night. That's right. The last 16 minutes of Celebrity Apprentice were interrupted by President Obama.

Instead of seeing the thrilling conclusion of the Farouk Hair System hair show challenge, people were forced to watch President Obama inform the nation that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is dead.

I don't know about you, but to me, the message is clear: President Obama is so scared of me and so desperate for attention that he felt the need to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden right in the middle of my show. That's an Obama move.

Mr. President, you mean to tell me that of all the times you could have picked to bring the most wanted man in the world to justice, you had to do it during one of the most exciting boardrooms in the history of Celebrity Apprentice?

I mean, it was great TV. NeNe was yelling at Star. Star was yelling at NeNe. Great, great stuff.

But why couldn't you have interrupted a low-rated NBC show, like America's Next Great Restaurant, or Chuck, or The Event, or Perfect Couples, or Outsourced, or Friday Night... basically any other show on NBC? Where were you during The Paul Reiser Show, Mr. President?

Don't get me wrong. I think it's great news that Osama bin Laden is dead. It's fantastic news, terrific news. But couldn't this news have waited 15 more minutes? This way you could have interrupted - let's see what comes on after The Celebrity Apprentice - oh, yeah... THE NEWS. Maybe you could have waited to announce this news during THE NEWS.

The fact is the President clearly coordinated this secret CIA mission, assassination, and ensuing press conference specifically to cut off the end of my show, The Celebrity Apprentice.

So, basically, I killed Osama bin Laden. So congratulations to me - Donald Trump. Thank you. You're welcome.

Anyway, we now return to whatever the hell is on NBC right now. Honestly, I have no idea. I think it's The Late Times with Jason Fallon.

I'm Donald Trump. And God bless Donald Trump.

Thank you, Mr. Trump, for bringing bin Laden to justice.

Inside Osama Bin Laden's Compound (Video)

ABC News has video from inside the Osama bin Laden "kill site," at Abbottabad, Pakistan.

It's literally a bloody mess.