Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
Claire Berlinski, Ed. ·
May 2, 2011 at 10:22pm
And the video of the entire raid. And put the DNA evidence on line, with a clear explanation, in every major language of the world, of "DNA evidence," what that means, and how this analysis was done. This is no time to scruple about delicate viewer sensibilities.
I say this as someone who lives in a country where conspiracy theories gather force like tornados. With every day they gain traction, they become harder to put to rest--until, as we've seen recently with the birth certificate business, they're an unstoppable force.
The world needs to be sure he's dead.
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Comments :
Sep '10
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
There is no doubt they will end up releasing the photos. There is also no doubt that it will slow down, but never entirely stop, the conspiracy theorists and their imaginings.
Jan '11
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
I'm not so worried, to be honest.
When the courier shows up with nothing for a few weeks, they'll know that bin Laden sleeps with the fishes.
On the other hand, I read somewhere that bin Laden had already prepared a radio announcement. I think we all know what al-Qaeda will do. They'll send out the radio announcement over al-Jazeera, probably ordering a terrorist act somewhere pre-planned, and then set off a bomb where bin Laden suggests. That will have the appearance of bin Laden issuing a live order, and his henchmen carrying it out.
My guess is that al-Qaeda already had it planned. None of the cells will need to be told. They already had this contingency planned for.
Me? I'd immediately tell the world that we expect this little charade. Tell the world that we expect this juvenile response. Cast it as a lame answer to a bullet.
Then ... show the pictures.
Nov '10
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
Here's a meta-conspiracy theory.
If the Obama administration deliberately deferred release of Obama's long-form birth certificate to stoke crackpot theories among right-wingers that could later be use to discredit them wholesale, might the adminisration not do the same with the evidence for Osama's death?
Aug '10
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
I could be entirely wrong about this, but I agree with those who say that the political Osama that we needed to worry about, the one capable of calling himself the strong horse compared to the US weak horse and inspiring others to rally to his cause, died a slow ignoble death in the decade of ineffective skulking. That political death was due to the perseverance and tenacity of the US military over that decade, in a hard and thankless slog through multiple theaters, reducing al Queda to a pathetic force that could bring only misery to those it hoped to inspire.
The more recent death of Osama the man, while more dramatic, was not the more important victory.
So do we need to prove that Osama the man is dead? Can we, to the satisfaction of those who see conspiracy everywhere? Does this feed the twisted narrative that everything we have done in the last ten years was because of this one pathetic man?
Edited on May 3, 2011 at 7:12amDec '10
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
I agree, in principle, Claire, but not in this specific. There is too much that must be classified about the video (e.g., glimpses of personnel), so the video must be altered. An altered video will accomplish even less than a complete video that certain types will still quibble over.
Those that will question Bin Laden's demise are no less tenacious than those that will continue to claim that Bush, not Bin Laden, brought down the towers. DNA evidence to such people will have no more impact than it had upon the OJ jury.
I do think that perhaps his head on a pike could have been loaned out to the students at "Jesus Green", to be paraded about amongst witnesses, but still there would have been plenty of doubters, so why bother?
Re: Show the Photos, As Fast as Possible
I'm with CJRun on this. Photos, DNA results, yes. But video runs the risk of exposing tactics, methods, equipment, etc. You can bet our guys are reviewing the video in meticulous detail, gleaning lessons learned. We don't want our enemies taking notes too.
Edited on May 3, 2011 at 4:39pm