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That question has sparked criticism from largely the right, though even select leftists have joined in. Enter Arianna Huffington, though, who has denounced the ad as “despicable” in a recent interview with “CBS This Morning,” and even went as far as saying she agrees with the Romney campaign.

Watch Obama’s bin Laden ad here:

The Huffington Post founder said, “I think it’s one thing to celebrate the fact that they did such a great job. It’s one thing to have an NBC special from the Situation Room. All that, to me, is perfectly legitimate. But to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do.”

She likened the ad to Hillary Clinton’s infamous 3:00 a.m. 2008 campaign ad, which at the time sparked criticism for questioning whether then-Sen. Obama had the experience to make the kinds of tough decisions required of the president.

Huffington added, “There is no way to know whether Romney would’ve been as decisive. And to actually speculate that he wouldn’t be is, to me, not the way to run campaigns on either side.”

A former Navy SEAL Team Operator offered a similar complaint, telling the Daily Mail:

“Obama wasn’t in the field, at risk, carrying a gun. As President, at every turn he should be thanking the guys who put their lives on the line to do this. He does so in his official speeches because the speechwriters are smart. But the more he tries to take the credit for it, the more the ground operators are saying, ‘Come on, man!’ It really didn’t matter who was president. At the end of the day, they were going to go.”

Yet, we don’t know whether or not Mitt Romney would make such a declaring call based on the evidence presented in the ad, hence its purpose. Romney may now be saying “even Jimmy Carter” would’ve made the call to target bin Laden, but such a claim isn’t a sure thing and Romney himself criticized the decision a year ago. He also made clear that he thought it’d be foolhardy to make an attack in Pakistan — a 2007 statement the ad documents.

Why exactly isn’t the President allowed to make those comments readily available to the masses as we debate who should lead the country for the next four years? Why can’t he highlight how his point-of-view has helped make us safer? Especially if the accomplishment is something neo-conservatives openly yearned for years ago, but never brought to fruition.

As for other Republican opposition, raise your hand if you sincerely believe a GOP presidential candidate wouldn’t capitalize on such a well-received decision for political gain? After that, take that hand and slap yourself silly in order to snap out of your own delusion. Finally, take a field trip to YouTube and look up all the ads former President George W. Bush used in 2004 that fixated on 9/11.

Watch one of Former President Bush’s campaign ads here:

The interesting part about those campaign clips is that Bush was presented evidence about a potential terrorist attack that he failed to act on. Sure, he was quick to act after the fact, but arguably, his unwillingness to do so beforehand helped cultivate tragedy – making backlash much more so conceivable for his ads than Obamas.

Is it fair to say that the ad is a boast of bravado? Perhaps. Is Obama merely giving the GOP a dose of its own medicine? Surely. Is that wrong? Not if he’s just being honest.

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Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer currently based in Los Angeles. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick

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A selection of documents seized in last year’s raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan house was posted online Thursday by the U.S. Army’s Combating Terrorism Center.

While bin Laden saw al-Qaida’s standing with Muslim populations at risk of crumbling, the documents show he remained focused on attacking Americans and coming up with plots, however improbable, to kill U.S. leaders.

He wished especially to target airplanes carrying Gen. David Petraeus and even President Barack Obama, reasoning that an assassination would elevate an “utterly unprepared” Vice President Joe Biden into the presidency and plunge the U.S. into crisis.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

The world will soon be able to read the last words of Osama bin Laden as he struggled to command the attention of his far-flung terror network.

A selection of documents seized in last year’s raid on bin Laden’s house in Pakistan will be posted online Thursday by the Army’s Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy.

The correspondence shows a leader revered but sometimes ignored by field commanders, who dismissed him as out of touch even as he urged them to keep attacking U.S. targets.

White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said this week that bin Laden’s own words confirm that America is safer with him gone.

Brennan says bin Laden wrote of his worries that his leaders were being killed so quickly the group would not survive.

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“Our goal is to destroy al-Qaida, and we are on a path to do exactly that,” Obama said in an unusual speech to America broadcast from an air base halfway around the world.

He spoke after signing an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to cover the decade after the planned final withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in 2014. Obama said American forces will be involved in counter-terrorism and training of the Afghan military, “but we will not build permanent bases in this country, nor will we be patrolling its cities and mountains.”

In a blunt reminder of Afghanistan’s fragile security situation, a series of explosions and gunfire erupted in Kabul just hours after Obama left, killing at least six people. The attacks occurred near a private armed compound that houses hundreds of international workers. One of the blasts was a suicide car bomb, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The president landed in Bagram in darkness, and his helicopter roared to Kabul for the meeting with Karzai, under close guard with only the outlines of the nearby mountains visible. Later, back at the base, he was surrounded by U.S. troops, shaking every hand. He ended his lightning visit with the speech delivered straight to the television camera – and the voters he was trying to reach back home.

Two armored troop carriers served as a backdrop, rather than the customary Oval Office tableau.

His Republican re-election foe, Mitt Romney, was in New York, where the destruction of the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001, set in motion the decisions that led to the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Romney accused Obama of politicizing the fleeting national unity that came with the death of bin Laden, the 9/11 terror mastermind.

In a statement released by his campaign later, Romney said he was pleased that Obama had returned to Afghanistan, that the troops and the American people deserved to hear from the president what is at stake in the war. “Success in Afghanistan is vital to our nation’s security,” he said.

At the air base, Obama said, “This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end. … With faith in each other, and our eyes fixed on the future, let us finish the work at hand and forge a just and lasting peace.”

Earlier, he delivered a similarly upbeat message to the troops. Noting their sacrifice, he said, “There’s a light on the horizon.”

It was Obama’s fourth trip to Afghanistan, his third as commander in chief. He was less than seven hours on the ground in all. He also visited troops at a hospital at the Bagram base, awarding 10 Purple Hearts.

According to the Pentagon, more than 1,800 American troops have been killed across more than a decade of war in Afghanistan.

Some 88,000 remain stationed there.

The wars here and in Iraq combined have cost almost $1.3 trillion. And recent polls show that up to 60 percent of Americans oppose the continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

In his speech to the nation, Obama said, “I recognize many Americans are tired of war.”

He said that last year, “we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more of our troops coming home. And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country.”

Without mentioning the political campaign back home, Obama claimed that on his watch the fortunes of the terrorists have suffered mightily.

Over the past three years “the tide has turned. We broke the Taliban’s momentum. We’ve built strong Afghan security forces. We devastated al-Qaida’s leadership, taking out over 20 of their top 30 leaders,” he said.

“And one year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin laden.”

In a reference to the destruction of New York’s World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, he added, “As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America … a united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation.”

He spoke for less than 15 minutes, beginning at 4 a.m. in Afghanistan, 7:30 p.m. on the East Coast of the United States. Minutes later, Air Force One was on its way back to Washington.

Obama flew to the site of America’s longest war not only as commander in chief but also as an incumbent president in the early stages of a tough re-election campaign. Nor were the two roles completely distinct.

His presence was a reminder that since taking office in 2009, Obama has ended the war in Iraq and moved to create an orderly end for the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan.

In the political realm, he and Vice President Joe Biden have marked the one-year anniversary of bin Laden’s death by questioning whether Republican challenge Romney would have ordered the daring raid that penetrated the terrorist leader’s Pakistan hide-out. Republicans are accusing the president of trying for political gain from the event, and Romney is insisting that he would indeed have ordered U.S. forces into action.

The deal signed with Karzai does not commit the United States to any specific troop presence or spending. But it does allow the U.S. to potentially keep troops in Afghanistan after the war ends for two specific purposes: continued training of Afghan forces and targeted operations against al-Qaida. The terror group is present in neighboring Pakistan but has only a nominal presence inside Afghanistan.

Obama said the agreement was meant in part to pay tribute to the U.S. troops who have died in Afghanistan since the war began. He also underlined his message to Afghans.

“With this agreement I am confident that the Afghan people will understand that the United States will stand by them,” he said.

Karzai said his countrymen “will never forget” the help of U.S. forces over the past decade. He said the partnership agreement shows the United States and Afghanistan will continue to fight terrorism together. The United States promises to seek money from Congress every year to support Afghanistan.

To the troops, he readily conceded continued hardship.

“I know the battle’s not yet over,” he said. “Some of your buddies are going to get injured. And some of your buddies may get killed. And there’s going to be heartbreak and pain and difficulty ahead.” He added that his administration is committed to ensuring that once the war is over, veterans will be given their due.

Officials have previously said as many as 20,000 U.S. troops may remain after the combat mission ends, but that still must still be negotiated.

The president’s Tuesday night address was coming exactly one year after special forces, on his order, began the raid that led to the killing of bin Laden in Pakistan.

Since then, ties between the United States and Afghanistan have been tested anew by the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. base and the massacre of 17 civilians, including children, allegedly by an American soldier.

Obama had gone twice before to Afghanistan as president, most recently in December 2010, and once to Iraq in 2009. All such trips, no matter how carefully planned, carry the weight and the risks of considerable security challenges. Just last month, the Taliban began near-simultaneous assaults on embassies, government buildings and NATO bases in Kabul.

Besides the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, there are 40,000 in coalition forces from other nations.

President Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai — who has been extremely vocal when expressing his anger that the United States armed forces have been operating as threats, not champions, for his people — at the presidential palace to hash out the terms of the continued, long-term involvement of U.S. military in Afghanistan:

The Pentagon reports:

The agreement charts the long-term relationship between the United States and Afghanistan after 2014. The agreement is meant to reassure Afghans that the United States will continue to support the nation in the decade ahead…

Defense Department officials have said a number of American service members will remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to advise and train Afghan soldiers and police.

According to a recent CNN poll taken in late March, 72% oppose of Americans oppose the war.

As previously reported by Newsone, the relationship between Karzai and Washington D.C. was already on rocky ground after U.S. soldiers “mistakenly” burned Qurans on a military base. President Obama was quick to offer his sincere apologies for the disrespectful act that sparked anti-US sentiment to dangerous levels and reciprocal violence that left at least 30 dead, including 2 U.S. soldiers.

Following that violent incident, U.S. staff sergeant, Robert Bales randomly opened fire on innocent Afghani civilians asleep in their homes. He has now been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder,  including 9 children and 3 women. At the time if the incident, an enraged Karzai said that he had “repeatedly asked U.S. soldiers to stop slaying innocent people” and demanded that NATO forces leave Afghan villages, stop carrying out night raids and withdraw to major bases.

“The Afghan government didn’t receive cooperation from the USA regarding the surrender of the US soldiers to the Afghan government, Karzai said. “This (civilian casualties) has been going on too long. This is by all means the end of the rope here.”

Concerning the actual murders, he made his position even more clear:

“This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven.”

He also called for a swift exit of western troops after seeing the images of U.S. troops posing with dead suicide bombers and calling it “disgusting.”

President Obama has agreed that the breakdown of trust has ruined any chance of the Taliban coming to the table for negotiations in the region and has said “now [is] the time to transition out of Afghanistan.”

Obama’s secret visit coincides with the one-year anniversary of the risky mission that killed al-Qaida notorious leader’s in Pakistan.

To watch the live feed, visit WhiteHouse.gov.

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Read below for a full transcript of President Obama’s address:

Good evening from Bagram Air Base. This outpost is more than seven thousand miles from home, but for over a decade it has been close to our hearts. Because here, in Afghanistan, more than half a million of our sons and daughters have sacrificed to protect our country.

Today, I signed an historic agreement between the United States and Afghanistan that defines a new kind of relationship between our countries — a future in which Afghans are responsible for the security of their nation, and we build an equal partnership between two sovereign states; a future in which the war ends, and a new chapter begins.

Tonight, I’d like to speak to you about this transition. But first, let us remember why we came here. It was here, in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden established a safe-haven for his terrorist organization. It was here, in Afghanistan, where al Qaeda brought new recruits, trained them, and plotted acts of terror. It was here, from within these borders, that al Qaeda launched the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children.

And so, ten 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. 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-havens 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 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. The goal that I set — to defeat al Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild — is within reach.

Still, there will be difficult days ahead. The enormous sacrifices of our men and women are not over. But tonight, I’d like to tell you how we will complete our mission and end the war in Afghanistan.

First, we have begun a transition to Afghan responsibility for security. Already, nearly half the Afghan people live in places where Afghan Security Forces are moving into the lead. This month, at a NATO Summit in Chicago, our coalition will set a goal for Afghan forces to be in the lead for combat operations across the country next year. International troops will continue to train, advise and assist the Afghans, and fight alongside them when needed. But we will shift into a support role as Afghans step forward.

As we do, our troops will be coming home. Last year, we removed 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Another 23,000 will leave by the end of the summer. After that, reductions will continue at a steady pace, with more of our troops coming home. And as our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country.

Second, we are training Afghan Security Forces to get the job done. Those forces have surged, and will peak at 352,000 this year. The Afghans will sustain that level for three years, and then reduce the size of their military. And in Chicago, we will endorse a proposal to support a strong and sustainable long-term Afghan force.

Third, we are building an enduring partnership. The agreement we signed today sends a clear message to the Afghan people: as you stand up, you will not stand alone. It establishes the basis of our cooperation over the next decade, including shared commitments to combat terrorism and strengthen democratic institutions. It supports Afghan efforts to advance development and dignity for their people. And it includes Afghan commitments to transparency and accountability, and to protect the human rights of all Afghans – men and women, boys and girls.

Within this framework, we will work with the Afghans to determine what support they need to accomplish two narrow security missions beyond 2014: counter-terrorism and continued training. But we will not build permanent bases in this country, nor will we be patrolling its cities and mountains. That will be the job of the Afghan people.

Fourth, we are pursuing a negotiated peace. In coordination with the Afghan government, my Administration has been in direct discussions with the Taliban. We have made it clear that they can be a part of this future if they break with al Qaeda, renounce violence, and abide by Afghan laws. Many members of the Taliban – from foot soldiers to leaders – have indicated an interest in reconciliation. A path to peace is now set before them. Those who refuse to walk it will face strong Afghan Security Forces, backed by the United States and our allies.

Fifth, we are building a global consensus to support peace and stability in South Asia. In Chicago, the international community will express support for this plan, and for Afghanistan’s future. I have made it clear to Afghanistan’s neighbor – Pakistan – that it can and should be an equal partner in this process in a way that respects Pakistan’s sovereignty, interests, and democratic institutions. In pursuit of a durable peace, America has no designs beyond an end to al Qaeda safe-havens, and respect for Afghan sovereignty.

As we move forward, some people will ask why we need a firm timeline. The answer is clear: our goal is not to build a country in America’s image, or to eradicate every vestige of the Taliban. These objectives would require many more years, many more dollars, and many more American lives. Our goal is to destroy al Qaeda, and we are on a path to do exactly that. Afghans want to fully assert their sovereignty and build a lasting peace. That requires a clear timeline to wind down the war.

Others will ask why we don’t leave immediately. That answer is also clear: we must give Afghanistan the opportunity to stabilize. Otherwise, our gains could be lost, and al Qaeda could establish itself once more. And as Commander-in-Chief, I refuse to let that happen.

I recognize that many Americans are tired of war. As President, nothing is more wrenching than signing a letter to a family of the fallen, or looking in the eyes of a child who will grow up without a mother or father. I will not keep Americans in harm’s way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security. But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan, and end this war responsibly.

My fellow Americans, we have traveled through more than a decade under the dark cloud of war. Yet here, in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon. The Iraq War is over. The number of our troops in harm’s way has been cut in half, and more will be coming home soon. We have a clear path to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan, while delivering justice to al Qaeda.

This future is only within reach because of our men and women in uniform. Time and again, they have answered the call to serve in distant and dangerous places. In an age when so many institutions have come up short, these Americans stood tall. They met their responsibilities to one another, and the flag they serve under. I just met with some of them, and told them that as Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder. In their faces, we see what is best in ourselves and our country.

Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, coast guardsmen and civilians in Afghanistan have done their duty. Now, we must summon that same sense of common purpose. We must give our veterans and military families the support they deserve, and the opportunities they have earned. And we must redouble our efforts to build a nation worthy of their sacrifice.

As we emerge from a decade of conflict abroad and economic crisis at home, it is time to renew America. An America where our children live free from fear, and have the skills to claim their dreams. A united America of grit and resilience, where sunlight glistens off soaring new towers in downtown Manhattan, and we build our future as one people, as one nation.

Here, in Afghanistan, Americans answered the call to defend their fellow citizens and uphold human dignity. Today, we recall the fallen, and those who suffer wounds seen and unseen. But through dark days we have drawn strength from their example, and the ideals that have guided our nation and lit the world: a belief that all people are created equal, and deserve the freedom to determine their destiny.

That is the light that guides us still. This time of war began in Afghanistan, and this is where it will end. With faith in each other and our eyes fixed on the future, let us finish the work at hand, and forge a just and lasting peace. May God bless our troops. And may God bless the United States of America.”

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He then jumped at the chance to portray presumed Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney as unprepared to make the kind of hard call required to send U.S. forces on that highly risky mission. Without mentioning Romney by name, Obama recommended looking at people’s previous statements on the manhunt for the 9/11 mastermind.

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Obama’s re-election team has seized on a quote from Romney in 2007, when he said it was not worth moving heaven and earth to go after one person. On Monday, Romney said he “of course” would have ordered bin Laden killed, but his campaign criticized Obama for turning the successful death raid to political gain.

“I assume that people meant what they said when they said it,” Obama said at a White House news conference. “That’s been at least my practice. I said that I’d go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they’d do something else, then I’d go ahead and let them explain it.”

Obama is using the May 2 anniversary to help maximize a political narrative that portrays him as bold and decisive. Romney has sought to cast Obama as weak and too quick to compromise on other foreign policy matters, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Obama and his national security team will be featured in an NBC prime-time special Wednesday night that reconstructs the operation from inside the White House Situation Room. White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan discussed Obama’s command of the raid on a Sunday talk show and in a speech Monday.

“The death of bin Laden was our most strategic blow yet against al-Qaida,” Brennan said at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

Credit goes to the special forces who carried out the raid and the intelligence experts who led them to the hideout, Brennan said, “and to President Obama, who gave the order to go in.”

Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALs. The terror leader was living in a compound outside the capital of Islamabad, having evaded capture for nearly 10 years.

Obama sent in the U.S. forces with no assurance that bin Laden was at the site, leading to a heart-pounding scene in the Situation Room that was captured in one of the most famous photos of Obama’s presidency.

“It’s unfortunate that President Obama would prefer to use what was a good day for all Americans as a cheap political ploy and an opportunity to distort Gov. Romney’s strong policies on the war on terror,” Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said Monday. “President Obama’s feckless foreign policy has emboldened our adversaries, weakened our allies, and threatens to break faith with our military.”

Romney was scheduled to appear Tuesday in New York City with firefighters and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to help mark Wednesday’s anniversary of bin Laden’s death.

“I hardly think you’ve seen any excessive celebration taking place here,” Obama said at the news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. His voice was taut and his smile thin.

“I think that people, the American people, rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3,000 of our citizens.”

In 2007, Romney told The Associated Press that it was not worth “moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.”

In a debate days later, he clarified the remark: “We’ll move everything to get him. But I don’t want to buy into the Democratic pitch that this is all about one person – Osama bin Laden – because after we get him, there’s going to be another and another,” Romney said.

Romney was critical of then-candidate Obama’s vow to strike al-Qaida targets inside Pakistan if necessary. Obama said at the time that he would be willing to launch military strikes inside Pakistan with or without the government’s approval.

Ultimately, that’s exactly what Obama did to get bin Laden. The decision outraged Pakistan’s U.S.-backed civilian government and fanned anti-U.S. sentiment across the country.

Romney and his advisers suggested Monday that the decision to order the raid was an easy one.

“Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order,” Romney said Monday following a campaign appearance in New Hampshire.

Romney probably meant that as a jab at the Democratic record on foreign policy generally, but invoking Carter may actually cloud Romney’s message.

Carter demonstrated how dangerous and politically perilous such decisions can be when he ordered an attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran.

The 1980 mission ultimately embarrassed the nation, ending with the death of eight servicemen and the loss of several American helicopters. The hostage crisis lasted more than a year and helped deny Carter a second term.

If the bin Laden raid had gone similarly awry, Obama would have been badly damaged by a military debacle on top of the country’s economic woes.

A spokeswoman for Carter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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It was bin Laden’s hope that, if President Barack Obama was killed, it would make a supposedly unprepared VP Joe Biden Commander-in-Chief, weakening the United States’ defenses against a subsequent al-Qaeda attack.

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But U.S. officials say the plan was no real threat to the President. The Washington Post has more:

The man bin Laden hoped would carry out the attacks on Obama and Petraeus was the Pakistani terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri. “Please ask brother Ilyas to send me the steps he has taken into that work,” bin Laden wrote to his top lieutenant, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman. A month after bin Laden’s death, Kashmiri was killed in a U.S. drone attack.

The plot to target Obama was probably bluster, since al-Qaeda apparently lacked the weapons to shoot down U.S. aircraft. But it’s a chilling reminder that even when he was embattled and in hiding, bin Laden still dreamed of pulling off another spectacular terror attack against the United States.

The terrorist leader urged in a 48-page directive to Atiyah to focus “every effort that could be spent on attacks in America,” instead of operations within Muslim nations. He told Atiyah to “ask the brothers in all regions if they have a brother . . . who can operate in the U.S. [He should be able to] live there, or it should be easy for him to travel there.”

Go to the Washington Post for more on this story.

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SEAL Team Six parachuted into Somalia under cover of darkness Wednesday and rescued an American woman and a Danish man from an outdoor camp where they were being held by Somali pirates, the official said.

The same team executed the mission last May in which al-Qaida leader bin Laden was killed.

The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the top secret operation.

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The U.S. Justice Department filed a motion on Monday to dismiss a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, who requested the images.

“We shouldn’t throw out our transparency laws because complying with them might offend terrorists,”  Tom Fitton President of Judicial Watch said in a statement. “The historical record of Osama bin Laden’s death should be released to the American people as the law requires.”

Read more at the New York Daily News.

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In a response late Monday to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group seeking the imagery, Justice Department attorneys said the CIA has located 52 photographs and video recordings. But they argued the images of the deceased bin Laden are classified and are being withheld from the public to avoid inciting violence against Americans overseas and compromising secret systems and techniques used by the CIA and the military.

The Justice Department has asked the court to dismiss Judicial Watch’s lawsuit because the records the group wants are “wholly exempt from disclosure,” according to the filing.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, accused the Obama administration of making a “political decision” to keep the bin Laden imagery secret. “We shouldn’t throw out our transparency laws because complying with them might offend terrorists,” Fitton said in a statement. “The historical record of Osama bin Laden’s death should be released to the American people as the law requires.”

The Associated Press has filed Freedom of Information Act requests to review a range of materials, such as contingency plans for bin Laden’s capture, reports on the performance of equipment during the May 1 assault on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and copies of DNA tests confirming the al-Qaida leader’s identity. The AP also has asked for video and photographs taken from the mission, including photos made of bin Laden after he was killed.

The Obama administration refused AP’s request to quickly consider its request for the records. AP appealed the decision, arguing that unnecessary bureaucratic delays harm the public interest and allow anonymous U.S. officials to selectively leak details of the mission. Without expedited processing, requests for sensitive materials can be delayed for months and even years. The AP submitted its request to the Pentagon less than one day after bin Laden’s death.

In a declaration included in the documents, John Bennett, director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, said many of the photos and video recordings are “quite graphic, as they depict the fatal bullet wound to (bin Laden) and other similarly gruesome images of his corpse.” Images were taken of bin Laden’s body at the Abbottabad compound, where he was killed by a Navy SEAL team, and during his burial at sea from the USS Carl Vinson, Bennett said.

“The public release of the responsive records would provide terrorist groups and other entities hostile to the United States with information to create propaganda which, in turn, could be used to recruit, raise funds, inflame tensions, or rally support for causes and actions that reasonably could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to both the national defense and foreign relations of the United States,” Bennett wrote.

Navy Adm. William McRaven, the top officer at U.S. Special Operations Command, said in a separate declaration that releasing the imagery could put the special operations team that carried out the assault on bin Laden’s compound at risk by making them “more readily identifiable in the future.” Before his current assignment, McRaven led the Joint Special Operations Command, the organization in charge of the military specialized counterterrorism units.

..

Political pundits and critics have questioned whether the country’s senior leadership knew and did not disclose of  Bin Laden hideout since news that Bin Laden was found hiding in the Pakistani Garrison town of Abbottabad, a small city located about 30 miles from the country’s capitol.

Such assertions have complicated an already tenuous relationship between the Obama administration and Pakistan, a key ally in the War on Terror.

Working to lay such claims to rest, Gates told reporter, “somebody knew,” but said it is irresponsible to wage accusations on the Pakistani government without justifiable evidence.

Read More At NYTimes

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WASHINGTON — United States Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates stated that there was no evidence that anyone in the upper echelons of Pakistan’s leadership knew that Osama Bin Laden was hiding in their country.

The New York Times reports:

“I have seen no evidence at all that the senior leadership knew,” Mr. Gates said. “In fact, I’ve seen some evidence to the contrary.”

Asked if the Pakistani senior leadership should pay a price for apparently not knowing that Bin Laden was there, Mr. Gates replied swiftly. “If I were in Pakistani shoes, I would say I’ve already paid a price — I’ve been humiliated, I’ve been shown that the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity,” he said.

At the same news conference, Mr. Gates said that there had been too much public discussion about the details of the raid and that there were concerns about security for the families of the Navy Seal members who had carried it out.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

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“Adel clearly has operational experience but he does not have the intellectual or charismatic side that bin Laden had.”

Read more at Huffingtonpost.com

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The pornography recovered in bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, consists of modern, electronically recorded video and is fairly extensive, according to the officials, who discussed the discovery with Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The officials said they were not yet sure precisely where in the compound the pornography was discovered or who had been viewing it. Specifically, the officials said they did not know if bin Laden himself had acquired or viewed the materials.

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The blasts in the northwest were a reminder of the savagery of al-Qaida-linked militants in Pakistan. They occurred even as the country faces international suspicion that elements within its security forces may have been harboring bin Laden, who was killed in a raid in Abbottabad, about a three hours’ drive from the scene of the bombing.

“We have done this to avenge the Abbottabad incident,” Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, told The Associated Press in a phone call.

The bombers blew themselves up at the main gate of the facility for the Frontier Constabulary, a poorly equipped but front-line force in the battle against al-Qaida and allied Islamist groups like the Pakistani Taliban close to the Afghan border. Like other branches of Pakistan security forces, it has received U.S. funding.

Sixty-six of the dead were recruits, said police officer Liaqat Ali Khan.

The scene of the blast was littered with shards of glass mixed with blood and human flesh. The explosions destroyed at least 10 vans the recruits were boarding to go home for a break at the end of a recent training session.

Khan said at least 80 people died in the attack, while around 120 were wounded.

It was the first major militant attack in Pakistan since bin Laden’s death in a May 2 U.S. raid in the city of Abbottabad, and one of the deadliest to hit the country ever.

Militants had pledged to avenge the killing and launch reprisal strikes in Pakistan.

Ahsan, Taliban spokesman, suggested the attack was aimed as punishment against Pakistani authorities for failing to stop the unilateral U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, something that has sparked popular nationalist anger.

“Also, the Pakistani army has failed to protect its land,” he said.

The explosive vests were packed with ball bearings and nails, police said.

A vegetable vendor at the site said some recruits were seated in white minivans and others were loading luggage atop the vehicles.

“There was a big blast,” he said. “I saw smoke, blood and body pieces all around.”

Police official Nisar Khan said a suicide bomber in his late teens or early 20s set off one of the blasts.

“The first blast occurred in the middle of the road, and after that there was a huge blast that was more powerful than the first,” said Abdul Wahid, a 25-year-old recruit whose legs were wounded in the blasts.

He said he was knocked to the ground by the force of the explosions.

“After falling, I just started crawling and dragging myself to a safer place … along the wall of a roadside shop,” he said.

The Sept. 11 mastermind and at least four others were killed by U.S. Navy SEALs who raided bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, a garrison city not far from the capital. Bin Laden is believed to have lived in the large house for up to six years.

Pakistani officials have denied knowing he was there but have criticized the American raid ordered by President Barack Obama as a violation of their country’s sovereignty. To counter allegations it had harbored bin Laden, they have pointed out that tens of thousands of their own citizens have died in suicide and other attacks since Sept. 11, 2001, when Islamabad became an ally of the U.S. in taking on Islamist extremists.

Many of the attacks in Pakistan have targeted security forces, but government buildings, religious minorities, public places and Western targets have also been often hit.

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According to information seized during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, Al-Qaeda considered attacking U.S. trains on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

NBC.com reports:

The information about a possible train plot is the first intelligence revealed from the trove of material found in the attack on bin Laden’s compound. Officials said they found what they call “aspirational” items — things al-Qaida operatives were interested in trying to make happen.

A government advisory obtained by NBC News and sent Tuesday to the rail industry said that as far back as February 2010, al-Qaida was contemplating “an operation against trains at an unspecified location in the United States on the 10th anniversary” of the 9/11 attacks.

U.S. officials report no recent intelligence indicating that such a plot is active.

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No, I am not.

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Yes, Obama and Osama sound a lot alike. But the reason for the consistent confusion of these names by award-winning journalists, seasoned copyeditors, and political thought leaders is not that simple. The repetition of this blunder is a Freudian slip that shows how far we have not come in terms of living the dream of a post-race America. A dream that many Americans ironically believe Barack Hussein Obama represents. (I wonder what Obama Bin Laden thinks.)

The challenge of keeping Osama and Obama straight might stymie the average American, but this inaccuracy has been replicated twice by FOX news, and by more respected sources like BBC, CNN and Salon. The staffers of these newsrooms are supposedly at the top of their game — and none of them can distinguish between an “s” and a “b”? The article commissioned by Salon is a detailed excuse for these inaccuracies, but doesn’t explain why these gaffes curiously don’t happen when people of European descent are involved.

There is something deeper at work here. Something achingly familiar. The overwhelmingly white news creators who confuse “Obama” with “Osama” are a sad reminder of the fact many still subconsciously believe “all brown people look alike.” This inability to notice the differences between people outside of one’s race is far more common than even liberal people want to admit. But we have all experienced it – being called the only other black person working in the same office, or being told by a stranger that you look “just like” an African-American celebrity that you bear no resemblance to. Calling Obama “Osama” reeks of this common human tendency.

The American Psychological Association posted a report on our penchant for generalizing, stating that “people place inordinate emphasis on race categories–whether someone is white, black or Asian–ignoring information that would help them recognize people as individuals.” This incapacity of the American news media to see people as individuals because of their race is a documented circumstance. A few recent examples include:

-In March of this year, The New York Post ran a picture of Keri Hilson with a story about Mary J. Blige.  Simple human error, of course.

-In August of 2010, the same paper published an extensive piece featuring BET founder Bob Johnson and Desiree Rogers, who had just been named CEO of Johnson Publishing.  The problem is that there was no connection between them, except that the name Johnson was involved, and they are both black.  So all black people look alike, and are somewhat related?  Explain that, linguists.

-And don’t forget the confusion of black newbie actress Rutina Wesley with veteran thespian Regina King in an Emmys photo caption in 2010. This mix-up stung the latter star so much that she penned a wrathful open letter to the media community. Maybe that happened because both of their names begin with “R.” Probably not.

The confusion of Obama and Osama demonstrates this propensity in the media towards mixing up all brown people, and their often “foreign” names. It’s an extension of the subconscious stereotyping that often takes place between whites and non-whites in this country. The fact that this is happening in such a public way is the only aspect of the situation that is new. Making excuses for it unfortunately isn’t new at all. (By the way, the editors of Salon should read my post on studies proving racism actually exists, and is often subconscious. They could have saved on linguists’ fees.)

These messy slips of tongue have stained the victory of our first black president with a shady reminder that there is something about him people will always see as different, because he is black with a Muslim name. This lurking attitude is unacceptable at this time from our culture creators.

This nation was designed from its roots to be the one place on earth where a human being could come from another culture and develop a new life based on earned status while retaining the best of one’s previous identity. The reason we have O’Briens, Olssons, and Zimmermans is because everyone comes from someplace else, and worked to fit in while loving who they are. And that worked pretty well, if you were white. Now is the time to extend that form of love between all racial groups by promoting true understanding of “foreign” names, foods, religions, holidays and other cultural aspects that infuse our great nation with its enriching diversity.

Names like Singh, Ali, and Abood should no longer feel so foreign – nor should the souls that bear these names. Recent U.S. Census results have made it clear that we need to get more comfortable pronouncing names like Rodriguez. We can open our hearts and minds to different kinds of people by retraining our ears and eyes to distinguish the differences between them. Seeing our differences clearly is a key way to demonstrate that we respect our varied citizens as full people.

So please Salon, and all you other large, professional news organizations: No more excuses. Get on the multi-racial bandwagon. Talk about the similar sounds between the Obama and Osama names, but also think about the underlying issues that make you seek out round-a-bout explanations for what is apparent, yet hard to admit. Get it together, and keep your brown people straight.  It might help if you hired some.

And knowing that you have these issues, get an extra proofreader.

Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter.

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The statement said al Qaeda will “continue on the path of jihad, the path walked upon by our leaders, and on top of them” bin Laden “without hesitation or reluctance.

Read entire article at CNN.com

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Religion gives God a bad name.

Unfortunately, all some crackpot usually has to do to get a following is cloak himself in one or more tenants of an existing religion and folks will follow him like he’s the New Prophet.

And the problem is there are, quite simply, so many tenants.

Like, let’s say Osama bin Laden tried to justify his actions by using the Qur’an and saying that in ordering the bombing of the World Trade Center, he was only following Surah 2:256 which says: “Warfare is ordained unto you, although it is hateful unto you.”

The counter argument is, of course, Surah 2:190 which says: “Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors.”

Is it possible that bin Laden knew one Surah well and missed the other one entirely? Not if he was as stern a believer in Sharia as he was rumored to be.

He also must have missed Surah 6:151 which says: “Slay not the life which Allah hath made sacred, save in the course of justice.”

It would be difficult to argue that death was a warranted justice on 9/11 for nearly 3,000 people, specifically when you consider that, by percentages alone, anywhere between 12 and 69 of those people must have been fellow Muslims.

Most importantly, as a holy man, bin Laden had a responsibility to act according to Surah 22:108-109 which reads: “Say: It is only inspired in me that your God is One God, Will ye then surrender (unto Him)? But if they are averse, then say, I have warned you all alike…”, but bin Laden didn’t get around to “warning” America about her evil self until he did so in a letter written in October of 2002.

By anybody’s math, that’s clearly after 9/11/2001.

So was Osama bin Laden a “true” Muslim?

Well, he certainly didn’t go by the book.

But of course, like Surah 74:38 says: “Every soul is a pledge for its own deeds.”

Personally, I’m just trying to follow Surah 2:282 which says: “…No scribe should refuse to write as Allah has taught him, so let him write…”

Amen.

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Roland Martin talks with Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, about details being released on the acquisition of Osama Bin Laden.

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Roland Martin talks with Major General (Ret.) John Hawkins about the death of Osama bin Laden.

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“When the twin towers came down, I was horrified and I was glued to that television set for several days,” Weddle said during an interview with KOMO News in June of 2003. “And (I) realized that not only was I not taking showers, I wasn’t shaving.”

Weddle says that’s when he decided not to shave until Osama bin Laden was captured or killed because he wanted those around him to remember the terrorist attack.

VIDEO:

Read entire story at ABC15.com

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Newark, NJ mayor and President Obama supporter, Cory Booker to pointed towards future commitment to peace:

Melissa Harris-Perry, Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University also expressed feelings of loss and anger – but ultimately conveyed a hopeful outlook:

Check out more tweets from other notable figures at TheLoop21

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Obama’s comments on Sunday night were clearly directed not just to the American public but to the world, evoking images of the horror of 9/11 in an effort to dampen any possible al Qaeda propaganda value from bin Laden’s death.

By contrast, the tactics and the rhetoric of Bush’s “war on terror” — most notably his decision to invade Iraq and the torture of Muslims in Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and elsewhere had served as al Qaeda’s most potent recruiting tools.

And to a nation of people who, nearly ten years after the terrorist attacks in America, are overwhelmingly despondent about both of the wars launched by Bush, Obama was at long last able to deliver something that, at least for a moment, seemed like victory: “The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda,” he said.

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1) Obama got his man. Nothing irks Republicans so much as a Democrat they can’t paint as being soft on crime or terrorism. Obama’s hit on Osama Bin Laden will go down as one of the most masterful  military operations in American history. No one is shooting this sheriff.

2) The GOP doesn’t have their man. Or woman. For all the fire and brimstone of the Tea Party movement in the 2010 mid-term elections, the Republicans have not yet produced a viable candidate for 2012. Sarah Palin — who has the best brand recognition, the goodwill of conservatives, and the added bonus of being a woman — has phased herself out of the running with each attempt to cash in on her fame. Michelle Bachman is too crazy even for the crazies. Trump has been slapped back into reality (TV) by Obama’s one-two combination: the Correspondents Dinner and the killing of Osama bin Laden. Mitt Romney is about the only sane one, and he has all the mojo of a dead fish. Unless Bloomberg decides to run as a Republican, it ain’t gonna happen for them.

3) The economy is looking up. We know that sensible people disagree on this assertion. But if you look at the general direction of the important indicators, the odds are in Obama’s favor as the sitting president who presided over a miraculous recovery, albeit incomplete.

4) They’ve got no way to get Black and Latino voters. With the census data going the way it is, its increasingly difficult to win national elections without people of color. And now that the “birther” movement has made it clear that brown and black skinned people — no matter how high they rise in American society — may be called upon to prove their citizenship, Republicans have basically told young multiculturals that they are not welcome in the party, nor in their vision of the nation.

5) Fox News needs ratings. A Republican in the White House will deprive Fox News of its cherished target. And with Glenn Beck on the wane, can they really afford to let Fox wither?

In fact, come to think of it, the Republicans should just concede 2016 as well, unless they can field a candidate who can make the peace with a younger, more multicultural America.

Click here for NewsOne’s latest updates on death of Osama Bin Laden

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The graffiti, which included comments like “Go Home” and Osama Today Islam tomorow(sic)” was found hours after Pres. Obama anounced that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden.

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These militants, known as the mujahideen would rebel the Russians out of Afghanistan and later become the Taliban, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood.

One of the most prominent members of he mujahideen was a wealthy son of a Saudi Arabian businessman named Osama Bin Laden.

National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski visited Afganistan in 1979 and met with Bin Laden and even took a picture with him. Brzezinski would tell the mujahideen

We know of their deep belief in God, and we are confident their struggle will succeed. That land over there is yours, you’ll go back to it one day because your fight will prevail, and you’ll have your homes and your mosques back again. Because your cause is right and God is on your side.

The BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Russian journal Demokratizatsiya have all written that the CIA and U.S.A. funded and supported Bin Laden during the Afghan war.

Former British Foreign secretary, Robin Cook said:

Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan.

Several other authors, journalists and statesmen have all made the claim that Bin Laden was funded, armed and trained by the CIA to fight off the Russians.

After Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981, U.S. funding of the mujahideen increased significantly and CIA Paramilitary Officers played a big role in training, arming and sometimes even leading mujahideen forces.

The CIA trained the mujahideen in many of the tactics Al Qaeda is known for today, such as car bombs, assassinations and other acts that would be considered terrorism today.

The U.S.A. would fund Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a mujahideen leader and alleged heroin dealer who worked closely with Bin Laden. Hekmaytyar and his political party/paramilitary group would receive more than $600 million from the USA. Author, Alfred McCoy, would claim that the CIA supported Hekmatyar in his illicit heroin trade to allow him to fund the mujahideen.Like Bin Laden, Hekmatyar has also become an enemy of the U.S., waging a war against coalition forces in Afghanistan after 2001.

America must learn from the foreign policy mistakes of our past. These mistakes have lead to the creation of our enemies, such as Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noreaga, and Osama Bin Laden. The enemy of our enemy is not always our friend, most often they become our enemies too. As America gives aid to rebels in Libya and other countries we must be cautious not to create another Bin Laden.

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A further irony during my stop is that Ziggy Marley, singer, songwriter, and son of the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley, happened to be performing in Memphis that afternoon, and too was drawn to Dr. King’s final life moments. So there we were, me and Ziggy, discussing briefly, the pull we both felt to pay our respects to Dr. King.

A few hours later the president, Barack Obama, announced to America, and the world, that Osama Bin Laden, the assumed mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3000 people, mostly Americans, at the World Trade Center in New York City, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and via a plane crashing in the state of Pennsylvania, had been murdered by American forces.

I have very vivid memories, like most of us, of that awful day. I had given a speech the night before at Syracuse University, and was planning to board a plane back down to New York City that morning. But that would not happen. As I talked on the phone with my dear friend April Silver, I flipped on my hotel television set, at her urging, and, at that very instant, one and then a second plane crashed into the Twin Towers. Shock and complete numbness are not adequate words to describe what I felt. When I finally made it back to New York on September 12th, it was aboard an Amtrak train because airplanes were not going anywhere at that point. Never in my life did I think I would witness Manhattan, New York City’s busiest and most crowded borough on any given work day, so completely absent of people on the streets. It was utterly surreal.

Link: America, United And Divided In Celebration

And more surreal, over the next several weeks, were the crowds of people gathering at Union Square and other spaces, posting pictures of loved ones lost or missing, of Americans of various backgrounds coming together in ways previously unseen (I knew two individuals who died at the Twin Towers). Also very surreal were the sudden and over-the-top displays of patriotism, the instant anti-Muslim backlash (and physical attacks on people who appeared to be Muslim); and not long after George W. Bush and his administration leading America, step by step, into Iraq and Afghanistan, with thousands of young military personnel losing their lives.

Now America is also engaged in Libya, we are watching revolt and revolution happen throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, against leaders and governments our nation has often supported or propped up, even as their citizens were being denied very basic human and civil rights. Finally, there is the endless war between Israelis and Palestinians, their collective song about “peace in the Middle East,” which never seems to come to fruition in spite of the conversations from both sides of this historical and very bloody beef.

So when President Obama announced the murder of Osama Bin Laden, by covert operations carried out by military personnel and under the charge of America’s Central Intelligence Agency, I understood why some Americans took to the streets cheering, celebrating, waving flags. And I understood why family members of those nearly 3000 who lost their lives feel a profound sense of justice, 10 years later. Osama Bin Laden is the poster boy for evil committed against America.

To that end, Mr. Obama’s speech was direct, forthright, and he used the sort of words and phrases I’ve heard from American presidents including Reagan, Clinton, and George W.: “securing our country,” “our sacrifices to make the world a safer place,” and “our resolve.” I don’t doubt Mr. Obama’s sincerity, but it certainly also was clear he was reading a teleprompter or, dare I say it, a script. A script that said we, America, somehow have the moral authority to murder when we’ve been wronged.

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Osama bin Laden

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I respectfully disagree with that position, with the notion that might create right. No matter how evil someone or their actions may be, I just cannot celebrate violence in any form. If it is wrong in my Brooklyn, New York community where violence is completely out of control—from gun violence to domestic violence to bullying—then it is also wrong globally. That is why I feel where Mr. Obama was incorrect in his speech, and where we’ve been incorrect, for a very long time, as Americans, is thinking that other nations, or terrorists, or this or that enemy, are simply picking on us because of our “freedoms.” There are enough articles, blogs, books, and documentary films out there, if one actually cares to research American history and American foreign policy, to let one know we’ve been, on numerous occasions, as violent toward others as others have been toward us. And, yes, we’ve even started quite a few of the clashes ourselves. This is not just some one-way street with our nation as the helpless, hapless victims. For sure, as Mr. Obama spoke, I thought about Dr. King’s famous and controversial speech on Vietnam, about his call for nonviolence everywhere, not just in America, of how we as a nation, in many ways, were the biggest purveyors of violence on the planet. Dr. King was roundly attacked and ostracized for his words, but I feel he was profoundly prophetic. 43 years since his assassination, the scenes have changed but the themes remain largely the same. Our nation just cannot get itself out of the endless loop of violent madness and mayhem. And you begin to wonder if we really want to, if we are so addicted to violence as the solution for conflict that we think there is no other way?

That is one of the main reasons why when Barack Obama was elected president on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, there was a worldwide outpouring of joy. People of all creeds saw not just the historic election of a Black man, a biracial man, in America, but the hope, the possibility, that he would be different, would do different, than his presidential predecessors. That Barack Obama would be, could be, a Dr. King-like figure, one who would work to bring people together, who would use diplomacy, as Nelson Mandela had in post-apartheid South Africa, instead of bombs, love instead of violence, with peace as the prime objective instead of chaos and confusion.

Link: Obama, America Must Stay Vigilant

Moreover, we seem to forget that much of the world does not really care much for America. There is the perception that we are arrogant, that we are the self-appointed global police, even if it is sometimes under the cover of NATO or this or that coalition. These feelings were not birthed in a vacuum. If we just examine the Egyptian revolt from earlier this year it becomes clear why people feel the way they do. We financed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak for three long decades, turned our heads on his abuses of power and the people, then initially announced we were standing by him until it became clear Egyptians weren’t having it. In other words, we cannot continue to claim we believe in democracy in America, while simultaneously condoning and aiding the opposite overseas. Nor can we continue to claim democratic values at home when poverty, attacks on workers and labor unions, horrific public schools, and a depressed economy and high unemployment have essentially created the same climate of citizen discontent in places like New York and Wisconsin as they have in the Middle East. No, Mr. Obama is not responsible for society problems, but he is the president, the leader, now, so it is his watch that demands changes. And action.

I believe it is for that reason Mr. Obama was given, extremely prematurely, a Nobel Peace Prize just a mere 9 months into his presidency. The feeling, perhaps very naively, was that he would transform America, and the world. I believe he still can, and I definitely am supporting President Obama for re-election in 2012. But Barack Obama, nor the American government, is above criticism or accountability. In his speech the president stated, “We are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to.” I agree. But I say we need to set our mind to being a different kind of nation in these early years of the 21st century, a nation that pushes peace instead of war, a nation that ceases to dwell in the us-versus-them mentality, and instead sees the collective humanity of the global community. Either we are going to be bridge builders or bridge destroyers. And the death of Osama Bin Laden is not cause for glee, street parties, or fist bumps. Nor should we foolishly be emailing images of Ground Zero of Bin Laden celebrations. What, precisely, is the point of that? And what does it say about our collective souls, as Americans, where death and murder becomes cause for happiness and merriment? Bin Laden being dead is not going to bring back those nearly 3000 lives. Our mission should be how do we prevent such a thing from ever happening again, what steps can we take as a government, as an American, to create goodwill on the planet?

So, at present, and in spite of Bin Laden’s murder, violence, war, and terrorism are not over, not by a long stretch. None of that will end until we help to make those things end. Our current mindset and foreign policy approach will only lead to more dead young American soldiers, more attacks on Americans here at home and abroad. And the entire world, including us, will be perpetually distrustful, forever looking over our shoulders and living a life in fear, that fear framed by metal detectors, security cameras, and sharp glances at people who appear to be different from you and I, whoever you and I think we are. And what, seriously, does any of that have to do with our democratic principles; with this grand experiment we call American democracy?

Perhaps that is why “founding father” Thomas Jefferson said, “Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.” In other words, yes, Osama Bin Laden is dead, but now we have a very unique opportunity to go a different course, to create a lasting legacy of peace, in our lifetimes.

That is the great challenge for Mr. Obama. That is the great challenge for us all—

Kevin Powell is an activist, public speaker, and award-winning author or editor of 10 books, including Open Letters to America (essays) and No Sleep Till Brooklyn (poetry). Kevin lives in Brooklyn, New York. Email him at kevin@kevinpowell.net or follow him on Twitter @kevin_powell

Infidel.

It’s what the Christian Right and the Tea Partiers accuse Obama of being: Secret Muslim. Foreigner. Traitor.

It’s also what some in the Muslim world may have branded Obama for failing to adopt the faith of his fathers.

And now that Obama has martyred the Muslim world’s foremost zealot — exasperating his enemies at home and infuriating them abroad — he has become more than ever a target for the rage of those who see their triumphalist worldview being vanquished before their eyes.

Click here for NewsOne’s latest updates on death of Osama Bin Laden

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OPINION: Obama, Osama, And The Second Crack Commandment

Obama, as America’s first Black president, has always required extra vigilance from the team that protects his life; a vigilance that has been found lacking on a number of occasions. After this, he will need double. In fact, we are all marked. All Americans must keep their eyes peeled now for danger. In our airports and on planes. On public transportation and in public spaces. On the streets and in our harbors.

Stay aware. Be safe. We won a milestone victory yesterday, but the War of Worldviews is not over just yet.

Dan Charnas is the Editorial Director of NewsOne.com, and the author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (New American Library/Penguin, 2010).

Click here for NewsOne’s latest updates on death of Osama Bin Laden

Link: The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

OPINION: Obama, Osama, And The Second Crack Commandment

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On my blog in 2008, just weeks before Obama’s election, I wrote about the Bush /Republican war strategy:

Instead of using covert operations and espionage that might create real intelligence about terrorists, they launch hamhanded, full-scale invasions of countries, which is kind of like trying to swat a fly with a construction crane.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were questionable by any moral, ethical standard, or religious or otherwise. But  a few of us Americans in the hip-hop generation saw in those campaigns the violation of another code of conduct, lesser known but no less true:

Number Two: Never let em know your next move/
Don’t you know bad boys move in silence or violence?

– “Ten Crack Commandments,” The Notorious B.I.G.

The Republicans of Bush and Cheney’s ilk fancied themselves tough guys, and caricatured liberals and Democrats as pie-in-the-sky peaceniks and wimpy warriors. But these conservative chicken hawks were terrible at war. Their “smoke-em-out yeee-hah” cowboy foreign policy ultimately cost the world exponentially more lives than were lost on 9/11 and didn’t focus on the people who truly threatened our homeland. The neo-cons, armchair warriors all, didn’t know the first thing about true grit.

Link: The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

Even Biggie could have told them: The conflicts of the 21st century require the patience, forethought, caution, and most importantly, the reticence that Obama promised to bring to bear. Last night, those philosophies triumphed over Bush’s brutal bombast and imprudence.

Like many liberals, I’ve found Obama’s tragic flaw to be his addiction to moderation and his compulsive need to be seen as a conciliator. But the War on Terror has proved to be one area where his restraint has proven potent, and deadly to his enemies. I only wish he’d move in for the kill with his domestic political enemies to push the policies that the weakened middle class and poor so desperately need.

He might. Obama has proven, once and for all, that he understands the value of stealth, and — in a life or death situation — is surprisingly good with the knife.

Dan Charnas is the Editorial Director of NewsOne.com, and the author of The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop (New American Library/Penguin, 2010).

Click here for NewsOne’s latest updates on death of Osama Bin Laden

Link: The 11 Most Compelling 9/11 Conspiracy Theories