Targeting Bin Laden.
Hello all,
I just saw a very illuminating documentary called Targeting Bin Laden on the History Channel. When Bin laden was shot last spring Democrats, Republicans, and partisans rushed to take credit for the success in finally hunting down Bin Laden. The documentary points out that no one really knew if Bin Laden or some other ranking Al Qaeda leader was at the infamous compound in Afghanistan or not. Some of the best intelligence analysts thought the chances were 30% some 80-90%. President Obama simply chose to take the risk.
It's just how a lot of historical decisions work.
The Day We Got Bin Laden
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswe...-takes-viewers-inside-the-situation-room.html
Barack Obama: Some of our intelligence officers thought that it was only a 40 or 30 percent chance that bin Laden was in the compound. Others thought that it was as high as 80 or 90 percent. At the conclusion of a fairly lengthy discussion where everybody gave their assessments, I said, “This is basically 50–50-.” It was circumstantial—we couldn’t know for certain.
At the end of that meeting, which was fairly tense, I told folks I would sleep on it. And I would give an order in the morning.
Ben Rhodes, deputy national-security adviser for strategic operations: We were all waiting with bated breath to get the final decision back from him.
John Brennan, assistant to the president for counter-terrorism and homeland security: The stakes were just too damn high.
Thomas Donilon, national-security adviser: He gathered us in a semicircle around him. And he said, “I’ve thought about the options. I’ve considered the decision and it’s a go.”
Obama: Even though I thought it was only 50–50 that bin Laden was there, I thought it was worth us taking a shot.
continued...
Cheers,
Merlot
