Editor, Times-Union: Mission truly accomplished. U.S. troops finally kill Osama Bin Laden. Although many of us had hoped to hear those words said, many of us were resigned to the possibility that Bin Laden would die peacefully in a cave without facing the justice he deserved. Thanks to our troops and members of our much maligned intelligence community that will not happen. In the early stages of the war in Afghanistan in 2002, the Bush administration had an opportunity to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora. They botched it and the Bush administration soon started to lose interest in Afghanistan and pursued a different agenda in a country that had nothing to do with the 9-11 attacks. That country was Iraq. Ironically, May 1, 2011, was the eighth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished”. You know the day when President George W. Bush, dressed up in his Top Gun costume, declared the end of major operations in Iraq. Eight years later we still have thousands of our brave troops serving and dying in a war that did not need to be fought. So now on May 1, 2011, we can truly say “Mission Accomplished” and our brave soldiers deserve all the rewards we can muster. But the fight against terror continues. And if I may, I will give credit to our Commander in Chief President Obama. Why? Because if another 9-11 attack would have occurred on his watch, President Obama would have been vilified by our friends on the right. Calls for impeachment would have been heard and his patriotism and resolve would have been called into question again. So since the killing of Bin Laden by our troops happened on his watch by his orders, then he should get some credit and should be congratulated. Boy, it sure has been a rough week for the GOP. First they lose the “birther” issue now they lose the “soft on terror” argument. Now it may seem crass to inject politics into this momentous occasion but, hey, that is what we have been left with. For the last three-plus years the GOP has been allowed to color everything from oil spills, gas prices and corporate bailouts to global warming, health care and religious freedom with a political brush. So what’s good for the progressive goose is surely good for the right-wing gander. I’m sure some half-hearted praise will be given to the president by Republicans. The GOP will say the right things through clinched teeth and force smiles, but some won’t even mention President Obama by name or title. And those who do will do it with a hint of sarcasm. I’m sure some will mention President Bush, who failed, more than President Obama, who succeeded. But even the most strident of President Obama’s opponents on Fox “News” and in the GOP ranks cannot deny that the killing of Bin Laden happened during President Obama’s watch. Although by this time next year, the GOP could make it seem like President Bush and the GOP frontrunner for the presidential nomination were the ones who actually pulled the trigger given the revisionist GOP’s loose grip on historical facts. So now since President Bush was allowed to hang a banner prematurely declaring his “victory” over Iraq, what should President Obama be allowed to do now that the mission has truly been accomplished? Can he hang a banner as well? Should he throw a parade? Perhaps he will do nothing but thank those responsible for bringing Bin Laden to justice as he did in his statement last night. Hopefully, he learned from President Bush about how ugly it looks when someone pats themselves on the back. In his statement, President Obama took the time to remind us of how we came together as a nation on 9-11. How we were all Americans regardless of any class, social or racial distinction and how we rallied around each other as we had done many times before throughout our great history. Even the international community rallied around us. But on 9-12 those who wished to divide us wasted no time. Those people used the tragedy of those attacks as an excuse to throw our weight around and start two wars that are currently bankrupting us. Those same people continue to divide us today. Hopefully, the death of Bin Laden at the hands of our forces can be a uniting force we desperately need so that we can be vigilant against those who wish us harm and become more dedicated to tackle the many problems our nation faces. Perhaps we can unite to ignore the peripheral nonsense and focus more on the import issues of our time. And maybe we can all return to just being Americans again. And once again, thanks to the men and women in our armed forces and in our intelligence organizations for their continued service and commitment to our nation. They made the world a little safer today. Robert Betances Warsaw, via e-mail
