Dead bin Laden

I got the news that Osama bin Laden was killed when I grabbed the paper from the hallway on my way out the door this morning. Ten years long was this manhunt, and at many points most of us figured he was already dead--the guy did have a kidney problem and we had dropped a lot of bombs on Afghanistan (where we thought he was hiding). It's nice to hear though that he was finally taken down in a fight with American troops. Somehow, hearing of his death by kidney infection or by one of his rivals within Al Quaeda or getting bitten by a goat just wouldn't have that final sense of justice.

Apparently, a few of his buddies were killed along with him, as they tried to resist the Navy SEALS that burst into their hideout. News flash--next time the SEALS bust in, drop your guns and beg for mercy. You're just not going to get the drop on thsoe guys. A woman was also apparently killed when one of the terrorists tried to use her as a human shield. Class acts until the end, these guys! I wonder how the Al Quaeda monthly newsletter will spin that one. "Heroic martyr woman steps in front of infidel bullet" I suppose.

Still, this doesn't have the sense of finality to it that the death of Hitler or the fall of Communism must have--the terrorist networks we're fighting against are decentralized, and presumably the death (or "martyrdom" as they'll see it) of their number one will not destroy their organizations. But it does send a message that we can hunt down and take out whomever we must, as long as it takes. Maybe the next crazed Saudi millionaire will just work out his issues on a yacht with naked chicks rather than trying to attack the U.S. again.