| President Obama is finding like President Bush, that if you take a swing at a tar baby, you will get stuck. After the euphoria of the news of the death of Osama bin Laden subsides, Obama is faced with questions regarding the circumstances of the death.
Europe, Pakistan, and Muslim groups are critical of the raid into Pakistan and believe that bin Laden was to be assassinated. We can be glad that bin Laden is dead the same that we were when Saddam was overthrown, captured, tried and executed. President Bush is still criticized for his bold and direct action in Iraq, and President Obama may be coming under the same scrutiny.
After criticizing the Bush administration for the humiliation of Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, and enhanced interrogation of captured terrorists and fighters, it appears the Obama administration decided to not face the dilemma at all. If the U.S. doesn't capture terrorists then messy political repercussions can be eliminated. So it seems the Obama administration has opted for a strategy of killing terrorists in Pakistan and Yemen via drone attack. Regarding the biggest fish, the capo di tutti capi of terrorists - Osama bin Laden - Obama had even less stomach for the circus that would have been the imprisonment and trial of the biggest criminal in history.
An early hint of the action the president intended to take was when Attorney General Eric Holder fumbled his response to a question by Senator Lindsey Graham. When asked if bin Laden would be read Miranda rights if captured, Holder remarked that it was unlikely that he would be taken alive. Holder never gave a definitive answer to Graham's question.
The Seals are a military force. Their mission - on occasion under the auspice of the CIA - may be to capture an individual for extraordinary rendition. Since 911 hundreds of captures have been made, but it seems that bin Laden was a much too hot potato to be taken.
It would have been interesting to see what treatment bin Laden would have received had he been captured. Would the Seals read him Miranda rights? The Seals are not a law enforcement agency or force. If the Obama administration wanted to capture bin Laden, would they have attached a FBI agent to the team to add legitimacy to the action?
Hundreds of terrorists have been taken to secret sites under extraordinary rendition, but not bin Laden who was defended by several men and women. The President could have given directions that would have placed the Seals at risk, but with the admonition that bin Laden was to be captured. The administration is changing the spin on the operation daily and it may take awhile before a final story is agreed upon.
It is not hard to envision Obama ordering the commencement of the mission - as an aid brings forth a basin of water for him to wash his hands and hand him a towel.
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