The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

White House Can’t Get Its Story Straight on How Osama Bin Laden Was Killed

Posted on | May 3, 2011 | 23 Comments

This is the kind of stuff that gives rise to conspiracy theories:

The White House backed away Monday evening from key details in its narrative about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, including claims by senior U.S. officials that the Al Qaeda leader had a weapon and may have fired it during a gun battle with U.S. forces.
Officials also retreated from claims that one of bin Laden’s wives was killed in the raid and that bin Laden was using her as a human shield before she was shot by U.S. forces.

(Via Memeorandum.) Jimmie Bise Jr. at Hot Air:

I can’t imagine that the anti-war left will stand quietly for much longer while President Obama does a victory lap for snuffing an unarmed old man no matter how much they may want him re-elected.

But who cares? Consistent non-partisan peaceniks tend to be kooks like Cindy Sheehan and fanatics like Glenn Greenwald. From the political perspective of the White House, who cares whether a relative handful of cranks and crackpots whine about this? I don’t seem to recall a sudden exodus of peaceniks from the Democrat Party when Bill Clinton ordered relentless bombing of Serbia in “The War of Monica’s Thong.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Breitbart says the Left is politicizing the death of bin Laden. But no, no, no, says Brian Beutler, it’s the Right that’s politicizing the death of bin Laden. And if you find all this confusing, you’re certainly not the only one:

(Hat-tip: Blogbat on Twitter.)

UPDATE: Linked by The Lonely Conservative, Bob Belvedere at The Camp of the Saints and Sissy Willis — thanks! — and now a Memeorandum thread. Meanwhile, Allahpundit is gobsmacked at the clumsiness of the White House communications operation:

How did we go from “Bin Laden had a weapon and was using his wife as a human shield” to “Bin Laden was unarmed and didn’t have a human shield” in the span of 24 hours when there’s apparently helmet-cam footage of the whole raid? Surely, surely, the White House knew that conspiracy cranks and naysayers would cite every discrepancy in the official narrative as “proof” that Bin Laden’s still alive or whatever.

Video of Jay Carney’s White House press conference:


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Category: Barack Obama, Pakistan, Terrorism

Comments

  • Pingback: The Story Shifts on the Abbottabad Raid UPDATE: Carney Revises Again, Says There Was “Resistance” from bin Laden « Hot Air

  • Joe

    A couple of things:

    The killing of Usama bin Laden (to avoid the embarassing typo of mixing up President Obama’s name) is a political and strategic event. Just like killing Yamamoto was a political and strategic event in WWII. Did FDR take personal credit for Yamamoto’s demise? Or was it considered a victory for the country as a whole? I do not want to deny Barack Obama credit, but there is a lot of people who share in that credit.

    As far as the WH getting some facts wrong–it happens on breaking stories. They should be more disciplined and press spokesperson for the administration should not guess.

    As for the left turning on Barack Obama–please. Not going to happen. Hell, San Fran Nan said Bush was five years too late in killing Usama, but now that Democrat Barack Obama is at the helm, Alejullia! Pass the whiskey and ammunition! http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/05/028953.php

  • Anonymous

    Part of the White House’s problem may be articulating impressions they got from watching part of the events on the cameras the SEALs carried. The preliminary reports from the action team are based on statements given by people whose mission was NOT to write a book on the last hour of Osama bin Laden. After a thorough debriefing a coherent and accurate narrative of what exactly transpired. It was stupid of the White House to attempt to give more than a vague outline of the events. Vapid Hair is already describing the raid as an illegal act. The glow on this achievement is going to dim rapidly.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1385852725 Richard Mcenroe

    I thought these people watched the take-down live as it happened. Sweet Jaysus, this Administration couldn’t organize a two-boy-scout circle jerk.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Gillen/1366479171 Dan Gillen

    looks like after a whole 2 years it’s still amateur hour for the white house communication department. The good news: the professionals in the equation were the special forces guys who help Bin Laden go out like the bitch he’s always been.

  • DaveO

    Conspiracy theories are self-licking ice cream cones. While enjoyable as a hobby, they tend to drive their adherents into madness.

    The only conspiracy I can figure is which of Obama’s WarChicks gave the ‘Go’ command to get OBL.

  • http://sisu.typepad.com Anonymous

    I’m with Breitbart on this … Have been for years, I think, looking back at my blogging. Left is trying to promulgate the BIG LIE yet again. Typical post from moi:

    You dont have to be oppressed or illiterate to buy the Big Lie http://bit.ly/10disr

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Gillen/1366479171 Dan Gillen

    actually i think that type of thing their last safe school czar excelled in, but he was fired. or did he quit? either way he ended up under the bus, but no one in the administration could organize a boy scout circle jerk like that guy.

  • Joe

    I am going to speculate.

    The confusion may because is has always been the policy of the United States of America Military that if you surrender you will not be shot on the spot (obviously in the heat, confusion and danger of battle that policy is not always followed, but as they say shit happens).

    The Seals were under orders to capture OBL if he surrendered but to otherwise kill him, and everyone knew OBL was probably not going to surrender. And of course, there was resistance and no surrender.

    And in the heat of a fire fight, if Osama is not throwing his hands up, going to his knees, and saying “no mas, no mas,” he is probably going to get double tapped.

    And he was.

  • Pingback: Wednesday Headlines: Osama Bin Laden’s electronic “treasure trove” turns out to be child porn | The Lonely Conservative

  • Joe

    But one Democratic communications hand sent advice to a slew of other Democratic operatives in the wake of the announcement hammering on the need to make sure Obama comes out on top.

    “In your day jobs, do not let Republicans turn this into continuing the Bush legacy. This has to be about Obama’s decisive leadership,” the guidance said. “He is the one who oversaw bringing bin Laden to justice, much like how Bush failed to do so at Tora Bora and then claimed Osama wasn’t a priority.”

    For Democrats, the argument is critical because they don’t want to let credibility on national security issues slip back into their post-Vietnam home in the Republican Party. And they need to fight the insinuation, fed by recent NATO action in Libya that one official characterized as “leading from behind,” that Obama is a weak leader.

    Business as usual for the Dems? Oh yeah.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

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  • Jackman

    “And if you find all this confusing, you’re certainly not the only one”, but all will become clear on the next episode of Soap.

  • Joe

    It took Obama sixteen hours to decide whether or not to go after Usama? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383010/Osama-Bin-Laden-dead-Obama-took-16-hours-make-mind.html#ixzz1LJkz0f2d

    Okay, I am not buying the more out there conspiracy theories. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2011/05/skulking-towards-bin-laden-obama-overridden-by-military-and-intel-officials-in-takeout-of-obl.html (sorry Pam, not going there)

    But that seems like a decision that would take most people about the time for the “yes” to go from your brain to your lips.

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  • http://sisu.typepad.com Anonymous

    Darned trackback never works for me in Typepad.

    Dreaming of a “nice moment for the country,” Howard Kurtz misses the scoop
    http://bit.ly/l8prA8

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