Two accounts of the significance of the killing of Osama Bin Laden (to add to Pete’s excellent precis last night)… First Lara Marlow for the Irish Times, who pronounces it a coup de grace for President Obama:
Bin Laden’s death marks the most significant achievement to date of the Obama presidency. Not since Obama’s election and inauguration had the country known such euphoria – better than the Nobel Peace Prize, which many claimed was unwarranted.
Obama has succeeded where his two predecessors failed, in killing the man whom Bill Clinton declared as early as 1998 to be Public Enemy No 1.
Until yesterday, Republicans constantly questioned Obama’s handling of foreign, defence and counter-terrorism policy. Henceforward, his security credentials are beyond reproach, his chances of re-election greatly enhanced.
Bin Laden’s death seemed to dwarf quarrels between Republicans and Democrats over Obama’s birth certificate, budgets and the deficit.
It made Republican presidential hopefuls who’ve so often assailed Obama’s alleged lack of leadership look like Lilliputians.
And a deliberated view of the next conspiracy theory which covers some useful territory, just 12 hours after the news broke in the US:
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
