Matter/Anti-Matter

We got him.

Finally.

Take a deep breath, enjoy the halftime show, and get ready for the second half.

I believe this event – bin Laden’s death – will come to be seen as the midpoint in a long game – a global challenge between western democracy and a theocratic extremist movement wishing to see (and enforce) a specific religion, and its tenants, dominate the planet.

At the end of World War II, for better or worse, we, the U.S. republic, inherited a global empire – one which we have worked to rule with benevolence…and not with perfection – but with progress towards improving the lives of all the people of Earth. The foe we face wishes nothing more than to defeat our way of life – and the individual spirit and pursuit of happiness that goes with it.

As the leading democracy on the planet, we are the largest target for these radicals. Bin Laden declared war against us…he lost…but his followers are still out there – his global franchise is still strong and growing. The death of bin Laden will embolden some of these followers and it is inevitable that there will be more attacks – many of which will take innocent lives. Therefore, we have to prepare for the next half – the more important half – of the global game that will determine the future of our planet.

I’ve seen the talking heads and political leaders who, over the past 15 years, failed to find and kill bin Laden. They have been out in the media over the past 24 hours defending their failures and presenting their obtuse and naïve view of how adversaries posing as allies are still “really” our friends.

Here is the bottom-line: There is no excuse they can offer to justify their failure…they could and should have known better - and it makes me physically ill to hear them talk – because the consequence of their failure has resulted in the deaths of the best and brightest of our youth.

Their legacy is one of failed leadership and a policy of wishful thinking. These leaders have lived in a dream world – and functioned with a combination of willful ignorance and a failure to understand the cultures we must deal with regarding the global “Jihad.”

The White House "situation room" during the raid on bin Laden's compound.

What President Obama did was extraordinary – but not unique – his two immediate predecessors sat in his chair, with the same authority and similar options to deal with bin Laden – but they and their national security teams failed to act. Many may disagree with President Obama’s policies in other areas – but here he made a tough decision here – the right one. God bless President Obama.

We now need to renew our resolve to do what is necessary to defend our country against radical Islam – and the extremists who hate us – all of us – liberals and conservatives alike – because of our freedom. There is no way to negotiate a peace with a group of individuals who fundamentally do not believe we have the right to exists…it is, sadly, them or us…and dealing with them will require more aggressive efforts – like the operation conducted here to kill bin Laden. We cannot fail to act when our national security is threatened…we must be vigilant and conscientious in our application of deadly force, and use non-military methods in all but the most extreme situations…but there is no doubt this is a battle we must win.

Now – take a big drink of Gatorade, a cleansing deep breath, and let’s get back on the field…it is time to win the second half of the game.