"
I have sought further information from the staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and they confirm for me that, in fact, the best intelligence gained from a CIA detainee — information describing Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti’s real role in Al-Qaeda and his true relationship to Osama bin Laden — was obtained through standard, non-coercive means, not through any ‘enhanced interrogation technique.’
In short, it was not torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of detainees that got us the major leads that ultimately enabled our intelligence community to find Osama bin Laden. I hope former Attorney General Mukasey will correct his misstatement. It’s important that he do so because we are again engaged in this important debate, with much at stake for America’s security and reputation. Each side should make its own case, but do so without making up its own facts.
"
— John McCain to Bush apologists: Stop lying about Bin Laden and torture
"One of the things we all have to be careful about is the idea that you can suddenly rush to transparency and understanding in a matter of minutes or hours on the first day of an event like this."
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People who aren’t in newsrooms don’t understand how much this is true. It is insanely difficult to sort out the details of things that happen, especially chaotic things like police raids/shootings. It really is like trying to put together a puzzle — you often know, basically, what the picture looks like, but connecting each little piece is a massive undertaking that sometimes involves accidentally trying to snap together two pieces that don’t actually fit.
White House struggles to get story right on raid
"I’ve had it described to me and it does sound very gruesome. Remember, bin Laden was shot twice at close range, once in the chest and once in the head, right above his left eye, and that bullet opened his skull, exposing the brain, and it also blew out his eye. So these are not going to be pictures for the squeamish."
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I can’t ever recall “the news” being this graphic in their description of things. All for it, for what it’s worth.
Martin: Bin Laden pictures not for the squeamish
"Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, a 1977 UT journalism alumnus, commands the unit that planned and executed the raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday."
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A journalism degree: Still somewhat useful.
UT alumnus commanded unit that killed mastermind of 9/11
"It was a secretly developed stealth helicopter, probably a highly modified version of an H-60 Blackhawk. Photos published in the Daily Mail and on the Secret Projects board show that the helicopter’s tail features stealth-configured shapes on the boom and tip fairings, swept stabilizers and a “dishpan” cover over a non-standard five-or-six-blade tail rotor. It has a silver-loaded infra-red suppression finish similar to that seen on some V-22s."
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Wow.
That Downed US Aircraft Was a Secret Stealth Helicopter
"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday that the killing of Osama bin Laden offered a clear message to al Qaeda’s Taliban allies in Afghanistan: “You cannot wait us out, you cannot defeat us, but you can make the choice to abandon al Qaeda and participate in a peaceful, political process."
— Hillary Clinton: Osama bin Laden killing shows “you cannot defeat us”
"The DNA match was made by comparing physical evidence from bin Laden’s sister. According to the Telegraph, after she died of brain cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital years earlier, the FBI immediately subpoenaed her body so that it could later be used to identify him if he was caught. Her brain was preserved, and blood and tissue samples were taken and used to compile a DNA profile, reports ABC News."
— Confirming Bin Laden’s Death: DNA Evidence Is Real, Photos Circulating Are Fake
"Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it."
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Amazing. via @jasonp
Tweet Library - damon / osamaraidlivetweets
"Our military wanted to go in there and just scorch the earth…but President Obama single-handedly understood what was at stake here. He alone understood the need to get DNA to prove the death…it was President Obama single-handedly and alone who came up with the strategy that brought about the effective assassination of Osama bin Laden,” he said, adding, “thank God for President Obama."
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Rush Limbaugh: ‘Thank God For President Obama’
Wow.
