Osamaddities

[captainsblog]

The Gospel reading in our church yesterday morning, as in most mainline Christian sanctuaries under the rubric of the Common Lectionary, was the "Doubting Thomas" lesson from John's version of the post-Resurrection story.  How odd was it, then, that barely 24 hours later, assorted wingnuts were questioning whether Bin Laden had really been killed, many of them coming damn (and I do mean damn) close to quoting the Gospel passage about not believing until they saw the actual body.  As one caller into one of these hate shows put it (likely resulting in the firing of the call screener), "So you're basically saying that the SEALs and Rangers and other boots on the ground were lying about what they did, is that it?"  The nutty talk show host had no reply to that.

It's also bizarre that Osama's death came 66 years to the day after Hitler's. If not coincidental, someone in this operation has a pretty damn good sense of style.

Just as sad, and yet just as predictable, was listening to the right-wing pundits fumbling the hot football all day. This operation justifies the waterboarding and other Bush tactics!, they say, except that, um, even Rumsfeld himself had to admit that they didn't get any intelligence leading up to this capture through such measures before the Obama administration suspended their use.

In keeping with the theme of the only collection in our home of Rummy's pearls of wisdom, Pieces of Intelligence, I can only offer the following:

It is true that some
information that came from
normal interrogation approaches

did lead to information
that was beneficial 
but not harsh  and not waterboarding.

I never thought he could write a good limerick, but then again I never thought Dick Cheney could blow a lawyer's face off, so there ya go.