Mission Accomplished

As with most of the country, I was up in amazement last night as the internet and news outlets alike were buzzing about the death of Osama Bin Laden. It seemed like the impossible. For almost ten years Bin Laden had avoided capture by the U.S military, even with a $25 million dollar international bounty on his head. Then with a single bullet to the head, the leader of Al-Qaeda and the world's most dangerous terrorist was dead.

Bin Laden had become kind of a mythical figure over the years. In hiding since 2001, he had remained undetected and rarely seen. Assumed dead numerous times, Bin Laden had only been seen through his many personal video tapes that he filmed to assure his well-being. He was assumed to be hiding in the mountains of Pakistan but his exact location was never able to be obtained. Despite being on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list for years he was unable to be captured during President Bush's two terms. During President Obama's late night announcement last night he claimed that he had obtained a tip regarding his whereabouts in August of 2010. On May 1st a small team of U.S. soldiers raided the mansion he was staying in and killed him.

Late last night there were crowds of people at the White House in celebration of Bin Laden's death. They cheered and sang God Bless America, The Star Spangled Banner, and We Are the Champions by Queen. Yes, even We Are the Champions. The mastermind behind the worst terrorist attacks on American soil had finally been killed. People were once again proud to be an American, and for the moment they now felt safe to be an American.

Perhaps it's only fate that the death of Osama Bin Laden would come on the eighth anniversary of President Bush giving his speech where he claimed that the mission was accomplished after the major combat in Iraq. Now we all know that there will always be terrorism. With Bin Laden gone it's only inevitable that someone will step up and fill his shoes. But for today, the Obama Administration can kick back, light a cigar, and pop a bottle of champagne. They have closed the chapter on that era, and the mission is truly accomplished.