| As painful as it is for me to say this, it must be said; | | | | wounded. Loss of materiel in the theatres of battle; the |
| Osama Bin Laden has won his war with America. | | | | war in Iraq and Afghanistan estimated at $2 trillion. The |
| Bin Laden's attack on the United States on September | | | | death of an estimated 1 million Iraqis and compensation |
| 11, 2001 achieved all that it set out to do and much, | | | | paid to their families; the cost of supporting Iraq during |
| much more. Whether Bin Laden lives or dies now, he | | | | the course of rebuilding, with increased Naval and Air |
| has achieved victory. He has survived unscathed | | | | Force alertness in patrolling Middle East waters. The |
| despite efforts to kill him (I can't say 'best efforts' | | | | upping of the ante in the Middle East, to the current |
| because we didn't try as hard as we could), despite | | | | state of tinderbox readiness for war has kept our |
| millions of dollars of reward money, despite our | | | | military in high state of alert for years. The trashing of |
| technology; he has survived living in cave while ambling | | | | the U.S.'s reputation in the world by the way we |
| across the mountains of Afghanistan with relative | | | | responded to the attacks. There's more but you get |
| ease. | | | | the point. The costs are near incomprehensible in their |
| He's won plain and simple. In our hearts, and certainly in | | | | enormity. Perhaps the most significant cost has been |
| the minds of our politicians, we all know it. Our | | | | our governments assertion of authority over us and |
| response to Bin Laden and our inability to kill or capture | | | | the gross erosion of our freedoms. Bin Laden could |
| him has shown our impotence to the world and in | | | | never had foreseen this and must be chuckling still |
| some ways to ourselves. It may be time to pack up, | | | | behind his straggly beard. |
| come home and live to fight another day. | | | | Bin Laden's actions have emboldened the despots of |
| As our troops trudge their way through Afghanistan, | | | | the world. That's why Iran and North Korea no longer |
| following on the dusty footsteps of the many prior | | | | fear the U.S., assuming they ever did. |
| invading armies in history, their heroic combat and | | | | A lesson learned many times in history demonstrates |
| sacrifices ring empty. What are they chasing? Why | | | | what one person can do if they set their mind to it. |
| are they there? Why weren't they there in October | | | | While Bin Laden's success is not quite a David and |
| 2001 when we knew where Bin Laden was hiding? | | | | Goliath story, it's darn close. And that is a lesson for us |
| If we add up what Bin Laden's attack has cost us we | | | | all. You don't need a nuclear weapon to change the |
| will realize that his relatively small investment in | | | | world; just the will to dare and the ability to deal with |
| attacking us yielded staggering, unimaginable, results. | | | | the consequences. In Bin Laden and his followers |
| One could argue that Bin Laden's attack went a long | | | | cases death would have been a welcome and proud |
| way to nudging the U.S. toward our fiscal crisis. He | | | | release. |
| costs us everything. | | | | I don't want to delve into the fantasy theories that |
| There is the priceless loss of the lives of the innocents | | | | Bush in some way protected Bin Laden. Granted the |
| who were killed on that fateful day and the many who | | | | Bushes and the Bin Laden family are friends. One must |
| have been sick since. In addition there were the costs | | | | ask the obvious question as to why Bush was so |
| of the compensation paid to their families, the airplanes, | | | | intent in seeking justice in Iraq - a country we all knew |
| the world trade center complex destruction and | | | | was not harboring the enemy? Why did the |
| replacement, the loss of the businesses housed in and | | | | government suddenly switch gears from Afghanistan |
| around them, the loss of business through the no-fly | | | | to Iraq when we were so close to killing or capturing |
| time period and the constricted demand for | | | | the enemy? Why did Bush and his banditos allow |
| commercial flying after that. | | | | Osama Bin Laden to slip through their fingers? |
| Add to that the increased worldwide security in terms | | | | Only history can provide the answers because our |
| of time and money. Our, and our allies, war dead and | | | | politicians can't, or won't. |