Whom Do You Admire Most?

President Bush helped make Osama Bin Laden’s killing possible with his strategy in Aftganistan, holding terrorists at Guantanamo and conducting appropriate interrogations and wiretaps. He did so with extreme disapproval; e.g. 70% were opposed to his Afgan surge.

Obama approved the military operation that led to the killing. He did so with 86% approval of his Afgan surge. And he did so despite his condemnation of Guantanamo (despite his inability to close it since), condemnation of Bush’s interrogation techniques (implying that killing our enemy is more in line with American values than merely using such techniques to prevent further American deaths), and supposed ideological opposition to using an assassination group for such an operation.

In his speech last Sunday, he should have had Bush standing next to him and acknowledged his actions that contributed to the final result. He only reference Bush when he wanted to note that they (unfortunately) agreed that the war is not against Islam and to use Bush to better justify his own stance. It has always been clear that we at war with totalitarian Islam: all M.E. Muslim governments that support terrorism and all their people who accept the Western infidel hatred.

Obama also said that “OBL was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.” That is absurd and further explains his narrow and naïve view of our enemy. And given that view, the formal funeral afforded OBL was immoral and disrespectful to Americans - especially to those who lost friends and family members at OBL’s hands.

Not releasing pictures of OBL - supposedly to avoid enraging Muslims (as if we are not already sufficiently hated by them) - is a sign of weakness. And how does that square with his approval of the release of the many pictures of alleged abuses by U.S. captives at Abu Ghraib? He shows more concern for the feelings and values of Muslims than for Americans.

So who has shown integrity here? Who has been hypocritical? Who has shown disregard for American values? Who is taking undo credit?  Who took the greater risk?

Whom do you admire most?