I had long been a proponent of the theory we missed our chance in Tora Bora and that Bin Laden died quietly in the Afghan hills. I feared that without a confirmed death Bin Laden would live on as a mythical character. Thankfully we were spared that fate but I feel an emptiness inside that is nothing like satisfaction or closure.
I remember how angry I was after 9/11 and how it colored my thinking on all things for a number years , and I can't help but wonder; is this it?
It is not fair to judge how anyone will react in this situation, but I have found some of the jubilation to be misplaced if not inappropriate. Certainly a smile or a toast shared amongst friends and family is warranted, but celebrating in the streets? Please remind me what we have won? What is our great victory?
When I reflect upon the last ten years I think about all the lives lost on 9/11, as well as in London, Madrid, Afghanistan and Iraq. Can one mans head pay for all that? Can one mans death pay for the trillions of dollars we have spent and will continue to spent in pursuit of an amorphous and unknowable enemy? This was not VE day. The war continues, the spector of terrorism remains, and the shining city on the hill will forever seem less bright.
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