President Obama was a newbie when he first got elected. Now however, he has a national security victory under his belt, thanks to the death of Osama Bin Laden, and that is the thing that eluded his predecessor for almost eight years.
Obama’s leadership skills have often been targeted by the Republican opposition, but now they have been bolstered tangibly, as the images of celebrating Americans gathering spontaneously at the White House and the World Trade Center site in New York last Sunday night demonstrated.
When Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden to Americans, he made it very clear that he had made the fateful decision that lead to the infamous terrorists demise. He approved the operation at the key moment in time, and as a bonus he can boast that no Americans were harmed in the secret operation carried out by U.S. Special Forces.
According to the Latimes.com, “the immediate result will almost certainly help Obama’s sagging popularity, which had returned to its lowest levels in the midst of high gas prices and even questions about the legitimacy of his presidency. The development is “a great boost for him, as it would be for any president,” said pollster Andrew Kohut, who directs the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. “This is the most symbolic victory he could have,” Kohut said. “It’s not the end of the war on terror, but it is likely to be seen as a great achievement for the country.”
In a post Bin Laden world, as we trace the planning of the secret operation back over the last year it is obvious that Obama didn’t deserve the reputation had had of being overly cautious. “In combination with the military surge that Obama ordered in Afghanistan and the recent attacks on Libya, the successful operation to kill Bin Laden will make it much more difficult for a Republican to employ in next year’s campaign the familiar charge that Democrats are weak on defense.
Obama was able to proclaim that “the most significant achievement to date” in the war against Al Qaeda was a triumph for the U.S. military and intelligence personnel who hunted down and killed the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that no Americans were killed in the operation.”
Prior to his recent accolades, his approval rating hit an all-time low of 41 per cent, according to a poll on Gallup.com. The damaging poll was followed by two devastating surveys published by The Washington Post/ ABC News and The New York Times/ CBS News, that left him politically eviscerated. ‘The strike against Bin Laden could not have come at a better moment for the beleaguered President’ both polls showed a fundamental lack of voter confidence in the President’s handling of economic issues,” according to www.dailymail.co.uk.
“One of the polls pointed out that just 28 per cent of Americans say they will ‘definitely vote’ for his re-election in 2012, compared to 45 per cent who say they ‘definitely will not’. The run-up to the presidential election in November next year is likely to be dominated heavily by economic issues, including the massive federal budget deficit, job creation, unemployment, taxes, fuel prices, and the housing market.”
“In the aftermath of the worst recession since the Great Depression, the U.S. electorate remains deeply skeptical of the President’s leadership in these areas. Seventy per cent of Americans now believe the country is moving down the ‘wrong track’ – hardly a vote of confidence in the ‘hope and change’ presidency.” The coming 2012 Presidential election season should prove to be an interesting one for voters, and possibly disappointing to Republicans, as they still have not come up with any viable contenders to run against Obama. Democrats are hoping that Obama can ride this wave of public approval right through the 2012 presidential election.
Davesblogcentral.com says, “I’ve been watching all the celebrations from New York City to Washington D.C. this morning and was struck by how many people were really happy that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals and CIA paramilitary members, and that their president was so decisive.As I watched the American flags wave from windows and in crowds of jubilant people, I couldn’t help but think about the Obama haters.”
“This is a dark time for them. The whole Republican Party nearly turned to jello when the news broke. The last thing they needed was for Americans to be proud of their president’s actions! Politically, he’s golden right now. Obama is going to score more points with the American public for his decisive actions in locating and killing bin Laden, than he did after getting the Noble Prize (which many questioned).”
