A sensible decision

There has been quite a bit of debate over the past few days concerning President Barack Obama's decision not to release the death photos of former al-Qaida spiritual head Osama bin Laden. There are some people, apparently, who believe they have a right to see the gruesome photos of bin Laden after he was shot in the head, "just to make sure" he's really dead. There are even some, I've heard, who believe the whole thing is a hoax. These people are wrong. Bin Laden is undeniably dead. DNA tests confirm it. And President Obama is right to keep the death photos from public view.
In an interview with "60 Minutes" set to air Sunday, Obama explained that releasing the photos to the public would pose a serious national security risk to Americans stationed abroad. The administration, apparently, is afraid that releasing the photos would incite some in the Arab world to violence, that they would only be used as a recruiting tool for future terrorists. Given the fact that the simple act of drawing the prophet Mohammed in a political cartoon was enough to incite riots in the Middle East a few years ago, that's a supremely sensible decision.
One thing really stuck out to me in reading the transcript of the Obama interview. The president said something to the effect of "We don't need trophies. We don't need to spike the ball." There's the difference between Obama -- a mature, sensible adult -- and his predecessor, George W. "Baby" Bush. Bush staked his entire presidency on the "war" on terror he declared following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. His whole legacy rests on the search for bin Laden. Just like the rest of his ill-fated presidency, that was a failure. But is there any doubt that if Bush had been commander-in-chief when bin Laden was taken down, that he wouldn't have gloated about it to the rest of the world? Is there any doubt that he would have released the photos just to pump up his already overinflated ego and make himself look good? I don't doubt it. Hell, I could even see him flying onto an aircraft carrier, complete with a "Mission Accomplished" sign.
Bush was a cowboy. Obama is an adult, a deep thinker, someone who considers all the consequences of his actions before he acts. He is absolutely right that Americans don't have a "right" to the photos. Frankly, I'm relieved that we finally have a sensible adult back in charge in America.