CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Well, it's now been two days since Osama bin Laden was sent off to meet his 72 virgins, which, of course, means the politicization is really racheting up.  Democrats are, naturally, trying to give the credit to President Obama.  Republicans are reminding them that without the interrogation policies set up under President Bush, none of this would have happened.  Quite a tug of war, and each side has a point.

The Washington bubble is a remarkable thing, isn't it?  You'd almost think Obama fast-roped himself out of the chopper and double-tapped Osama personally - after GWB ushered him personally into the compound. 

No, the real heroes responsible for this awesome get are the nameless, faceless men and women of our intelligence and military forces.  Bush gave the order to collect and disseminate intelligence, and Obama gave the order to go into Abbottabad.  But everything else that has happened over the course of the past 4-6 years, particularly what happened in that compound, was due entirely to career intelligence and military personnel.  Period.

This isn't a victory for Obama or the democrats, and it isn't a victory for Bush and republicans.  It's a victory for the American people.  It was our sons and daughters, our sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, who put together the information, geared up and went in to do what needed to be done. 

It's all well and good that our Commanders-in-Chief gave some orders, but words aren't what got it done.  Deeds are, and those deeds were done by Navy SEALs and CIA intelligence officers.

To those fine men and women, I offer my deepest, most heartfelt thanks and gratitude.  Without their tireless, non-partisan efforts over a period of several years, we wouldn't be out in the streets shouting our relief to the heavens.  Aside from a few college students in front of the White House Sunday night who were chanting "Four more years", the majority of Americans were chanting "U-S-A!" because it was a victory for all of us.  This jockeying for credit in DC is an embarrassment.  True heroes decline to take credit for the deeds they've done, or at the very least attempt to spread the accolades around. 

But then, why in the world would I expect heroic behavior from the denizens of DC?  Silly me.