President Barack Obama, in a historic late-night news conference, uttered the words Americans have waited nearly 10 years to hear: Osama bin Laden is dead.
The evil architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks finally met his end during a firefight with a small team from the U.S. military deep in Pakistan.
“His demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity,” Obama told the world around 9:40 p.m. MDT Sunday.
Without warning, it became a night to celebrate — after nearly a decade of news of roadside bombs and military funerals, of looking over our shoulders whenever a plane flew fast and low, or of taking off our shoes at the airport and hearing that the nation’s terror alert status remained locked at orange.
News of the terrorist leader’s death uncorked long-pent-up emotions across the country, and those emotions swept across the land in dramatic fashion. A growing and raucous crowd had gathered outside the gates of the White House as the clock moved toward midnight in Washington, D.C., chanting “USA! USA! USA!” and singing “God Bless America.” Fireworks broke the quiet night sky in neighborhoods across Denver.
In a long struggle that has seen far too many American lives lost, it seemed the country was ready for a night of victory. It became a night, as President George W. Bush wrote, that Americans sent a message that “no matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”
Calling the moment historic hardly does it justice.
We must not forget that bin Laden waged war on our country long before Sept. 11, 2001. He was the mastermind behind the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the USS Cole in Yemen.
And his death, while monumental, does not end this ongoing “war on terrorism.” As Presidents Obama and Bush have always pointed out, just killing bin Laden doesn’t end the threat that al-Qaeda and its extensive terrorist network poses to our country and other free countries across the globe.
“No doubt al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us,” Obama said Sunday night. “We must remain vigilant.”
Nevertheless, his death was much more than symbolic, and there was a great sense of justice in knowing that bin Laden met his fate at the hands of our military.
In the coming days, his whereabouts in Pakistan will raise questions about our already-strained relations with that country. How is it our supposed ally allowed enemy No. 1 to hide in the wide open, in a mansion? He wasn’t hidden away in a cave in a tribal area surrounded by his henchmen.
Obama said Sunday night that this should be a time in our history when we come together as a nation, as we did in those nervous days after 9/11.
It also must be a moment to remember the men and women who protect this great nation, mourn those we have lost and thank those who remain. We also must remember the innocents, and innocence, we lost that September day in 2001.
We hope and pray that this is a pivotal turning point in our nation’s long fight against terrorism.
