You Can Condemn CIA and Secret Prisons … Until You Need Them

So that’s what I call a Sunday night.

Yep, The Princess Diaries was on ABC Family.

But also, the world’s biggest jerkface is dead.

Now, from what I can gather from reading better writers than myself – this operation was an example of the very best of covert action – “24” meets “Delta Force” – where the only objective is showing up, killing, then leaving.

This is the kind of stuff Erik Holder frowns upon.

But I’d like to think, that these days, folks like Holder aren’t told about this stuff anymore.

And so, here’s the thing about secret prisons and the covert stuff that goes on inside them: you can condemn them all you want, until you need them.

Fact is, unilateral secret action works.

According to the National Journal, the secret team that killed bin Laden has “operated largely with impunity since 9/11,” with some of its interrogators and operators involved … “in torture and rendition.”

And according to Politico, the U.S. discovered Osama’s compound by his “personal courier,” a person identified by terrorist detainees.

I wonder where they were detained, or how that info was retrieved.

Oh Gitmo. You rule.

And let’s examine Sunday’s action itself: a targeted killing – something a liberal President would condemn.

Which ours didn’t.

And that’s why – despite Obama’s previous condemnations of just about everything I mentioned above, he deserves a pile of credit for supporting all of it anyway.

Good on him.

So, this is not a partisan issue. It’s an “America is Awesome” issue.

Which is why this won’t be another “this is really great, but” rant.

Because there’s enough of them on web already.

“This is great news, but won’t this stoke revenge?”

“This is great news, but Obama’s speech was all about him.”

“This is great news, but what was bin laden doing in a mansion, 1000 feet from the Pakistani military?”

“This is great news, but why am I in Times Square at 3 am, without pants?”

I asked myself that question, because that’s where I was – drinking to the notion that politics be damned tonight:

America is awesome.

And I know some people will cringe over that pedestrian opinion.

Take the Washington Post’s Petula Dvorak, who said the sight of American college kids celebrating the death of Bin Laden outside of the White House reminded her of “those al Qaeda-guys dancing on Sept. 11th.”

Relativism at its best – and best ignored.

PS: I would like to take this moment to apologize to the French tourists I told to shut up at the bar last night. I didn’t mean to scare you, but when our President is informing us that bin laden is dead, you should probably be respectful.

We’re moving things around, but so far, we’ve got:

Mike Baker

Terry Schappert

and, well, more.