FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
If they had taken Osama bin Laden alive, there wouldn't be a debate about releasing these pictures. Hindsight is always 20/20. But reasonable people may disagree on whether or not it would have been a good idea to bring this guy back alive.
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Depending on which account of the mission you believe, it sounds like it might have been possible. At first, we were told he had a gun, he resisted, he used his wife as a shield and the impression was the Navy SEALs had no choice but to kill him.
But then the story changed. He didn't use his wife as a shield. He wasn't armed. But he did resist. One account even said he looked like he was reaching for a gun.
You could also engage in a hypothetical discussion about whether shooting and killing an unarmed man is a good idea even if it was Osama bin Laden. In his case, I happen to think it was a great idea.
Returning him as a prisoner would have presented monumental security issues and putting him on trial would have cost this country a great dea l– financially, emotionally and psychologically. Tossing his body into the sea was also a good idea. No grave site that becomes a shrine for his demented followers.
Here’s my question to you: Should the United States have tried to take Osama bin Laden alive?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
George in Pennsylvania:
In a perfect world, yes. As things are now, this outcome is probably for the best. At least we're certain he won't be plotting another attack from some jail cell.
Dan in Capitola, California:
Alive? Are you kidding? And do what with him? He'd be a hideously expensive rallying point for the murderous losers who follow him. We have a trove of data from the raid and we don't need to debrief him personally. Did he try to take any of the thousands killed in his name alive?
Greg in Arkansas:
The SEALs didn't know if he had a "suicide vest" on or if he was planning to blow everyone up. Therefore, a head shot would have been my first choice too. I served in Vietnam and Afghanistan and the Monday morning quarterbacks make me sick. Unless you are in a position where you actually have to decide to "pull" the trigger, keep your mouth shut and enjoy the fact that a "three ring circus" of a trial has been avoided.
Anthony in Swedesboro, New Jersey:
Can you imagine the cost of a show trial affording Osama all his rights and the fury of his followers and the fringe escalating every day? This would have been a circus we couldn't afford. I remember the great sardonic smile on his face that day and only wish I could have seen the fear on his mug as he was confronted by the angels of death, the Navy SEALs. He was wanted dead, but by no means alive. It works for me.
Jim:
The answer is no. A chance for too much rhetoric about him. He does not deserve it. Also, the pictures should not be shown, the soldiers involved not identified and the details of the mission should not be disclosed. The people involved were given a job to do. They accomplished it. Time to move on.
Harold in Anchorage, Alaska:
I dunno. Should the FBI have asked Bonnie and Clyde to surrender? Should they have waited until John Dillinger got his gun ready? Please! This isn't Hollywood, it's the real world. If a soldier already at risk would have risked himself further for such theatrics, he hasn't been trained right.