Bin Laden is dead....

Osama bin Laden is dead, evidently shot in the head by CIA operatives. This news, in truth, comes as a mixed blessing...

- The very face of al Qaeda, the fact that bin Laden had, until now, successfully defied all efforts to capture or kill him, served as great incentive for terrorists to continue their mission to destroy the West. His death, especially at the hands of the US, MUST be viewed as damaging and demeaning to terrorist organizations worldwide.

- With bin Laden's death, should we celebrate? No. Rather, we should be preparing for unprecedented retaliation. The US "terror alert" system SHOULD be upgraded to it's highest levels for the foreseeable future. This war is FAR from over. Bin Laden's death, in this sense, means nothing, other than new, possibly more hostile, leadership. We MUST act accordingly.

- One last note for now: Obama, who is ALREADY claiming responsibility for bin Laden's death, will certainly see an uptick in his favorable ratings. Liberal groups will revere him as a "hawk" and a great leader. But, in truth, as detached and inept as he's been in domestic affairs, Obama's ineptitude doesn't hold a candle to his astonishing bumbling and gutlessness shown in his foreign policy. Obama has as much to do with bin Laden's death as he has to do with the sun coming up every morning...

Hirota: out.