George H. W. Bush couldn’t do it. Bill Clinton couldn’t do it. George W. Bush damn sure didn’t do it. Yet, Barack Obama accomplished the impossible.For the first time in my lifetime, I could truly say, “I’m proud to be an American,” after hearing President Obama’s declaration of Osama bin Laden’s death late Sunday night. The president seemed cool, calm, and confident as he announced not only a victory for Americans, but for advocates of peace everywhere.
“Last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden,” President Obama announced. “It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.”
A mere five days earlier, Obama pulled an unexpected move and responded to Donald Trump’s accusation of him not being born in the U.S. by allowing his birth certificate to be made public.
This is the same president who played in a pickup basketball game in August with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony for wounded troops in Washington, DC. This is the same president who went against Secret Services’ advice and walked the majority of his Inauguration parade route.
Who does this? Do you understand what I’m getting at?
Our president has charisma. He has a quiet confidence about him that shows at every press conference, public appearance, and with every act of kindness. Something pretty monumental had to happen for your adversaries, mainly Donald Trump, to sing high praises of you. “I want to personally congratulate President Obama and the men and women of the Armed Forces for a job well done,” Trump said in a statement released Monday morning.
President Obama made a promise to the American people when he took office. This promise was one familiar to Americans but was never fulfilled. This promise, to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, is also redundant. After George W. Bush failed at capturing the Al-Qaeda leader, he became stagnant with this search and focused his attention elsewhere.
When it’s all said and done, President Obama will be in history books for generations to come for this historic feat he accomplished. Not just capturing Osama Bin Laden, but capturing the minds of African-American adolescent males everywhere who think, “If he could do it . why can’t I?”
I salute your swagger President Obama.