A week ago, I had the choice to write an article on the killing of Osama Bin Laden: I jumped at it. So like any creature of habit, I went to the coffee shop Sunday afternoon, ordered my dark roast with cream and let the juices flow.  I did my due diligence and researched more than I have for any political subject; here is what I found.
Obama: Let’s first look at our commander-in-chief’s role in this.  To deny that Barack Obama gave the order to take a clear shot at Bin Laden is simply asinine.  All major decisions that have as much gravity as this must be filtered through him.  In his book “The Finish,” Mark Bowden writes from the perspective of our president, saying on the night of 9/11 Obama was worried about the future our country would hold for his daughters as they grew up in such turbulent times. 
There is no doubt this fear was a very strong agent in his giving the go ahead on the “50/50” decision to take the shot. 
Did this mean Obama pulled the trigger and deserves the credit?  Laughably no.
George Bush: As much as Obama would like to keep it hush-hush, George Bush deserves a great deal of credit, as well. 
The amount of intelligence that went into pinning down Bin Laden started in the Bush administration. 
The enhanced interrogations which Obama disapproved of actually allowed the CIA to hone in on the terrorist’s whereabouts.  Some righties would say it was Obama’s luck the plan was only executed on his term and that all he had to do was get out of the CIA’s way.  This doesn’t make George Bush responsible either, though.
The Navy SEALS: Next let’s look at the men behind the trigger. 
The amount of training that went into executing the decision to take out the terrorist was extremely calculated.  For months, Navy SEAL Team 6 trained on a replica of the large red “X” we marked in Abbottabad. 
An account of Operation Neptune Spear by a Navy SEAL under the pseudonym Mark Owen in “No Easy Day” brings light, as well as more questions, to the assassination. 
According to the book, Bin Laden was shot in the head as he peered out of his room while the SEALS were running up the stairwell. 
Once the team entered the room and saw his body on the floor, the SEALS followed Rule two: always double tap. 
Though the order was “kill or capture” the men were a bit apprehensive of the latter because of a possible suicide that would take not only his own but their lives as well. 
I guess if you wanted to pin it down, then it was Navy SEAL 1, with the HK416 rifle, in the upstairs bedroom.  This still isn’t enough though.
Mitt Romney: Our last possible suspect for the killing of Osama bin Laden is none other than the Republican candidate himself. Are you laughing yet?  Though this sounds preposterous and part of some skewed Fox News headline, it is quite true. 
In perhaps the most crucial state in the upcoming election, 17 percent of Ohio Republicans give Mitt Romney the credit. 
At best, this is simply a reflection of a psychological influence where lefties and righties will refuse to give the opposing party credit for a policy or action they approve.  Smitten for Mitten? I think so.
Closing Statements: Aside from all the evidence presented, still we have no clear guilty party.  That is because there is no “one person” who is responsible. 
I can only hope most people can remove the political blinders to see an operation like this isn’t the responsibility of one person but of many. 
This is one reason why most anything political is hard to put a tag on: everything is woven and elided so smoothly when you look at it under a microscope a clear answer cannot be derived. 
Though I don’t think Hammurabi’s Code is the best way to assess a punishment, I will say that through the actions of all the involved parties I do feel a little better knowing someone who can justify the acts of 9/11 is absent from this earth.