Volcanic Ash

Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Sen. John McCain appeared on the Letterman show and told this joke:

Q. What will Osama bin Laden be for Halloween?

A. Dead.

I winced. I thought the jocularity was inappropriate under the circumstances and suspected McCain would end up eating his words.

There enough lag before the U.S. attack on Afghanistan for the Al-Quida leader to find a hidey hole in a part of the world described by one commentator as about as hospitable to U.S. pursuers as the dark side of the moon.

But while many agreed McCain was overly optimistic, few imagined that bin Laden would survive this long — and not in a cave, as long believed, but in a mansion not too far from Pakistan’s capital.

That it’s finally done is a testament to American resolve in in pursuit of justice for our lost brothers and sisters and the skill of our special forces.

I’m not much of a believer in an eye for an eye and have never reveled in anybody’s death, but there’s satisfaction in seeing this bit of closure taken care of.

The mass murder of nearly 3,000 American civilians was one of the most hideous attrocities of modern times. It’s repugnant when civilians become collateral damage in conflict; when they’re targeted on purpose, it’s downright loathsome.

Good riddance to the son of a bitch who gloated about being responsible for it.