The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Bigger Raid Unit Braced for Fight with Pakistanis,” provides some excellent reporting as The Times continues to flush out the story with further details. Apparently, the President had prepared for more contingencies than previously revealed included a possible firefight with Pakistan’s police and/or military and the need to get out of the country at all costs to avoid a fight over jurisdiction.

The President directed that two helicopters with additional troops wait at the edge of the Afghan border, about 90 minutes away, in case the troops were unable to avoid a conflict with Pakistani forces, a distinct possibility and one the Seals were commanded to avoid, if at all possible. In addition, plans were prepared for senior military officials to call their Pakistani counterparts for the same reason. One of these additional helicopters proved essential when its counterpart crashed into the compound.

In addition to the extra helicopters, the United States also used surveillance and monitoring aircraft to determine when the Pakistani forces were finally going to respond to the noises coming from the compound. This component of the plan helped the Seals stay at the compound as long as possible to gather computer hard drives and other intelligence, a facet of the plan that may become almost as important in the fight against Al Qaeda as the killing of Osama bin Laden himself.

And finally, the President also directed the formation of two separate teams for interrogating or burying Bin Laden, the latter also on a Navy ship to avoid the aforementioned problem with jurisdiction.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Data from Raid Shows Bin Laden Plotted Attacks,” shows that his role in controlling the Al Qaeda network differed significantly from the commonly held viewpoint. That myth, that Osama bin Laden was living in a cave somewhere and had degenerated largely into a figurehead, with no real power, has now been shown to be false.

Not only was he living in a $1 million home, a complex in a suburb of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, but, according to the documents and computer hard drives secured in Monday’s raid by the Navy Seals, he was actively plotting the next major Al Qaeda plot against our nation.

Why did our government put out the rumor that he was living in a case? One, in my opinion, to justify or rationalize their impotence, largely the Bush administration’s impotence, in tracking him down and his remaining at large for almost a decade. Secondly, to avoid a sense of panic or concern among the American people and to let us continue our lives normally without generating a flow of false alerts burdening government authorities.

Now, the government says Osama bin Laden was actively plotting against us but states that the plans were mainly “aspirational.” We should disbelieve this characterization for the same reason. The next plot: the “aspirational” theme was blowing up a train on a bridge by tampering with the tracks, according to the treasure trove of documents found at the compound. I don’t know about you, but I would change my commuting habits.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Obama Says No on Death Photo; New Raid Detail,” provides a new account of the timeline of the Seal attack and a principaled refusal by President Obama to release a gruesome photo of the dead Osama bin Laden.

Noting the lack of controversy about Bin Laden’s death, Mr. Obama rightly refused to release the photo, saying that it could provoke a reaction against Americans abroad and that the United States didn’t need to “spike the football.” His analogy was apt and indicative of the character of this great nation. We do not need to gloat over the death of anyone, and this attitude shows the President’s Christian character despite all the attempts of his enemies to strip him of it. The Lord loves us all and is saddened when any of his children choose a life of evil instead of good.

New details about the raid also came to light, with the firefight less severe than previously touted. Apparently, the American Seals were able to dispatch resistance to the raid relatively quickly, and they only needed to fire their weapons once against one of the couriers. Bin Laden did have an AK-47 within reach when the Seals decided to kill him.

The headlines are getting smaller and smaller as Osama bin Laden fades into the pages of history, and that is as it should be.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “New U.S. Account in Bin Laden Raid: He was Unarmed,” describes some modifications in the account of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of a 79-member Navy Seals team. Apparently, the woman in the room where he was killed was not used as a human shield, but she rushed the incoming Americans as they came in and was shot in the leg. Then, Osama bin Laden was shot to death though he was unarmed.

Though someone at the United Nations asked for an explanation, according to the rules of engagement, the Americans were totally justified in using lethal force. It was dark; they had just completed a fierce firefight, and there was a chaotic situation in the room. The Seals were also wearing night goggles that limited their visibility. According to outside experts, if Bin Laden was trying to surrender or was lying unconscious on the floor, that would raise questions, but with the woman rushing the American forces and the possibility of Bin Laden wearing an explosive vest, their action was justified.

The divergent U.S. accounts were described as a result of the 24-hour news cycle and the need to get the story out to the public quickly. Apparently, the modifications came to light after the Seals team was debriefed.

The lead story in today’s New York Times, “Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden,” provides excellent reporting about the details behind President Obama’s stunning operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

The big break came when the NSA identified the full name of Bin Laden’s courier and then tracked him back to the compound in Abbottabad, a suburb just 35 miles out of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Satellite images were used to establish the pattern of life at the compound, and it was determined that there was no phone or Internet connection, and the inhabitants burned their own trash.

Faced with the choice of bombing the compound to smithereens, with the resultant collateral damage and inability to definitively identify the body, and the more daring option of going in with Special Operations forces, President Obama was willing to take a chance to ensure we put this chapter in our history behind us.

Meanwhile, despite token acknowledgements by Republicans, most seem more comfortable in praising George W. Bush for the achievement, a continual failure by this Party to deal with reality. In fact, while Republicans were obsessing with President Obama’s birth certificate, he was engaged in one of the most high drama operations of our time. And succeeding at it.

We did it! The lead story in The New York Times this morning, “Bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces in Pakistan, Obama Says, Declaring Justice has been Done,” in banner headlines, was a surprise to me this morning. I went to bed early last night, a Sunday no different from any other, anticipating an early start to the work week. When I bent down to pick up the paper this morning, it was stunning. I expect there’s still a significant percentage of people, working normal business and bedtime hours who don’t know yet …

President Obama, God bless him, made the announcement from the East Room of the White House at around 11:30 PM last night, and crowds gathered outside his dwelling, at Times Square and the World Trade Center, chanting U.S.A., U.S.A., and singing the national anthem.

It’s good to feel the country so united again.

Apparently, word leaked out over social media first, and reporters were sent a three-word message from the White House in advance of the speech, “Get to work.”

The President picked up the trail of Mr. Bin Laden, that had grown cold, in August and an operation was authorized last week. No civilians were killed, and the United States took custody of Bin Laden’s body. Though we still may face terrorism as a result of this victory, it still represents a sweet victory for all of us.