Washington/New York, May 2 (IANS) US media reported the ‘dramatic’ announcement of Osama bin Laden’s killing by American forces sparking an outpour of jubilant celebrations outside the White House and at Ground Zero among other places with big bold banner headlines.
‘JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE, US force kill Osama bin Laden’ screamed the Washington Post in a two deck banner noting ‘Obama’s announcement on Sunday seemed to electrify Washington and indeed the country.’
The Post said Obama’s announcement produced ‘a rare moment of national unity at a time of deep divisions on many domestic and foreign policy issues.’
‘BIN LADEN IS DEAD, Qaeda Leader Killed by US Forces in Pakistan,’ said the New York Times as it reported the killing of ‘the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world.’
In a front-page piece titled ‘President’s Vow Fulfilled,’ the Times called the ‘late-night announcement…a significant victory for Mr. Obama, whose foreign policy has been the subject of persistent criticism by his rivals.’
The adjective most often used in the media to describe last night’s announcement is ‘dramatic’, with many stories also describing bin Laden’s killing as a major triumph for Obama.
McClatchy described the ‘celebratory crowds’ that ‘flocked outside the gates of the White House, waving American flags and singing the national anthem.’
Tthe event ‘represents a major boost for Obama, coming as he struggles with an uncertain economic recovery and mixed public sentiment about the US approach to civilian uprisings in Libya through the Mideast and North Africa,’ it said.
CBS called it a ‘huge for the Obama Administration.’
‘There is no doubt this is a big win for the President. George Bush badly wanted to get Osama bin Laden, and, from what we can tell, didn’t really come that close after Tora Bora,’ but ‘the President will probably take pains to thank the Bush Administration for putting the framework in place that allowed some of the intelligence operations to go for go forward,’ it said.
‘Don’t underestimate the symbolic impact of this,’ commented NBC, because ‘the first wave of troop withdrawals out of Afghanistan…are scheduled in the next 60 days.’
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
