troll (and others),

I haven't read that particular bit about Bin Laden but it sounds like him and from what I have read (and heard in interviews) he might well have said it and meant it. He as a person is beyond argumentation or political moves in my eyes. The political moves are for those societies from which these extreme thoughts and men come from. Taking out Bin Laden as soon as possible is good for present and short run safety, making sensible politics is good for long run safety.

A bit similar to Hitler and his companions and Germany, Italy, Austria, Japan in my eyes. There was no reasonable choice for the free world except fighting the evil at that time with nearly all means. There was a choice after victory when time for politics came. The USA could have said 'we did our dirty job and now kiss our ass'. It was a very wise move (at the first glance for solely humanitarian reasons and on the long run in their own interest) they didn't.

You could hear the long term success of US post WWII politics in Germany last week in many interviews. One voice for all: An old man in Berlin asked why he came to the American embassy with flowers and whether he had suffered personal loss at WTC said: No, he hadn't suffered personal loss but he'll never forget what America did for us after 1945 and especially for Berlin in 1948 and now was the time to pay back. That was one long-term success of a wise politic.

Another theme: Switzerland.
If the gun laws of Switzerland would be valid in the USA, it would make the anti-gun lobby happy contrary to what many seem to think. Yes, every young man and some older have their military guns at home including ammunition, but: Purchase of other weapons for personal use is about as restricted as in other European countries. The gun at home may not be loaded and the ammunition has to be stored at a different place and not in a magazine. If the gun is transported out of home (only to and from military exercises) it also may not be loaded and the ammunition has to be transported separetely and not in a magazine. Is that really what you want for the USA you who do think that a single word suffices for a difficult issue?

Wolfgang