Mission accomplished?

Despite the short scenes of jubilation in New York at the news of Osama Bin Laden’s demise, it seemed an anti-climactic epitaph to the whole 911 saga. Sudden and unexpected I would not be as skeptical to say that the US never really got their man this time. However, the apparent speedy disposal of Bin Laden’s body in the Arabian Sea seemed suspicious to say the least.
The Obama administration was quick to point out that Bin Laden was given a Muslim burial in line with Islamic beliefs, but it is a little hard to picture the burial attended by a dozen or so hard-assed, but reflective, US Navy Seals and an accompanying Imam.
I would like to think that the motivation for this alleged sea burial of America’s Most Wanted was to avoid enraging the extremist groups and to spotlight America’s dignity in the face of bittersweet victory. However, that just doesn’t seem to ring true. The capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a mastermind behind the 911 attack, and his presentation to the world bewildered, bedraggled, beaten and in a thermal vest is how America likes to show her enemies to the world and to hell with who doesn’t like it. Was there a more self-defining moment in the Iraq conflict than that of a disheveled Saddam Hussein being dragged out of his dugout to face justice? I for one, would have preferred to hear how Osama felt about handing the West a cart blanche cheque to redeem at any oil-rich middle-eastern country of their choosing?
It seems wrong on so many levels to humiliate, degrade and kick the enemy when he’s down, but they are customs as traditional and ancient in battle as cosmetic makeup is to women. In recent years there have certainly been attempts by the British and American governments to lead the people astray, and it is of no surprise that Osama Bin Laden is worth more silenced than alive.