Leon Tells the Truth

A lingering question concerning the successful raid and dispatch of Osama bin Laden was this:  why didn't the U.S. tip the Pakistanis about it? CIA Director Leon Panetta goes all Howard Cosell and tells it like it is:

Months prior, the U.S. had considered expanding the assault to include coordination with other countries, notably Pakistan. But the CIA ruled out participating with its nominal South Asian ally early on because “it was decided that any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission. They might alert the targets,” Panetta says.

I'd have bet cash money they would have, too.

We have heard over the years about the dangers of unilateralism, but the truth of the matter has always been that we really don't have any allies in the region where bin Laden was hiding in plain sight. It is to Panetta's credit that he recognized this. It is also to the President's credit that he chose to believe Panetta and called the shot. While Iowahawk makes a very good point about some of the President's allies, the mission to dispatch bin Laden stands on its own merits, regardless of the motivations of the President's allies.