Killing bin Laden: Did Obama just win re-election in 2012?
The death of the al Qaeda leader is being hailed as a victory for the president, but can it assure him another term? Pundits are already weighing in...
President Obama's politically "pivotal" announcement that U.S. forces had killed Osama bin Laden may go down as "the defining moment" of his presidency, according to Washington watchers. Obama's prospects for re-election in 2012 "skyrocketed" on one online prediction market, and pollster John Zogby says the president's approval rating could jump 10 percentage points or more. But whatever the short-term gains, will killing bin Laden be enough to assure Obama a second term 19 months from now?
This is a huge coup for Obama: The "political potency" of the president's announcement is hard to underestimate, says John Nichols in The Nation. Obama clearly tried to emphasize the personal role he played in the mission, and his team should be able to spin this "into political gold." It would be "silly" to think that the Obama love fest will "continue unhindered" through the election, but Republicans will have a much harder time "portraying the president as disengaged or dysfunctional when it comes to foreign policy."
"Obama's political coup: He heads toward 2012 as the president who did what Bush could not"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But the election will still be about the economy: Ultimately, the political ramifications of the bin Laden killing will be "minimal to nonexistent," says Jonathan Chait in The New Republic. Obama can tout this on his list of accomplishments but I suspect that this intelligence would have been gathered no matter who was in the White House, so in the long run, this should be a "political non-event." Ultimately, "the economy will tell the tale in 2012."
"What Osama bin Laden's death means"
It's far too soon to say: Obama is almost certain to enjoy an approval bump, says Holly Bailey at Yahoo News. And the president "will be certain to remind voters" that he gave the order to kill the planet's most wanted terrorist. But the election is still 19 months away and history shows that such victories can be short-lived "in the heat of a re-election effort." Remember, George H. W. Bush had formidable ratings and seemed "virtually unbeatable" after the 1991 Gulf War. But his numbers started dropping as voters grew increasingly worried about the struggling economy.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Musk's reliance on China draws rising scrutiny'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biba: the story of a 'legendary emporium'
The Week Recommends Brand's 60th anniversary is being marked with retrospective celebrating the 'iconic shop's cultural importance'
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Xi-Biden meeting: what's in it for both leaders?
Today's Big Question Two superpowers seek to stabilise relations amid global turmoil but core issues of security, trade and Taiwan remain
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published