Ace of Spades has a good piece on the tracking bin Laden timeline, well worth reading.

Meantime, my thanks the men and women of our Armed Forces and our Intelligence community for doing what was necessary and asked of them to bring down one of the most evil people in history. I also send thanks to George W. Bush for taking the political risks in creating an environment to gather and evaluate the intelligence necessary to bring down bin Laden.

Finally, I have to give credit where credit is due. Obama called the correct shot by sending in spec ops to go in and take bin Laden out. He could have done a Clinton and ignored it, or he could have sent in a drone, which probably would not have gotten the job done, or at least leave uncertainty, or he could have lobbed in a cruise missile and flatten the neighborhood, also a lousy choice. As risky as it was, sending in troops to do the job was not only the best option, it was the right option. I don't know if others would have made the same choice, but Obama got this one right, and my thanks go out to Obama for getting this one right.

About the best tag line I can come up with.

For the first time in his life, Barack Obama got something right. He gave the order to take out bin Ladin. Most of the puzzle pieces that allowed Obama to bring this pig down were identified and assembled during the Bush Administration. Many thanks to the Dubya for putting the military and intelligence assets in place that allowed this to happen. Thanks to Obama for giving the order for the take out, and not pulling a Clinton.

From Yahoo News:

Based on statements given by U.S. detainees since the 9/11 attacks, they said, intelligence officials have long known that bin Laden trusted one al-Qaida courier in particular, and they believed he might be living with him in hiding.

Four years ago, the United States learned the man's identity, which officials did not disclose, and then about two years later, they identified areas of Pakistan where he operated. Last August, the man's residence was found, officials said.

The mansion that bin Ladin was living in was built in 2005 and designed, specifically, to hide a high profile asset. Located in Pakistan with high walls topped with barbed wire and no phone line or Internet connection.

It also looks like one of bin Ladin's sons was killed during the operation.

Many thanks to the courageous troops who executed this operation. Thank you!

For those not familiar with "The Punisher", you should take a look at it. No, we're not talking about the Marvel Comics character of the same name, but the Army's new XM25, the new 25mm "air burst grenade launcher". According to the Army Times, this Holy Smoker has been undergoing field testing on the battlefields of Afghanistan with great success.

Since its first contact Dec. 3, the XM25 has been in nine engagements with two units at different locations, officials said. Specifically, it has disrupted two insurgent attacks on observation posts, taken out two PKM machine gun positions and destroyed four ambush sites.

In one engagement, an enemy machine gunner was "so badly wounded or so freaking scared that he dropped [his] weapon" and ran, said Lt. Col. Christopher Lehner, Program Manager Individual Weapons.

Nothing spells success better than the enemy dropping his weapon, crapping his pants, and turning tail and running with poo and tinkle running down his legs. I would sure hate to be on the receiving end of this baby.
 

The XM25 has a target acquisition system that calculates range with the push of a button. The data is transferred to an electronic fuse, enabling the 25mm round to explode over the target and rain shell fragments on the enemy.

Modern technology at its best! This baby can even be tuned to detonate the grenade up to 10 feet (plus or minus) from the target, and since the grenade detonates over the target, it is more effective against targets that are behind cover or dug in.

What's the clincher with the Punisher?
 

Lehner said the tests revealed only one problem: The units didn't want to give the Punisher back.

The Army is planning on getting enough of these babies for every squad in the Army. Hopefully the Marines will follow suit and adopt it as well.