Going for Bin Laden: Fiction, delusion and fantasy

With the anniversary of the assassination of Bin Laden - can it be described as anything else? - Patrick Cockburn, writing in The Independent, highlights the fiction and delusion associated with the attempted capture of the fugitive.

"The story behind the tracking down and killing of Osama bin Laden remains a puzzle despite the torrent of documentaries and articles appearing on the anniversary of his death. An absurdly high number of American political leaders, generals, security officials and former CIA and FBI agents have given interviews claiming a central role in the hunt for the leader of al-Qa'ida. Many attribute their inability to find and eliminate him in Afghanistan and Pakistan over 15 years to the blindness and incompetence of other parts of the US administration. Most appear to have convinced themselves of their own clear-sightedness and willingness to tell truth to power throughout the long pursuit.

Much of this is fantasy. There are always those who delude themselves that they were the crucial brain behind any political, military or commercial success. The crop of those exaggerating their part in the hunt for Bin Laden is particularly high, because of obvious motives of career enhancement. President Obama's own role is systematically emphasised by the White House, as it is one of Mr Obama's few apparently clear-cut successes that he can milk for all it is worth during the presidential election campaign."

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