(Chip East / Reuters)

What a quandary for Republicans. On the one hand, the guy who President Bush told us, constantly, was an evil doer who hated America and freedom and couldn't even understand the joy of Chanukah is dead. On the other hand, the Kenyan socialist with the fake birth certificate is responsible. Most of the potential Republican presidential candidates couldn't even bring themselves to mention the president's name , let alone praise him for his victory. And as for the rest? Do they dare give the president credit for doing what Bush could not? Or...



1. Criticize Obama for being opportunistic.

Via Media Matters:

Conservative media outlets and personalities have declared that the death of the world's most famous terrorist was just another opportunity for the president to "strut like [a] peacock" and make it all about himself. ... CNN's Loesch Suggested Obama "Politicize[d] The Hell Out Of" Bin Laden Announcement. In a May 2 Twitter post, CNN contributor Dana Loesch wrote: "Geebus. All he had to do was walk out and fist pump. Not politicize the hell out of it."



How dare the president strut around, acting like he accomplished something! Who does he think he is? George Bush in a flight suit?

2. Criticize Obama for just trying to win re-election.



According to Rush Limbaugh:

If [Obama] was a shoo-in for reelection, Osama bin Laden would still be alive today. There would have been no need to undertake the mission.



See, if Obama's numbers were better, he wouldn't have even bothered to hunt down bin Laden. Even though Candidate Obama was saying, way back in 2008, that he'd take out bin Laden if given the chance, obviously following through with that promise is just a cheap political stunt.



3. Criticize Obama for not giving credit to the real hero, Dubya.

Sure, bin Laden was technically caught on Obama's watch, but really, this is all thanks to Bush and pals. And torture. As Joan reported earlier, Republicans from Dick Cheney to Rep. Steve King to the torture architect himself, John Yoo, are insisting that bin Laden would be alive today if not for that whole torture thing. So while Republicans think it's long past time for Democrats to stop blaming the state of our economy on the destructive policies of the Bush administration—because that was soooooo long ago—when it comes to killing the bad guy, this is Dubya's victory. And it is such a shame that at a time like this, Obama and the Democrats have to politicize this historic moment by trying to rob Dubya of his rightful praise.



4. Criticize Obama for not providing sufficient evidence that bin Laden is really, seriously, totally dead.

For those birthers having withdrawals, never fear. Via ThinkProgress, Andrew Breitbart's site is claiming that we're going to need a lot more proof that bin Laden is dead before we actually can believe bin Laden is dead:

The free world, particularly the United States, has a right to make sure Osama bin Laden is really dead. Every American has a right to walk right up to bin Laden’s corpse and view it. We are entitled to know for a fact that the witch is dead.

Because the CIA's facial recognition technology and DNA testing and photographs don't mean a thing until the body has been inspected by Orly Taitz and Donald Trump.

