I find myself grimly satisfied that bin Laden is no longer free to act as a terrorist and mass murderer, rather than ‘jubilant” and “joyous” that he has been shot through the left eye and killed. I can’t quite work myself up to the naked blood lust that seems to be the dominant reaction.

I kind of like how a musician Facebook friend of mine, Dan Israel, puts it:

Obliged to add this today: 1. He’s really dead. Yes, I’m sure. 2. Yes, it’s a good thing. He killed a lot of innocent people. 3. Of course, it’s stupid to celebrate like an idiot. 4. Obama deserves credit. Of course, it doesn’t end all terrorism, but of course it’s helpful to the fight. 5. Bush deserves credit, too. 6. Let’s move on.

I endorse all that. I also endorse President Obama’s assessment last night: “Justice has been done.”

Minnesota’s former governor and would-be president Tim Pawlenty gets high marks for his reaction, too:

“This is terrific news for freedom and justice. In the hours after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush promised that America would bring Osama bin Laden to justice — and we did. I want to congratulate America’s armed forces and President Obama for a job well done. Let history show that the perseverance of the U.S. military and the American people never wavered. America will never shrink from the fight and ultimately those who seek to harm us face only defeat. Today, justice is done, but the fight against radical Islamic terrorism is not yet over.”

Minnesota’s conservative thinker David Strom, however, gets the pink raspberry for his insta-reax, also via Facebook, issued before President Obama spoke last night.

Not to be churlish, but I have been logged on to the White House video stream for over 45 mins. The screen said Obama would be on at 10:30 ET. Now it just says “Beginning Shortly.” This news is supposedly over 1 week old. Isn’t that enough time to plan an unveiling?

Strom later acknowledged that he was quick on the draw for believing early word that bin Laden had been killed a week ago. But he didn’t back down:

I don’t get the disorganization in getting the Presidential announcement out. They had warning. They should have a formal speech and the whole event choreographed. This should have been out during prime time to get the President in front of the whole country. It is unfortunate, and frankly a missed opportunity for Obama.

Bullshit, David. This is a moment of grim triumph for Obama and no spin can take that away.