Bin Laden: The Making of the Announcement

It took Barack Obama two hours to develop his televised speech announcing the death of Osama bin Laden. During these two hours, the news was already circulating in newsrooms and on social networks. Twitter registered more than 4,000 tweets per second about bin Laden in the minutes leading up to Obama’s announcement.

It all started with a message sent via Twitter at 9:45 p.m. to reporters by Dan Pfeiffer, communications director at the White House. The message stated “POTUS [President of the United States] to address the nation tonight at 10:30 PM Eastern Time.”

The buzz began immediately. The major networks had not been briefed before the president’s speech. At 10:25 p.m., Keith Urbahn, the former chief of staff to Donald Rumsfeld, who was the Secretary of Defense during George Bush’s terms in office, tweeted “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden.” From here, the news gained credibility and the news networks, the media and newspapers began to confirm the information through anonymous sources. At this point, there was still no speech from Obama, who was still working on his announcement. Finally, at 11:35 p.m. Washington time, the announcement was made of the death of America’s public enemy number one.

What are the implications for the 2012 presidential campaign?

“This is obviously a moment of huge political consequence,” says Mark McKinnon, a Republican advisor. First of all, it is good news that takes us away from rising unemployment and petroleum prices, which are not particularly exciting. The removal of bin Laden also reinforces the image of Obama as a strong leader after he was often criticized by his opponents for his lack of decisiveness with regard to American foreign policy. This news puts things in perspective. At the risk of sounding mean, it’s hard to do that with things like the confirmation of his birthplace or his diplomas, which are not things that are valued by voters, whatever their political leanings.

Before Sept. 11, George Bush’s approval rating was at 51 percent. After the events of 9/11, this soared to 86 percent, which lasted for 16 months (until January 2003). However, victories outside the U.S. do not always guarantee success at election time. George Bush, Sr., rode high in opinion polls following the Gulf War but was beaten a year later by Bill Clinton. This is because, in the end, Americans always vote with their wallets. It is the price of gasoline that will determine Obama’s re-election or defeat. In 17 months, military victories will count less than purchasing power.