Passport
Final bin Laden tally: 21 mentions at Democratic convention
If you’ve been watching the Democratic convention, you’re surely aware by now that Osama bin Laden is very much dead — and Barack Obama gave the order to kill him. On Wednesday, I started keeping track of how many times Democrats mentioned the former al Qaeda leader in their speeches. There were seven references on ...
If you've been watching the Democratic convention, you're surely aware by now that Osama bin Laden is very much dead -- and Barack Obama gave the order to kill him.
On Wednesday, I started keeping track of how many times Democrats mentioned the former al Qaeda leader in their speeches. There were seven references on the first night, no references on the second night, and 14 references on the third and final night, bringing the grand total to 21, or 20 more than at the Republican convention.
The most memorable lines goes to John Kerry. "Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago," the Massachusetts senator crowed.
If you’ve been watching the Democratic convention, you’re surely aware by now that Osama bin Laden is very much dead — and Barack Obama gave the order to kill him.
On Wednesday, I started keeping track of how many times Democrats mentioned the former al Qaeda leader in their speeches. There were seven references on the first night, no references on the second night, and 14 references on the third and final night, bringing the grand total to 21, or 20 more than at the Republican convention.
The most memorable lines goes to John Kerry. "Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago," the Massachusetts senator crowed.
"Was there this much bragging about killing Hitler at the 1948 convention?" Slate’s Dave Weigel asked on Twitter. It turns out neither Harry Truman nor Thomas Dewey mentioned it. Of course, Hitler had committed suicide only days after Truman took office in April 1945.
Uri Friedman is deputy managing editor at Foreign Policy. Before joining FP, he reported for the Christian Science Monitor, worked on corporate strategy for Atlantic Media, helped launch the Atlantic Wire, and covered international affairs for the site. A proud native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he studied European history at the University of Pennsylvania and has lived in Barcelona, Spain and Geneva, Switzerland. Twitter: @UriLF
More from Foreign Policy
Sudan’s Future Hangs in the Balance
Demonstrators find themselves at odds with key U.N. and U.S. mediators.
Traffic Jams Are a Very American Disaster
The I-95 backup shows how easily highways can become traps.
The Human Rights vs. National Security Dilemma Is a Fallacy
Advocacy organizations can’t protect human rights without challenging U.S. military support for tyrants and the corrupt influence of the defense industry and foreign governments.
The Problem With Sanctions
From the White House to Turtle Bay, sanctions have never been more popular. But why are they so hard to make work?
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today from Foreign Policy’s newsletter writer Colm Quinn.
By signing up, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to occasionally receive special offers from Foreign Policy.