My absolute favorite from last night’s news is something I saw on twitter, from @Ben_Howe: “You know how big God’s love is? He’s sad today. That’s more than I can say.” It’s difficult to feel bad about bin Laden’s death. It’s hard to think of how many lives he’s ended or ruined – directly and indirectly – over the last few decades and not be moved to the point of joyful tears knowing he will never have that power again. But it’s really good to be reminded, in that moment of self-doubt and confusion over jubliance in the face of violence, that we are only human and that might be ok.

There is so much I could say about the news last night: bin Laden is dead. I’ve read all the statements (still waiting for a transcipt fo Sec. Clinton’s, though), I’ve watched the speechs, have spent the last 12 hours obsessed with the twitter feeds and the live blogging. I’ve read my share of Foursqure jokes and been surprised by the adamant cruelty cominf from some people. But this morning we all had to wake up, and go back to work, and get back to the task of keeping ourselves safe. So I really liked former VP Dick Cheney’s statement the most, not for partisan reasons, but because it remembers the reality of this:

“Al Qaeda remains a dangerous enemy,” Cheney said. “Though bin Laden is dead, the war goes on. We must remain vigilant, especially now, and we must continue to support our men and women in uniform who are fighting on the front lines of this war every day. Today, the message our forces have sent is clear — if you attack the United States, we will find you and bring you to justice.”

I also did really like President Obama’s speech, it was level headed, somber, and to the point, which is appropriate. I always loved Bush’s “rah rah” speechs, but it also feelsm, like I said, a little bit strange to be so celebratory over someone’s death. We can be relieved, surprised, hopeful for a future without his violence… But the rest just feels wonky inside me.