Did Obama Snub Bush's Team? No

The conservative talking point is now clear: Obama has been snubbing Bush's counterterrorism and intelligence team this week and has been hogging all the credit for finally eliminating Osama bin Laden.

The claim isn't true, but you still see the accusation across the right-wing blogosphere where bloggers have been sniping non-stop at the President of the United States n the wake of the Osama bin Laden killing:

Obama did invite President G.W. Bush to attend — even after pointedly ignoring him and the work his team did that made OBL's demise possible.

The claim was further cemented today in a New York Daily News article that quoted an anonymous (and rather vaguely identified) “highly placed source” who insisted former President Bush was miffed by Obama's handling of the bin Laden story:

“Obama gave no credit whatsoever to the intelligence infrastructure the Bush administration set up that is being hailed from the left and right as setting in motion the operation that got Bin Laden. It rubbed Bush the wrong way.”

But again, the snub talk isn't true, as New York magazine helpfully highlights today [emphasis original]:

Obama has, actually, credited the vital work of the intelligence community, whether under himself or Bush.

In his address on Sunday night, he said that after 9/11, “we went to war against Al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies. Over the last ten years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort.”

• He added that “last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden.”

• And in a congressional dinner the next night, Obama said, “I want to again recognize the heroes who carried out this incredibly dangerous mission, as well as all the military and counterterrorism professionals who made the mission possible.”