Bin laden Quote by Robert M. Gates
““Soon after the raid was over, the White House released the now-famous photo of all of us watching the video in that small conference room. Within hours, I received from a friend a Photoshopped version with each of the principals shown dressed in superhero costumes: Obama was Superman; Biden, Spiderman; Hillary, Wonder Woman; and I, for some reason, was the Green Lantern. The spoof had an important substantive effect on me. We soon faced a great hue and cry demanding that we release photos of the dead Bin Laden, photos we had all seen. I quickly realized that while the Photoshop of us was amusing, others could Photoshop the pictures of Bin Laden in disrespectful ways certain to outrage Muslims everywhere and place Americans throughout the Middle East and our troops in Afghanistan at greater risk. Everyone agreed, and the president decided the photos would not be released. All the photos that had been circulating among the principals were gathered up and placed in CIA’s custody. As of this writing, none has ever leaked.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Press briefing after Osama bin Laden raid, 2011
The anecdote shows how a light‑hearted image can reveal serious security risks, prompting a decision to with sensitive material to protect lives.
In simple terms: A joke image warned of dangerous misuse of real photos.
Key Takeaway
Guard sensitive images to avoid harm.
Themes
security
media
ethics
leadership
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
cautionary
political
When to use this quote
- government briefings
- media monitoring
- military operations
- public relations
Key Concepts
information control
risk assessment
public perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance transparency with security?
- What safeguards prevent misuse of released images?
A Different Perspective
Even harmless jokes can expose vulnerabilities if not managed.
![“I could do Superman, the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, this kind of stuff [at school]. And kids would give me their lunch money to have these things.” quote by Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85e/paul-laffoley-7077_give-me_i-could-do-superman-the-green-lantern-wo_970877.jpg)
![“I love the fact that they [girls ]are into Superman and Green Lantern and Batman and everything, and they really do have all those toys as well, but I don't want all their role models to be men.” quote by Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ab9/mark-millar-4714_be-a-man_i-love-the-fact-that-they-girls-are-into_1124396.jpg)
![“[to Navy SEALs] Quite frankly, I didn't even want to use you guys, with your dip and velcro and all your gear bullshit. I wanted to drop a bomb. But people didn't believe in this lead enough to drop a bomb. So they're using you guys as canaries. And, in theory, if bin Laden isn't there, you can…” quote by Mark Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/12a/mark-owen-41650_bin-laden_to-navy-seals-quite-frankly-i-didn-t-eve_19993.jpg)
