(CNN) -- Politics is a contact sport, and presidents tend to get tackled on every play, even the ones they've executed perfectly. There is no better example than the criticism being hurled at President Obama for the killing of Osama bin Laden. It was a daring mission, fraught with peril for the Navy SEALs, but also full of political danger for Obama. Had the attempt failed, Obama would have faced the same kind of political and policy disaster that confronted President Jimmy Carter after his helicopter rescue attempt of the Iran hostages crashed in April 1980. Everyone would have second-guessed Obama, just as they did Carter, who lost re-election six months later.
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President Obama has been criticized for touting his success in killing Osama bin Laden
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Larry Sabato: Obama's campaign should capitalize on the president's achievement
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He says Republicans are better off picking on other issues
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Sabato: Defying expectations, Obama has more success in foreign policy than domestic
It would have been nice if that special moment of justice for @placeholder had remained above politics.