Here are two things I heard, which may or may not be true.
  First, the SEALS did not arrive in helicopters because they were already on the ground, having infiltrated earlier.  They attacked OBL's compound from the ground and used the choppers only to exit when the job was done.
  Second, don't be so sure OBL is dead.  I have heard it suggested by someone with a direct background in such things that it is likely he was not killed and that the story is just a cover created so he can be squeezed for as much info as possible without any attempts to take hostages to free him.  He will never be seen alive again, so no one will know.
  Now THAT's a conspiracy theory!  And it may even be true....

Why would they claim to have killed him if they've got him stashed away somewhere waterboarding his ass?  Wouldn't they just not say anything at all?

Within a month or so Obama is going to break and release many photos of OBL's corpse.  These conspiracy theories spread so quickly with today's social media.

He liked to pump out a video every few months. If one came out after the administration claimed he was dead, that would be the end of any re-election chances for Obama.

He would never risk that (nor would any other POTUS).

Former President Bush stated in several speeches that searching for Bin Laden was not a priority. In fact, CIA unit which had the task of finding Bin Laden was disbanded in 2006.

I honestly don't know if this one has been floating around in here or not, but since it has started floating around in my head (none of you sarcastic SOBs may take advantage of my statement and equate it to the other stuff floating around in my body )

In any case, I present that the REAL REASON that The WH is not releasing the OBL dead photo is that even TV-trained pathologists & coroners such as yours truly will be able to point out that Usama (or Osama) was actually shot in the back of the head execution style with the gaping exit wound being on the front left side of his skull, rather than the bullet entering his left eye and exiting from the back.

I present to you that OBL had actually surrendered (as most tough talking cowards do) but the directive was either S-T-K or summary on the spot execution. It begs the following Q: whatever happened to his supposed Chechen bodyguards?! We were fed so much BS about this guy when alive and in his death, the BS shall just continue to float (pun intended)

There seems to be abundant conspiracy theories on the Internet. Some, blogger sites starts with new conspiracy theory every latches on to it. The said person may have direct background in an operation he/she participated and is assuming every operation is carried out with same cookie cutter mode.

My boss is a retired  Army Special Forces Major and according to him every operation is individually planned meticulously and stated that,  40 minutes it took is like 40 hours to SEALs who carried it out. It is interesting talking to him.

Yeah, but you've supported plenty of conspiracy theories that you liked.  And, yes, the reason I cited is as good as any, but here's an elaboration: they want to suck as much info out of him as possible but don't want to have to put him on trial eventually, and want to avoid inciting Al Queda to take hostages and threaten to kill them if Osama's not released.  What is irrational about this?
And by the way:  do I think this is really what happened? NO!  I just found it an interesting theory.

Why do you find snow's comment illogical?  It makes perfect sense.  Perhaps you don't believe it because you've read all his other posts!  (sorry, snow, couldn't help it!).

this was supposedly a classic "double tap."  Osama was shot through the chest and killed, but the practice is to deliver a "coup de grace," just in case.  Provable?  Of course not.  But, then again, nothing is.

If OBL was really killed in the "mansion" in Abbottabad.  The Pakis are all over that place.  If he was shot where the WH says he was, there's lots of blood, and probably pieces of skull and brains all over the place.  All the Pakis need to do is scrape some of that shit up and DNA test it.

The [idiotic] claim being made is not that he is alive and free, but that he has been captured, not killed.

So how we would be making videos for dissemination if he were being held in captivity by the US?

What conspiracy theories have I supported?

My point is they could have taken him and never have said a word to anyone.  Al Queda would have thought he was dead.  A lot of people had thought for years he was killed or captured and it was kept secret.  Most of these conspiracy theories fall apart when you apply logic to it.

I do have to say the idea of him locked in an underground cell being interrogated under a harsh light on a daily basis for the next 15 or 20 years is an appealing one.

I doubt just taking him and saying nothing would have worked.  It would have been obvious an operation took place and then Al Queda would have noticed he was missing and start accusing us or the Pakis.  So my guess is (and remember, we're only talking about a fairly wild theory that I don't actually believe, as I think I've made clear) that snatching him and putting out a story that we killed him would work better.  But look, it's such a stretch that it's almost not worth debating at this point.

he was saying that if OBL had not been killed (or captured or anything) then it would become known b/c he would release a new video of himself as he does on a semi-regular basis.

Maybe if the CIA unit charged with finding Bin Laden was not disbanded a year before, the 2007 raid might have had better intel.

I must say, I'm pretty tired of hearing stories dismissed because they came from Rachel Maddow, or the New York Times, or even Fox News.  Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong.  But the real question is whether a given story is true or not.  Even Glenn Beck  is right once in a while.

Why not?  When we "captured" him (which I don't really believe happened, as I've said), we also took a bunch of videos, some of which were released today.  If he was still alive and in custody we could have released them just as we did.  But, zisk, this is silly.  I was passing along a rumor I heard, not because I believe it  but because it was interesting.

Logic STILL dictates it...

A LIE of this magnitude, be it killed or captured, would be so incredibly incendeary any POTUS who formulated it would end his political chances and clout.

Just not worth the risk any way you look at it. He is Dead.

I totally agree with you.  I just thought the rumor I heard was worth passing on.  As for the videos, all I'm saying is that, within the confines of such a ridiculous theory you can still imagine our guys would release a video they found of him to make it look like he'd been killed.  A video "last will and testament," for example.  SNL did a funny one last night.