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I desperately want this to be true just because I'm a political junkie and a student of history and it'd be a great start to the week to see the White House, State department, Pakistan, and everyone else respond to it. Definitely rooting for a Charlie Rose interview of Hersh. But there does seem to be only one main source he relies on and the whole story and its details just seem so perfect.

It will be interesting to see if his story is corroborated in the weeks and months to come.

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What were his most interesting points?

Trying to decide whether to read it. It's long.

- ISI bribed tribal folks in Hindu Kush region to turn over Bin Laden sometime during 2001-2006. - From 2006 onwards senior elements within the ISI kept Bin Laden hidden from the world. -ISI was essentially playing a double game, telling americans they knew nothing about Bin Laden's whereabouts and receiving boat loads of weapons and cash to deal with terrorism; while telling the Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda they would keep Bin Laden safe from the Americans as long as they didn't cross any boundaries set by the ISI. Saudi's helped the ISI with Bin Laden's welfare and well being apparently. -Americans didn't sherlock holmes Bin Laden's hideout but a leaker from the ISI had come to the American's and asked for the 25 million dollar reward and safety of his family in exchange for Bin Laden. -Bin Laden living in Abbottabad was under constant monitoring by ISI living in a de facto prison. He was not running any command center but living out his last few years while health deteriorating. - Obama wanted proof before sending Seals a senior ISI medical officer was living in Abbottabad and got that proof.He was given a portion of the reward. - White House tells Pasha and Kayani( heads of Army and ISI) they are monitoring a high value target in Abbotabad. Pasha and Kayani freak out and cooperate because if Pakistani Public, Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda find that ISI and Pak Army gave Bin Laden away to the Americans all hell would break loose. So the narrative of the "All American" no help from anyone had to be constructed, because how would it look if the American people found out the Pakistan Army and ISI was hiding Bin Laden 2 miles from a major Pak Army training facility. - Pasha and Kayani make sure the two BlackHawks are not intercepted by Pakistani Airforce no radar goes off, and the ISI agents guarding the house are not present when the Seal team comes in. -Unarmed Bin Laden is executed, no firefight ensued as the compound was empty( only Bin Laden and his family) the Seals chill for 20 minutes waiting for some other helicopter to come because one of the helicopters really did crash . If this where real the Seals would have all gotten in 1 helicopter and gotten the hell out, but there was no threat. -Obama really wanted to brag so instead of planning a story, he immediately got a speech prepared(lots of discrepancies in his speech that night he thanks the pakistani's in their continued support to fighting terrorism). CIA and senior Army people freak out he wasn't even supposed to mention the pakistanis, lots of backtracking and revisions of the story come in the days that follow.

Thanks for summary, I dint read the article.

Looks like they say there was no firefight, but I remember there was a guy from Bay area, Pakistani techie in Abottabad that night and he live tweeted the gun fight and explosions before any news came out. Wonder how that would fit this new narrative?

Gunshots are gunshots. It would be hard for someone listening from a distance to tell who was doing the firing, or if there was two-way fire.

Thanks.

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