President Barack Obama made some very tough calls the day our Navy Seals got Osama bin Laden. 

(Disclaimer: I don't take political sides when I talk about political people.  I'm interested in analyzing leadership only.)

Setting aside sentiment, leaders need to find it in their character to make tough calls.  When potential loss stares them in the face, when the potential consequences are grave, they must have it within them to keep their eye on the ball and make the best call for the whole of those concerned. 

In my view, President Obama made five key decisions, all of which were really tough calls, but they seem to have been the right ones.  To wit:

1.      The decision to go.  The President said he thought there was about a 55% chance that bin Laden was in the compound in Abbottabad.  He weighed risk and reward.  Risk to his country, to the men sent into battle and, quite frankly, to his own reputation if he failed.  He weighed that against the reward if he succeeded...to the American psyche, to troop morale, and to the war on terror.He decided that the potential reward warranted the degree of risk.

2.      The decision to launch into Pakistan without their knowledge and consent.  Can you imagine the recriminations there would have been if bin Laden was not there?  The "right" thing would have been to give the Pakistanis a heads up and ask their permission. But Obama knew that would not be in the best interests of the mission.  To launch an attack in another country without getting their approval is most of the time wrong, but in this case it was astonishingly audacious. 

3.      The decision to put boots on the ground rather than simply blow up the compound.  Though safer for American personnel, blowing up the compound would have made it more difficult to know and prove that we got bin Laden.  Obama wanted real eyes on the real man.  Also, the collateral damage could have been much higher with an airstrike.  So he had to eschew sentiment, concerned as he was that we could lose great Americans, and send in the helicopters.

4.      The decision to bury bin Laden at sea.  The president said all the things he had to say about respecting the body and Islamic law, but he simply wanted the body gone so no monument could be made and no "martyr's" body could be glorified. 

5.      The decision to not release the photos of bin Laden's dead corpse.  There was tremendous pressure to do this.  But the president didn't want to release pictures that the enemy could rally around and get fired up about.  Besides, they would have meant nothing in the way of proof in these days of altered photos and Photo-shop. 

Whatever your view of the president and his politics, I think it's right to admire and draw lessons from his leadership and decision making in this case.  There were emotions, sentiment and a fear of consequences that would make anyone squeamish.

Excellent leadership must find its way through all of that to the truth-the ability, despite it all, to keep ones eye on the ball.