WHAT DID THE PAKISTANIS KNOW AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT?

Since the death of Bin Laden, there seems to be much speculation about what the Pakistanis knew about his location in their country.  While a lot of Pakistani officials have come out saying they just did not know where he was, many in the U.S. and in the U.S. media seem to think there is no way they didn't know he was there and where he was staying.  While I understand the U.S. government's keeping the strike a secret, since they didn't know who, if anyone, was harboring Bin Laden, I don't think we should automatically assume the people or government of Pakistan was aware of his location. 

It has long been believed that he was hiding somewhere in the hills or mountainous region of Pakistan, but no one knew where.  So why is it so hard to believe that no one knew he was staying in the compound at Abbottobad?  There are people who live on the same floor in my apartment building that I almost never see and have very little interaction with.  I don't even know most of their names.  While I'm not necessarily anti social, I tend to mind my own business and don't get involved in my neighbor's business.  So I could definitely see where people living in a country racked with violence, Taliban forces against Pakistan government forces, would tend to mind their own business and not go looking for trouble. 

As for their intelligence agency, they may be excellent, but that doesn't mean they know everything that goes on in their country.  We have excellent law enforcement agencies in the U.S., local and state law enforcement, FBI, Secret Service and the CIA, but we also have a long list of wanted criminals who sometimes go for years without ever being caught.  So I think there's a very good case to be made that Pakistani officials simply did not know Bin Laden was there. 

BIN LADEN STOCK MARKET BOUNCE?

Osama Bin Laden is dead and oil has dropped by $2 a barrel on hopes that his death will lead to a more stable oil supply.  They're also talking about a possible "Bin Laden Bounce" in the stock market this week.  It would be nice to see.  Wouldn't it be the height of irony though, for a man who sought to destroy the U.S. economy through terrorism and terrorist threats.  For his death to actually boost the stock market and lower oil prices in the U.S., even if only temporarily, I'd imagine it would have him spinning in his grave.