Osama bin Laden is dead, according to President Obama.  The news flashed across the world last night, unsurprisingly getting Twitter all astir.  The news of President Obama confirming the death of Osama Bin Laden has Twitter alive with rumors and joy, reflecting the sentiment of global citizens.  Even before President Obama finished writing his confirmation speech, a tweet from Keith Urbahn, the chief of staff for the former defense secretary Donals Rumsfeld, tweeted, “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama bin Laden.  Hot damn.”

The shocking statement was confirmed by White House and Pentagon sources, telling reporters just a few details of Osama bin Laden’s capture and death.  It was Twitter, however, that really sparked reporter’s interest.  According to The New York Times, a Twitter post from White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer alerted to the late-night dialogue President Obama was preparing to give.  “POTUS to address the nation tonight at 10:30 PM Eastern Time,” he wrote on Twitter.  It was a very public reiteration of a message that had just been sent out to the White House press corps.

So does this mean Obama is a shoe-in for a second term?  The timing couldn’t be worse for Donald Trump, who’s being mocked on Twitter for his rather public plans to run for president in the 2012 elections.  Some Twitter users seem to think Osama bin Laden’s death is a certain sign for President Obama’s reelection.  One tweet from Adrian Sado reads, “Osama dies and obama announces it. sorry donald trump, obama has another 4 years.”

Twitter’s public face also means that early rumors can land you in hot water.  In an attempt to leak Osama bin Laden’s death to the world, MSNBC correspondent Norah O’Donnel accidentally reported that it was Obama that was shot and killed instead.    Leave it to Twitter to amplify the good and the bad, chronicling our history all the while.