The King is dead. Long live the King.

This 15th century saying is used in Europe when a king dies to illustrate how the power passes instantaneously from one monarch to the next. But in a chilling way, it also fits for the death of a terrorist leader.

“Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world, that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden.” Within minutes of President Barack Obama’s words, celebrations sprang up across the nation, as thousands of Americans took to the streets, celebrating “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.”

Ride that euphoric wave, America. Ride it all the way until it breaks upon the rocky shores of reality.

First things first, bin Laden was a bad man. There is no sane argument against this, and in a perfect world he would never have existed, and the brave actions of the men and women who rid the world of him are to be commended. However, in the flawed world in which we live, the United States was better off with bin Laden alive because for all the celebrating, all that has really been accomplished is the death of the body of one man. It still remains to be seen how wounded the ideals and resolve of al Qaeda will be. A body is an easy thing to kill, but ideals are not. In fact, ideals often gain strength with the deaths of their inspirations, and as we celebrate the death of a man, there are those who undoubtedly are welcoming the birth of a symbol.

With this perceived victory in the war on terror, public support for our continued involvement in Afghanistan is likely to erode further. After all, we got the guy we were after didn’t we?

Hopefully, the 1,448 U.S. military personal that have paid the ultimate price in Operation Enduring Freedom did not do so just to kill one man. The job is much deeper than that, and if we let up before the people of Afghanistan realize there are choices besides the Taliban and al Qaeda, history will repeat itself.

Osama bin Laden may have been the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, but he did not carry them out himself. He had a large following of people devoted enough to willingly die without a second thought for what they believed. People with the resolve to fly airliners into buildings are not likely to just “walk away” because we killed their spiritual leader.

Their resolve will more than likely increase now that the person they idolized has not only died, but died in battle against his mortal foes, cementing his martyrdom among his followers.

Those followers are now watching Americans dance in the streets, celebrating the death of their martyred leader. It is doubtful that bin Laden himself could have planned a more meaningful death in the eyes of his followers.

Anyone that feels we have cut off the head of the proverbial snake needs to be sternly reminded that terrorism is not a snake. Terrorism is the result of a set of ideals fueled by hatred and desperation, and carried out by people who would love nothing better than to hold up the head of a snake as their symbol.

Celebrate America, for our foe lies at our feet. But we must remember to keep one wary eye on the horizon, because the war isn’t over, the job isn’t done and the stakes may have just gone up.