having to go to a contingency plan. thankfully they were as able to carry out the contingency plan as they worked the initial plan. >> did you hear shots fired? >> we were able to monitor the situation in real time. [laughter] >> could you describe any reaction by the president specifically when it became clear that this was bin laden and that he had been killed? do you remember the president's words or reaction? >> when we heard that the individuals who carried out the assault felt as though they had an individual who appeared to be bin laden, that is one datapoint. then there were other things, facial recognition, height, the preliminary dna analysis. the confidence was building, but at what point do you feel

confident you have the person you are after? it was more a growing sense of confidence and accomplishment. there was not one moment. this is something that was building over time, and we made a decision, and we were confident enough to go out to the american people and the world and say we got him. >> bin laden used women as human shields when american personnel when in? >> there was family at that compound, and there was a female who was in fact in the line of fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield bin laden from the incoming fire. >> i am wondering where you are at this point on the idea of

releasing photos of bin laden to show the world that he is dead. >> we are less than 24 hours from the arrival on target of those individuals. we have released a tremendous amount of information to date. we will continue to look at the intermission we have and make sure we are able to share what we can, because we want to make sure that the world understands exactly what happened and the confidence that we have that it was conducted in accordance with the mission design. at the same time, we don't want to do anything that is going to compromise our ability to be as successful the next time we get one of these guys and take them off the battlefield. >> is there some possibility that releasing a photograph or two might avoid conspiracy theories throughout the muslim world? >> we will do everything we can to make sure that nobody has any basis to try to deny that we got

osama bin laden. therefore the releasing of information, and whether that includes photographs, this is something to be determined. >> the debate about whether to release something or what to release when it comes to visual evidence. >> i think it is both. what falls into the category of things you could potentially released to the public, whether it be the dna results or the comments about the conduct of operation. then you have to take a look at it from the standpoint of the upside than downside. sometimes when you conduct an operation that is based on intelligence and very sensitive and capable forces that we have available to us in the government, you want to make sure you are not doing anything to expose something that will limit your ability to use those same sources and capabilities in the future. >> has anybody secured this compound?

>> just looking at al jazeera a little while ago, i saw were the pakistani military police have that compound out under control. clearly it is the site of a major incident yesterday, so therefore it would be my presumption that the pakistani authorities would be in control of that compound. >> who owned the land? >> did was to of the individuals who were killed, the al qaeda priscilla traders -- the al qaeda of facilitators. >> is my understanding -- you call the one of the gutsiest decisions that the president made. that implies that it was not a unanimous decision. >> absolutely, he goes around the world and wants to hear

people's views. it was a circumstantial intelligence case. people will say there is either in sufficient circumstantial evidence to go forward with something like this, which involves the unilateral operation in another country, and there were differences of views that were discussed. that is what the president wanted to know. there are courses of action, types of things you can do that involve an assault on a compound, as well as from a standoff position. what are the benefits of doing that from a remote location like we have done in the past in certain areas, as well as the risk associated with security forces actually going into the compound. this was debated across the board and the president wanted to make sure he had the views of all the principals. >> i have been following bin laden for 15 years.

i have the utmost confidence in the people at cia who have been tracking him. they were confident and their confidence was growing. this is different. what we see in this compound is different than anything we have ever seen before. i was confident that we had the basis to take action. i also had the confidence that the u.s. team that went in there had exceptional skill to do this very capably. the president had to look at all the different scenarios. what would have been the downside if it had not been bin laden? what would have happened if a helicopter had gone down? the president decided it was so important to the security of the american people that he was going to go forward with this. >> [unintelligible]

>> the president mentioned that officials are in contact with their pakistani counterparts. we are engaging with them today. as we learn more about the compound and whatever type of support system obama had, i will point out we have had different views with the pakistani government on counter terrorist the -- counter terrorist activity. pakistan has been responsible for capturing and killing more terrorist inside pakistan than any country, by a wide margin. there have been many brave pakistani secured -- soldiers and civilians who have given their lives because of the terrorism expert in that country. we believe a partnership is critically important to breaking the back of al qaeda and prevailing over them and other terrorist groups.

>> can you tell us about the burial at sea? where and when did it happen? >> the disposal or burial of bin laden's remains were done wouldst tricked compliance with islamic precepts and practices. it was prepared according to islamic requirements. we had made provisions for that type of beryl and wanted to make sure it was done under strict performance. i will not go into details about where, but that burial has taken place earlier today. >> when was that decision made that he would be buried at sea? >> was this part of the plants all along? >> the course of action and the subsequent decisions had been

developed over the last several months. there was a working group that was working this on a daily basis over the last several weeks, looking at every decision and based on what type of scenario would unfold, what actions and decisions would be made. it was looked at from the standpoint of, if we captured him what would we do with him? where would he go? it was determined that it was in the best interest of all involved that this burial take place according to islamic requirements at sea. there is a requirement in islamic law that an individual be buried within 24 hours. he was killed and remove from pakistan. there were certain steps that

had to be taken because of the nature of the operation. we wanted to make sure we were able to do that in the time frame allotted for it. going to another country, making those arrangements and requirements would have exceeded that time frame, in our view. we thought that the best way to ensure that his body was given appropriate islamic burial was to take those actions that would allow us to do that burial at sea. >> we consulted the appropriate specialist and experts and there was unanimity that this would be the best way to handle it. >> do you know if detainees at gitmo have been informed? >> i do not know.

burials at sea take place on a regular basis. the u.s. military has the ability to ensure that that burial is done in a manner that is consistent with islamic law as well as consistent with " what are car czar for burial at sea. the barrel was done appropriately. >> lawmakers are urging perhaps reconsidering it reevaluating aid to pakistan. >> people are raising a number of questions, and understandably so. this is the first day after the operation. i am sure a number of people have questions about whether there was some talk of support provided by the pakistani government. people are raising these questions and we will have to deal with them. >> was there an e moimam there?

>> the burial was done properly. >> you will have another 20 hours of information since what he said to the nation last night. what he is going to do is give an update. last thought we did not have some of the analysis that was done. now we can say with nine 9.9% confidence that this was bin laden. those types of things, as well as to explain to the congress in many respects some of the unique features of this mission, how it was kept so closely held within our government, why was done in unilateral fashion and things along those lines. >> [unintelligible]

>> after we had confidence that it was bin laden and that he was dead, we took the steps that we had agreed to that were necessary to ensure that the burial at sea was the most appropriate thing to do. we touched base with the right people. i am not going into detail about who we consulted with in the aftermath of his death and before his burial. >> mr. brennan, can you give us any details on whether there were previous operations that were called off at the last minute because of perhaps the inability to identify his body? >> there are different courses of action about the options that were available to the president as far as whether it would be an assault on the ground or some type of standoff option.

we discussed all the pros and cons and through that process of discussion, the options were narrowed down until the president decided that this was the best option because it gave us the ability to minimize collateral damage, insure that we knew who it was that was on that compound, as opposed to taking some type of strike there, and also as a way to do what we could to respect the sovereignty of pakistan and allow us to engage with them immediately after the fact. >> you mentioned that questions will be raised about pakistan, understandably and the role of pakistan. given the history and the fact that this was done without consultation, are you concerned that in your line of work it will be very difficult to reestablish a good working relationship with the intelligence authorities there?

>> there is dialogue going on with our counterparts in aftermath of this. they are expressing understanding about the reasons why we did this. they are appreciative that it was done without having pakistani casualty's outside of that compound. the u.s.-pakistani relationship goes on a number of different areas. it can be a complicated matter. we do not always agree on some of the things we want to do, but through that continued communication we will get where we need to be. this is one more incident we will have to deal with, and we look forward to continuing to work with our pakistani colleagues. >> how certain are you that there will be some kind of movement to avenge this death, some kind of retaliation? if you still had the color-coded

alerts, would this be a time when you would raise that alert? >> secretary napolitano has put out a statement saying that we do not have this color-coded threat reporting. like any incident like this, what we do is take a prudent steps afterwards to make sure we have our vigilance up and are taking appropriate measures so that our security posture is strong overseas and here. there is always the potential for terrorist groups to try to strike out and avenge an operation like this. but some of them are asking themselves, there is a new wave sweeping through the middle east right now that puts a premium on individual rights and freedom and dignity. al qaeda, bin laden are old

news. doubt it is time to move forward. we hope it will send a message to those individuals out there that terrorism and militancy is not the wave of the future, is the wave of the past. this has been a strategic blow to al qaeda. it is unnecessary but not necessarily sufficient load to lead to its demise, but we are determined to destroy it. we have a lot better opportunity now to destroy that organization. the no. 2, zawahri, is not charismatic. he has a lot of detractors within the organization. i think they will start eating themselves from with then more and more. >> there are reports that there was a replica of the compound. can you tell us anything about where and how that was put together? >> you can imagine that for

something as important and risky as this, every effort would be made to do the practice runs, understand the complexities and the layout of the compound. there were multiple opportunities to do that in terms of going through the exercises to prepare so that once they hit the compound, they had already stimulated did a number of times. needless to say, when they hit that compound, they had already trained against it numerous times. >> the compound was so big, how did they know where to find bin laden? was it a bedroom or a dining area or an open area? >> that our features of the compound were studied intensively. there were certain assessments made about where bin laden and his family were.

they operated according to that. they did not know exactly what some of the internal features would be, but they had planned based on certain observable features in the compound. who ever actually did the assaults -- >> the bin laden family was part of the compound? >> absolutely. >> is the president going to make any appeal to the leaders tonight for a sense of unity compared to other issues that may be involved? >> john has other things he needs to do. maybe two or three more questions. >> how many civilian casualties were there? >> bin laden died, the 2 al qaeda facilitators, but courier

and his brother in the compound, his son khaled and the woman presumed to be his wife who was shielding bin laden. >> was in bin laden's life or his son's wife? >> bin laden swipe. >> -- bin laden's wife. >> are we now saying that the head of that snake was cut off -- are we changing the mindset? >> every day, counter-terrorism professionals are trying to stop whatever attacks might be out there, trying to uncover a

plot that might be out there. they go through each day believing they can have another day without a terrorist attack either abroad or here. this does not mean we are bringing down our guard. it may be a morally wounded tiger, but it still has some life in it. there are individuals in that organization that are determined to try to murder innocent men, women, and children. >> the believe the government was transparent and forthcoming on information they had on bin laden? >> there are a lot of people in the pakistani government and i will not speculate about who or if any them had information about bin laden being in abbottabad. we are talking to the pakistanis about this, but in our

discussions with them, they seemed as surprised as we were initially that bin laden was holding out in that area. >> you spoke about using this as a pivot point to demonstrate to the people in pakistan that there will be a different future. >> i will not address the president's schedule. a lot depends on availability and scheduling. he feels strongly that the people of pakistan need to be able to realize their potential to have a life that is full of security as well as prosperity, and because of the al qaeda minutes as well as other militant organizations in that country, too many pakistanis have suffered and died because of that. with the president is wanting to do and what we are doing with the pakistani government is to see what we can do to help them

provide the type of lifestyle for their populous in the future. >> since he was found in such apparently comfortable conditions and there are big threats in places like yemen, doesn't undercut the strategic rationale to have 100,000 troops in afghanistan? >> the basis for the presence in afghanistan is to bring that country the security that it can have and to not allow al qaeda to ever again use afghanistan as a launching point. this is something we are in an ongoing discussions with the afghan and pakistani government. they cannot use that area with impunity to carry out attacks. we are as determined as we ever have been to bring the security

that these countries and these people need and deserve because of what we cannot help them with. -- what we can help them went. >> has the president had contact with leaders of nato countries? >> i will not go into the individual discussions he has had, but clearly this is something of international significance. he will continue to have those conversations in the coming days. >> is it likely that the neighbors had known anything about -- when you look at the features of the compound, these very high walls with barbara are on the top, this was a compound

that had very limited interaction, to the best of our knowledge, with the surrounding houses. it clearly was different than any other house out there. it had the appearance of a fortress. it does raise questions. we have had some indications that the family that was there tried to remain anonymous and tried not to have interaction, but it does raise questions about a compound of that size in this area not raising suspicions previously. >> i just want to clear something up. the woman that was killed was bin laden's life? >> that is my understanding. >> and he was using her as a shield. >> she served as a shield. we are still getting the reports of exactly what happened at that

particular moment. when she -- when there was the opportunity to get to bin laden, she was positioned in a way that indicated she was being used as a shield. whether bin laden or his son are she put herself there, that is my understanding that she met her demise and it is my understanding that she was one of his wives. >> i am sure we will have more. >> i just want to start by addressing a question. tonight the president will obviously make some remarks related to the successful mission against osama bin laden. one of the that the leader him sound will echo what he said last night -- one of the

themes that will echo what he said last night, this is a good day for americans, the fact that we were able to accomplish this as a lot about our country and our perseverance. you can fairly say that the victims in this country on 9/11, the americans were victims were not republicans or democrats, they were americans. those who have been working on this diligently for nine and a half years are not republicans or democrats, they are americans. those who carried out the mission yesterday, the same can be said about them. one thing we will likely hear from the park -- from the president tonight is about the capacity for americans to come together and achieve very difficult goals and work together.

we can follow-up with you on logistics'. we will get it to you afterwards. i will move around and take the associated press and then move around. >> obviously if the president gave this order friday morning, can you talk about this a good, that he was trying to keep this poker face knowing that the actions that were going to take place? >> one thing that is important to note is that as john mentioned, the compartmentalization here. there was obviously success here and at a different level, which was the ability to keep the mission secret. having spent a great deal of time with him on friday, i can

say that he was focused on the devastation in tuscaloosa. he was focused -- he talked a lot about it in the wake of that visit. the experience that was unique about that is what you discover that when folks get an opportunity to meet the president, there are different ways that they do that, in town hall meetings or things like that, but there is something unique about our president being able to meet individuals who have suffered such terrible things as those residents in tuscaloosa did. it is very powerful, and i think he felt that. he was focused on that, and then taken averell -- and then it cape canaveral and then the address at miami dade college. the same goes with saturday and

sunday. sunday he spent a great deal of his day in the west wing in the situation room. >> after the meeting tonight, other than bin laden, what is his objective as far as the budget, debt limit? >> this is a continuation of his effort to bring leaders of congress and there is no agenda, there's no goal in terms of budget or any other issue, except to have that kind of conversation, which i think he finds to be a useful thing to do in terms of, in some ways, creating a better environment for the kind of work that the white house and the congress need to do together. so nothing beyond that, george.

andre. >> thank you. thank you, jay. two things. briefly, who is in charge of the compound now? >> that was asked. i mean, our understanding on the visuals that we've seen is that the pakistani authorities are in charge of the compound. >> and secondly, more importantly, what was the legal basis for the operation? >> i would just refer you to what the president has said. since taking office and prior to it, that given the attack that osama bin laden launched tagainst the united states, the lives that he took not just on 9/11 but on other occasions, that he was a high-value target and a legitimate target, and that this president believed since long before he became president that given actionable intelligence to capture or kill osama bin laden, he would move very quickly and surely to take

that action. and the opportunity presented itself. >> so this would have applied not only to pakistan but to other countries if he was found somewhere else? >> well, i would simply say that there was a great deal of confidence, as has been discussed by experts for a long time now, that he was in that border region or in pakistan. so i don't think the hypothetical really makes a lot of sense. let's see. cheryl. >> has the president picked a new commerce secretary, and when can we see that announcement? >> i don't have any personnel announcements for you, or timing of personnel announcements for you. let me just do -- bill. >> jay, almost lost in this news is the nato strike against gaddafi's compound on saturday, where his son was killed and three of his grandchildren. is it -- does the white house believe that that mission was in keeping with carrying out the

u.n. resolution? >> yes. and i think there have been ample -- there's been ample commentary about that from nato. so we do believe that, and obviously continue to focus on that mission as we do on other missions. >> is there a message there to gaddafi in this? >> you could say that. [laughter] thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> we continue our coverage of the reaction to the killing of osama bin laden wetih secretary of state henry clinton. after that, remarks from members of congress. >> well, good morning. as president obama said last night, osama bin ladin is dead,

and justice has been done. and today, i want to say a few words about what this means for our efforts going forward. first, i want to offer my thoughts and prayers to the thousands of families whose loved ones were killed in usama bin ladin's campaign of terror and violence, from the embassy bombings in africa, to the strike on the u.s.s. cole, to the attacks of september 11, 2001, and so many more. these were not just attacks against americans, although we suffered grievous losses, these were attacks against the whole world. in london and madrid, bali, istanbul, and many other places, innocent people -- most of them muslims -- were targeted in markets and mosques, in subway stations, and on airplanes, each attack motivated

by a violent ideology that holds no value for human life or regard for human dignity. i know that nothing can make up for the loss of the victims or fill the voids they left, but i hope their families can now find some comfort in the fact that justice has been served. second, i want to join the president in honoring the courage and commitment of the brave men and women who serve our country and have worked tirelessly and relentlessly for more than a decade to track down and bring usama bin ladin, this terrorist, to justice. from our troops and our intelligence experts, to our diplomats and our law enforcement officials, this has been a broad, deep, very

impressive effort. here at the state department, we have worked to forge a worldwide anti-terror network. we have drawn together the effort and energy of friends, partners, and allies on every continent. our partnerships, including our close cooperation with pakistan, have helped put unprecedented pressure on al- qaida and its leadership. continued cooperation will be just as important in the days ahead, because even as we mark this milestone, we should not forget that the battle to stop al-qaida and its syndicate of terror will not end with the death of bin ladin. indeed, we must take this opportunity to renew our resolve and redouble our efforts. in afghanistan, we will

continue taking the fight to al- qaida and their taliban allies, while working to support the afghan people as they build a stronger government and begin to take responsibility for their own security. we are implementing the strategy for transition approved by nato at the summit in lisbon, and we supporting an afghan-led political process that seeks to isolate al-qaida and end the insurgency. our message to the taliban remains the same, but today it may have even greater resonance -- you cannot wait us out. you cannot defeat us. but you can make the choice to abandon al-qaida and participate in a peaceful political process. in pakistan we are committed to

supporting the people and government as they defend their own democracy from violent extremism. indeed, as the president said, bin ladin had also declared war on pakistan. he had ordered the killings of many innocent pakistani men, women, and children. in recent years, the cooperation between our governments, militaries, and law enforcement agencies increased pressure on al-qaida and the taliban, and this progress must continue and we are committed to our partnership. history will record that bin ladin's death came at a time of great movements toward freedom and democracy, at a time when the people across the middle east and north africa are rejecting the extremist narratives and charting a path of peaceful progress based on

universal rights and aspirations. there is no better rebuke to al-qaida and its heinous ideology. all over the world we will press forward, bolstering our partnerships, strengthening our networks, investing in a positive vision of peace and progress, and relentlessly pursuing the murderers who target innocent people. the fight continues, and we will never waver. now i know there are some who doubted this day would ever come, who questioned our resolve and our reach. but let us remind ourselves, this is america. we rise to the challenge, we persevere, and we get the job done. i am reminded especially today of the heroism and humanity that marked the difficult days after 9/11. in new york, where i was a senator, our community was

devastated, but we pulled through. ten years later, that american spirit remains as powerful as ever, and it will continue to prevail. so this is a day, not only for americans, but also for people all over the world who look to a more peaceful and secure future -- yes, with continued vigilance, but more so with growing hope and renewed faith in what is possible. thank you all very much. >> president obama and the first lady hosted a group of bipartisan congressional leaders

at a dinner at the white house. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, everyone. everybody please have a seat. good evening. on behalf of michelle and myself, i want to welcome everybody to the white house . rescheduled this a dinner a few weeks ago because i thought it would be a good opportunity for leaders of both parties and their spouses to spend some time together outside of politics. and tonight seems like an especially fitting occasion to do this. obviously, we have all had disagreements and differences and the past. i suspect we will have them and the future. -- in the future.

last night, as americans learned about the capture and death of osama bin laden -- [applause] i think we experienced the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. we were reminded once again that there was a pride in what this nation stands for and what we can achieve that runs far deeper than party, far deeper than politics. i want to again recognize the

heroes who carried out this incredibly dangerous mission, as well as all of the military and counter-terrorism professionals who made the mission possible. i also want to thank the members of congress from both parties who have given extraordinary support to our military and our intelligence officials. without your support, they could not do what they do. i know that that unity that we felt on 9/11 has frayed a little bit over the years. and i have no illusions about the difficulty of the debates that we will have to be engaged and in the weeks and months to come. there have been several moments like this that have brought us together as an american family, whether it was the tragedy cson, or the response

to the devastating storms i am this out. it is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that private to confront the many challenges we still face, but to all of you here tonight, we are joyful that you could join us. and please have a little bit of fun, all right? thank you very much, everybody. [applause] >> i will make a brief statement. we will be happy to take a few questions. director leon panetta and i

served together on a the house of representatives. he has been very generous with his time with me, and i would sit down and talk to him fairly regularly. down in the new classified briefing center in the capital. so i have been found -- following this with the director leon panetta for some time know, the general aspects of what they're looking at, which was confirmed last night when i received a call from the white house around 9:30 and shortly there after when the president called me and outlined what had taken place, which most of you know what took place at this stage. the president was a very somber in relating to me what took place. and when he talked about the facility, i had and my mind's

briefed byhad been leon panetta in more general terms. today, americans across the country welcomed the news, this awful man, this man who epitomize evil has been brought to justice -- by american forces. his death is the most significant victory in our fight against al qaeda and sends a strong message to terrorists or around the world. we odette to the courageous men and women in are military -- we owe a debt to the courageous men and women in our military. i went to a funeral in boulder city where our young man by the name of patton was killed.

he was a navy seal. as we learned, these were seals that went into this operation. what they do is so courageous. the finest special operation forces in the history of the world are trained by our great country. so these men and women in the military and intelligence community to put their lives on the line to make this happen is remarkable, and i cannot help but get -- the young patton boy, who i played ball against his dad and his uncle, out of my mind. this is a direct result of president obama's efforts to refocus on afghanistan and pakistan is essential that a ground. over the past 2.5 years, the administration has escalated our military and diplomatic intelligence and economic

efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al qaeda around the world. we know the fight against terrorists who want to harm america is not over. we know that. but as we remember those who were killed on that dark day in september, and their families, and the other thousands of people that this evil man plotted to kill, we will continue to be vigilant with our military, with our intelligence committee, and support them, as i know the american public does. carl? >> when secretary gates reached me while i was waiting for a plane at the detroit airport last night, about 10:00 or so, my first reaction was great satisfaction and relief that a true mass murderer had been

brought to justice. i thought to myself, justice is a long memory, and has a long arm. i was also -- i was stunned by the capability of our special forces, the amazing performance of our men and women in uniform, that they were able to pull this off. they never cease to amaze me in their skill, companies, and bravery. thinking about this, coming into baltimore and washington last night, i was also thinking about the mythology of bin laden, how it's been punctured. that he cannot escape justice and it did not. and also, that while people were

thinking about this mythological character in caves along the border between pakistan and afghanistan, he was in comfort for many years in big place while the minions that he sends out to kill people were doing their double s-- their devilish deeds in much more difficult circumstances than he himself or arrange for themselves many years ago. so the other thought i had flying back was the memory and remembrance of those were lost on 9/11 but also had been lost to terror before and after. and that the war will continue, that this is a victory but it is not the final victory over terrorism. this morning's statement of

hamas condemning the killing of bin laden, calling him a martyr, reinforces our resolve that this war has got to continue to be fought. but the myth of bin laden has been punctured. >> questions? >> the president has a timetable to begin withdrawal of -- out of afghanistan. he has indicated he will stick with that. i think that is appropriate. >> there are reports that oil prices are dropping and stocks are up. is there a connection between this, and if it is, how much of an effect do you think this will have with the threat of terror diminishing? >> the world community is satisfied that a man of terror has been brought to justice. and i think that what we have

seen with the price of gold, which has dropped, stock prices have gone up, that is hopefully a trend, but i am not confident that will be the case. i am glad that everyone is happy that this man has been brought to justice, but i think that international economic community is relieved that this man is out of circulation. we know there are other terrorist out there, but this is a shot in the arm to people of goodwill. >> can i ask about pakistani officials? given where bin laden was found, is it all a question in your mind that pakistani officials knew where he was for much longer than they said? >> i think the pakistani army and intelligence have a lot of

questions to answer. given the location, the length of time and thea pparen apparent fact that this facility was built for bin laden and its closeness to the central location of the pakistani army. i think the army and intelligence of pakistan have plenty of questions that they should be answering, and hopefully, they are being asked by the pakistani government. but i do think the pakistani president's statement today was a very reassuring statement when he very specifically said that he thinks it is a great victory and that it's a success and that he congratulates us on the success of the operation. reassured by his statement, not necessarily suspicious that he knew or that the civilian leadership knew, but i must tell you -- i hope that he will

follow through, the president, nand ask some tough questions of his own military and intelligence. they have a lot of explaining to do. >> a question about funding. there is no discussion about what is the future of funding of the war in afghanistan. and second, you've been outspoken critic about that notion of interrogation and torture. one of the leads that had come out that the cia met to -- how far should interrogation be allowed to go? >> i do not have any basis to believe that any leads were produced by illegal activities by it -- on our part. i have no basis to know that. my views about the fact that

torture produces misinformation, not good information, are pretty well known. so i have no basis. >> what about the question of funding? >> i think we have are two committees, the armed services committee, the appropriations committee have a job to do. they are looking for any waste in the pentagon. secretary gates is doing the same thing. we are going to continue doing the work we need to do. >> has the present communicated to you -- and chairman levin have you heard from secretary gates? >> all of our embassies around the world have been put on alert status, and rightfully so. >> [inaudible]

the loss of bin laden puts the group in a path of decline. to you feel confident in that? >> i hope that is the case. but we should be cautiously optimistic. i think is still a lot of work to do. that this man is out of circulation is a shot in the arm for justice all over the world. i think it will be good for everybody. thanks. >> good afternoon, everyone.

the tragic events of 91110 years ago remind us that we are -- the tragic events of 911 10 uyears ago reminds us of what unites us is far greater than what divides us. the death of osama bin laden is an important moment in the war against terrorism. an important event for people all around the world to have been subject to the terror of al qaeda and osama bin laden. and to the families who lost loved ones on september 11, 2001, we will never forget what you lost. and for those who have fought and died in the war against terror and their loved ones, we honor your sacrifice. and to those who seek to destroy freedom by preying on innocent human life, we will not rest

until we bring you to justice. our fight for freedom and liberty around the globe continues. we face a complex and dangerous threats, even today. it is important that we remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat terrorist enemies and protect the american people. this makes our engagement in pakistan and afghanistan more important, not less. i want to congratulate and thank the hard-working men and women of the united states armed services. i want to thank all of those involved in the intelligence committee for their tireless efforts and perseverance. i also want to commend president obama and president bush for all of their efforts to bring osama bin laden to justice. >> good afternoon. nearly 10 years ago, president bush stood before the nation after 9/11 and pledged to the

american people that we will not hire, we will not falter, and we will not fail in our quest to to feed those who intend to do us harm through acts of terror. last night, we heard president obama and tell a very changed nation that we did not fail. i think what this tells all of us is that success and victory sometimes takes a lot longer than we would like. sometimes it is a lot harder than we would like. and sometimes it brings about more tragedy than absolutely we would even believe. but it is our commitment to continue to do all we can to support those in our armed services and intelligence committee and this president in their quest to defend the

american people against the spread of radical islam and the threads that it continues to pose to our country. >> good afternoon. september 11 reminded every american that freedom is not free. last night, marked not only our country but told the entire world that america has the resolve. it may take as a decade, but we will continue to fall through. that was the same result we have with any kind -- and the cellist this country faces. i congratulate all those involved. it was not something that happened overnight. the courier, those individuals that do the work before the intelligence committee, the work that president bush did and the work president obama did. he had a decision he had to make. we thank him for the decision he made it . to the navy seals, going in in two helicopters, one breaking

down and still carrying out the mission. it is the strength of this country. and we will continue to have the result as we fight terrorism anywhere else in the world. >> few events have been emblazoned and the hearts, minds, and souls of our countrymen as 9/11. perhaps occasionally american justice will be delayed, but it will not be denied. today is a day to celebrate. and today is a day to congratulate. from all of those who labored all these many years in the intelligence community, to the enlisted personnel, to the courage of the navy seals and certainly all the way to the commander in chief, president obama, congratulations are in order. but one thing that has not changed after today is that the price of liberty remains

eternally vigilant. thank you. >> thank you, all. >> [inaudible] >> good afternoon. i am proud to be here with the democratic leadership of the house to say ahhail to the chief.

congratulations to the present for his leadership, determination, a commitment of resources, for his make it a priority the capture, the apprehension of osama bin laden. congratulations, congressman, our former colleague, and the director of the cia leon panetta was task to achieve this and special ops and all of the military that played such a great role with such precision that not one american life was lost. i hope it is some comfort to the families of 9/11 that this has taken place. it is an historic event. we can never make them whole, but again, i hope there is some comfort to them that at last osama bin laden has been apprehended. we have more work to do. he is one person. terrorism is still out there. we of a commitment to honor -- and protect and defend. president obama has done that with this building on the work

of president bush before him, and before that, president clinton even before 9/11 made osama bin laden public enemy number one in the u.s. as we go for it, i hope we will have a chance to speak about this on the floor in the form of resolution and perhaps go to new york in a joint session as the new york delegation has way that is a a much better occasion now that this historic occasion has taken place. again i say hail to the chief. now i am pleased to yield two steny hoyer. i made you the majority. >> thank you very much. yesterday it was a day for which all freedom loving people had wished since 9/11 of 2001.

yesterday, as our president indicated, was a day when one of the most heinous mass murderers in our lifetime was brought to justice. yesterday was a day that, as leader pelosi pointed out, bill clinton, george gumby bush and president -- george w. bush and president obama worked diligently to accomplish. present of all, our intelligence community, the members of our armed forces have worked together to bring this day to reality. as the leaders pointed out, however, this is one person. this is a person who was

diminished in his ability to carry out terror attacks on united states, its people and its territory, but who nevertheless remained a symbol for those who think that terrorism is a policy that is useful and important to pursue. whether they be islamic i jihadists radicals who want to accomplish the terror that they cannot accomplish through peaceful means. throughout the world today, we see people -- for democracy, reaching for an opportunity to participate, reaching in peaceful ways, bringing osama bin laden to justice was alsop important for them. terror is not the way.

peaceful demonstrations, discussions, actions are. so, yes, this was a day for which we all waited but we do not delude ourselves that yesterday solved our problem, that yesterday will mean we do not have to worry. eternal vigilance continues to be the price of freedom. i congratulate president obama. i will have the opportunity with leader pelosi and assistant leader, i was going to call him whip, clyburn and chairman larson and mr. berman to congratulate the president personally. he was courageous in authorizing this action. we know its success was not guaranteed, but obviously, the preparation, the courage, the skill, of those and 80 steals made it and its strategic those annavy seals made it

successful. so this is a good day for america, but it is a good day for freedom loving people throughout the world. i yield to mr. clyburn. >> thank you, mr. hoyer. i just want us to really keep in mind that yesterday's resolution does not end this fight any more than 9/11 started it. i am very respect all of the families of 9/11, but last night, and this morning, i found myself thinking about the families of those men and women of the u.s.s. cole, one of whom

was a constituent of mine from south carolina. i thought about the brother of anton gunn, the regional er wasor of hhs, his broth on the u.s.s. cole. i thought about the families, some of them from your district, on the embassy in nairobi in 1998. cole was 2000. have been there for a long, long time. president clinton started us on this path, president bush kept us there, and president obama has opened a new chapter in this fight. and i congratulate him for doing it in a way that it restores the

faith and confidence of the people around the world. it gives a surge of of adrenaline to our citizens, to our men and women in uniform. this is the surge we have been waiting for . to what occurred thank you. >> thank you, all. >> you are looking at a picture of osama bin laden's compound in pakistan . he was killed during a gunbattle with cia paramilitary forces. the al qaeda leader was buried at sea. >> for over two decades, bin laden has continued to plot attacks against our friends and

allies. >> watched the president's announcement, plus reaction from capitol hill and around the world when ever you want on line with the c-span video library. search, watch, clip, and share. it is washington your way. coming up live tonight on c-span 2, canadians will elect members to the house of commons. we will have the election results and analysis, explain the middle of the next canadian government. watch live coverage at 10:00 p.m. eastern on c-span to. -2. >> a day after announcing u.s. commandos killed osama bin laden, president obama awarded the medal of honor to two army privates who were killed during the korean war.

before passing out the awards, the president talked about the various u.s. intelligence and military leaders who helped find osama bin laden. this portion is about 10 minutes. >> good morning, everybody. please be seated. on behalf of michelle and myself, and welcome to the white house. to our many guests from hawaii, aloha. and thank you, chaplin, for their wonderful invocation. i think we can all agree this is a good day for america. our has kept its commitment to see that justice is done. the world is safer. it is a better place because of the death of an osama bin laden. today, we are reminded that as a nation, there is nothing we

cannot do when we put our shoulders to the wheel, when we work together, when we remember the sense of unity that defines us as americans. and we have seen that spirit, that patriotism in the crowds that gathered outside the white house, at ground zero, and across the country. people holding candles, waving the flag, singing the national anthem. people proud to live in the u.s. we are fortunate to have americans to dedicate their lives to protecting ours. the volunteer. the train. the indoor separation from their families, -- they endure separation from their families, they take risks so we can be saved. they get the job done. we may not always know their names. we may not always know their stories, ubbut they are there

every day on the front lines of freedom, and we are truly blessed. i do want to acknowledge before we begin the ceremony two individuals who have been critical as part of my team who are here today. first of all, i think somebody who will go down as one of the finest secretaries of defense in our history, secretary bob gates, who is here. [applause] and sitting beside him, someone who served with incredible valor on behalf of this country and is now somebody who i think will go down as one of the greatest secretaries of veterans affairs, eric shinseki. [applause]

now, i have to say that as commander in chief i could not be prouder of our men and women in and uniform. that is true no iw in today's wars. it has been true in all our wars. and it is why we are here today. long ago, a poet of the first world war road of the sacrifice of young soldiers. "they shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. age shall not we them, nor the years condemn. at the going down of the sun, we will remember them.

today, we are joined by two american families who six decades ago, gave our nation one of their own. private first class henry -- and private first class anthony. they did not grow old. these two soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice when they were just 19 and 21 years old. age did not weary them. in the hearts of their families, they remain forever young. living sons, protective brothers, hometown kids who stood tall in america's hometown, in americas uniform. today, we remember them. and we honor them with the highest military decoration that our nation can bestow. the medal of honor. in doing so, we honor their families.

who remind us of that it is our external military families who bear the heavy burden of war. we are joined by members of congress who are here. we are very grateful for you. we're also joined by leaders from the army and armed forces, including chairman of the joint chiefs of staff admiral mike mullen and the vice chairman general jim cartright. there they are, right there. [applause] thethis is not int h script, but let me acknowledge that without the leadership of bob gates, mike mullen, jim clarke right, today and yesterday would not have happened. steadyeir studies the --

this and leadership could not have been greater. i am so proud of them. [applause] >> good afternoon, everybody and thanks for being here. senator collins and i wanted to come here today most of all to say thank you to the men and women of intelligence, military,

and homeland security communities for what they did for us yesterday. today the world as a safer and better place because of the brave and brilliant american patriots who work together yesterday to kill osama bin laden, a mass murderer. for a lot of the last decade, the homeland security committee of the u.s. senate, which senator collins and i have been privileged to be leaders of together, has concentrated on a of doing everything we possibly could to make sure that the lack of coordination with and the united states government that facilitated the attacks against america on 9/11 was ended. what happened yesterday was the

exact opposite of the mistakes and failure to cooperate that led to the 9/11 attacks against the united states. because, from everything we can determine, every element of our government -- military, intelligence, homeland security -- worked together as a team. and the result was the end of the life of osama bin laden. i want to thank all of them and also particular express my gratitude to president obama for his leadership as commander in chief. in speaking with one of the members of our national security team, i want to point out that this was not a political appointee. he said to me that president obama throughout the preparations and deliberations and decision making that preceded the successful attack on bin laden, the president

obama was cool and decisive. and that the decisions that were made were not easy ones. so i want to express my personal gratitude to president obama for the leadership he gave this great team of hours. notwithstanding how well the team performed yesterday, i simply want to say briefly that our senate committee on homeland security will continue to monitor and investigate every element of what our government is doing to protect the homeland security of the american people because the enemy is out there. and the enemy will continue to try to attack the american people here at home, where we live, and work. in that regard, let me make this point there has been much commentary on the fact that there may now be a heightened level of danger for a limited period of time, as individuals

or groups seek revenge for the murder of osama bin laden. first, i want to reassure everyone that all of our homeland security and intelligence agencies are alert to those dangers. and using every tool they have to detect and if necessary prevent such an attack. my own great concern in the dayas ahead is that a long wolf, a single individual who has been radicalized will now mobilize himself or herself to take action here at home against the american people. and, of course, as we know on our committee, we have spent time particularly investigating the murder of 13 americans at fort hood by hassan. these are the most difficult cases to see and stop.

and so my appeal to the american people is please be alert. this is a classic, if you see something, say something moment. if you see suspicious behavior, call the police immediately. and that includes if you see suspicious behavior by somebody who is a friend or a family member. final point i want to make is this. i would like to put the death of osama bin laden in the broader context of the peaceful, democratic uprisings that are occurring now in the arab world. for the war that we were drawn into on a 9/11 against aids -- islamist extremism will not end

with the debt of one man. even that one man who most visibly propagated this political ideology that is a corruption of a great religion. this war against islamic extremism and terrorism will end when the idea bin laden propagated, which i call islamism, lie discredited and abandoned alongside its totalitarian twins fascism and communism. in this respect, it is fitting that bin laden was killed just as democracies are being born in the arab world. the peaceful, democratic revolutions now taking in place tunisia, egypt, libya, and syria

are the true or creation of bin ladenism. contrary to what bin laden prophesied, that his extreme ideology is the kethe weak horse and democracy is the strong horse after all. to rid our world not only of bin laden but of bin ladenism, it is critical that we together do everything in our power to help the democratic forces in the middle east succeed. ford will be at the hands of his fellow arabs and fellow muslims that bin laden is finally consigned to the ash heap of history. senator collins. >> thank you. let me just add to senator lieberman's comments by starting with my tremendous gratitude to

everyone who was involved in this critical mission, from the president and his national security team to the courageous andy navy seals and intelligence operatives who executed this very dangerous operation flawlessly and with such great courage. i could not help but think last night when i received a call from the director of the national counter-terrorism center, that that center did not even exist prior to our 2004 intelligence reform and terrorism prevention act. when michael leider call me to tell me that osama bin laden had been killed, he talked about the

extraordinary effort and cooperation and prior to 9/11 of 2001, just the opposite existed. there was not cooperation. information was not shared. the silos prevented people from acting together. in this operation, we saw exactly the opposite. we saw our intelligence officials working with our special forces. working with our homeland security officials. everybody working together to undertake and successfully carry out this extraordinary mission . i also agree with senator lieberman that, while this is a significant development with the mastermind of al qaeda, the architect of the attacks against our country, and thethe inspiraf

the islamist jihadists the being killed, it is not the end of our fight against islamic extremism. we must continue to dog let our guard had we must continue to be vigilant. i agree that one of the concerns that i must have is that a homegrown terrorists who will choose this moment to strike in an attempt to retaliate for osama bin laden's death. i was particularly pleased that at midnight, at the department of all land security put out a situational awareness alert that

what he stated local law enforcement, will lead security officials across this country and giving them some intelligence information and telling them that they should be prepared for an increase in attacks. perhaps expediting of plots that are now under way, and that they should be on the alert for that to happen. not too long ago, there would be no communication between washington at stake in local law enforcement. much less a system that went out in an untimely way. i think it shows how far we have come in the last decade.

while we must not rest because the threat is still with us despite this tremendous intelligence triumph. >> questions? >> in light of the information that came about, how would this change the security issue? >> over the years, there should be held as prisoners of war. the duties are often sources of very valuable intelligence. in this case, as you know, some of the original intelligence that led to the suspicion of

this individual or two of the couriers, it came from somebody we have had. it encourages us to treat people we capture as what they are, prisoners of war. they are not criminals of the united states. when this case, they help us save lives all over the world. >> what do we tell the american public about the war in afghanistan? >> the biggest symbol, let's put it this way. the man that was the inspirational leader of the forces that protect us in afghanistan is now dead. the war goes on. i heard that they quickly withdraw from afghanistan because he was dead.

i wish we could say that. we would repeat that mistake once before when we pulled out of afghanistan in that region after the soviets did. and invited ultimately caliban -- the taliban and al qaeda in afghanistan. in a decision has to be made based of the effects of the ground. i think the killing of bin laden and gives us an increased momentum in the warrant afghanistan. if i were the leader of the caliban -- taliban, i would be frightened right now.

it was built to house and protect osama bin laden. were ever any other leader is right now, they have reason to worry. >> i wanted to comment on the second part of your question that had to do with pakistan. it seems to me that this incident shows that pakistan remains a critical but uncertain ally in the fight against terrorism. it is very difficult for me to understand how this huge compound could be built in the city just an hour north in the city that contains military installations including the

pakistan military academy. and that it does not arouse tremendous suspicion. especially since there are no internet or telephone connections. there was barbwire are around the top of the compound. i think this tells us once again that fortunately, pakistan, at times, is playing a double game. that is very troubling to me. >> that is what they can do to change the way that pakistan is dealing with the presence in the country. whether it is funding a or for anything in the outcome? >> we clearly need to keep the pressure on pakistan. one way to do that is to put more strings attached to the

tremendous amount of military aid that we give the country. i understand that the government is under tremendous pressure. but the fact is, it is in pakistan's own interests to see the terrorist threats. that terrorist threat is going to turn towards pakistan itself. >> in response to your question, there will be a lot of questions raised about what people in the pakistan intelligence agency, particularly hot should have known about the presence of him in pakistan itself. pakistan officials have said he

is not in pakistan. my of experience is that this is one of the most complicated, maybe the most complicated security intelligence relational have in anywhere in the world. they do give us very helpful intelligence assistance and military assistance. of the other hand, we have reason to believe he elements of their intelligence community continue to be very closely in touch and in support of terrorist groups that are fighting us in afghanistan. this is going to be a time of real pressure for them to basically prove to us that they did not know that they were there. >> the americans had orders to

kill at about capture him. was that the case? was there any concern that we lost by not taking it? >> i don't know the answer. the description we have heard from our officials was that there was an initial attempt to capture him. and i don't know the exact description of how he resisted, but the special operations command forces, immediately at that point, they can kill him. when they do. >> there were apparently pictures taken of the killing. does that serve any purpose to release them to the public? >> this is a very difficult decision and i will leave it open to the administration. there is a problem here. unless there is an acknowledgement by people that

he is dead, it may be necessary to release the pictures, as gruesome as they undoubtedly will be because he has been shot in the head. to quell any doubt that this somehow is a ruse that the american government has carried out. it is necessary to release those pictures. i will respect whatever decision the president makes. i will tell you this. based on information that i received, i am absolutely convinced that the man who was killed yesterday was him. >> what about that information? >> of the dna test is pretty conclusive. i share their views that this is a difficult issue. i have absolutely no doubt that he was killed yesterday.

but i recognize that there will be those who will try to generate this mess that he is alive. and that we miss him somehow. in order to put that to rest, it may be necessary to release some of the pictures or video for the dna tests. to prevent that from happening. >> the other thing to say briefly is that we have a baby seals there. to put it mildly, i trust the navy seals. there will be information that from my point of view convinces me that this was definitely heaven. this is of the most difficult decisions the president had to make. whether the evidence was sufficient that this was him.

to authorize this right to go forward. there is a lot that was leading in that direction. >> any information from the compound itself is that he was killed, but there could be an affirmation to prevent future attacks? >> i don't know. >> think you will. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] for all. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding >> mr. president, americans today what the good news. 10 years after the united states has indeed been done. the man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and who reveled in

the horror of that day is dead. and those who followed his twisted vision are again on notice: america is in pursuit. this is a long time coming. for two decades osama bin laden and the al qaeda network he created sustained and led had been at war with the united states. the path of terror extended from the first world trade center bombing to the bombing of the khobar towers and the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania to the bombing of the u.s.s. cole to the horrors of 9/11 and through two long and difficult wars that followed. 9/11 may have been the day that this pattern of violence became suddenly and undeniably clear. bin laden's destructive path was already long by then. and for the past ten years america has been determined to bring this monster to justice. from the beginning of this fight, the mission has been

clear, to deny al qaeda and any of its affiliates around the world a sanctuary from which they could plan, prepare or launch another attack on u.s. soil. and the effort to prevent that long feared attack has been an undeniable success under two administrations in the ongoing war on terror. a few short years after 9/11, al qaeda gained enough strength to once again pose a serious threat to the united states. meanwhile the taliban had reestablished its headquarters in pakistan and gained enough strength to return to afghanistan and to risk the success of our mission there. as the years went by, osama bin laden's ability to elude capture had become a greater source of frustration to us and a source of propaganda to his followers. over the years americans had become all too familiar with bin laden's dark pronouncements from his declaration three years ago

before 9/11 that it was the obligation of every muslim to kill and fight americans and their allies, whether civilian or military in any country, to his declaration after 9/11 that he had calculated the number of innocents he could kill that morning and that he was the most optimistic planner of them all. last night those pronouncements ended at the barrel of a gun. the last thing osama bin laden saw on this earth was a small team of americans who shot him. so americans can be proud of the efforts of our military and intelligence communities and the focused efforts of two administrations in fighting al qaeda and now in capturing its self-appointed leader. this is indeed a signaled achievement, a huge victory in the war against terrorism, a day of great pride for our country. the president made the right call, and we thank him for it.

we could never bring back those who died on 9/11 or those who have given their lives in this long and difficult war, but all americans can say with renewed confidence today that we have kept our pledge and that this is a war we will win. some will recall that osama bin laden launched this war many years ago on the false assumption that america didn't have the stomach for the fight. and while it may have taken longer than we hoped, last night he and his followers learned just how wrong he was. we take great satisfaction in knowing that osama bin laden will no longer be able to carry out his evil plans that he has made his last video, and that whatever -- and that whenever someone suggests that the u.s. has grown weary and complacent in this war, we have shown how determined we are to fight it to the end. history is full of fallen

despots and madmen who underestimated the resolve of the united states. last night we added one more to their ranks. but we don't rest because we know al qaeda's determination to attack the united states didn't end on september 11, 2001, and it didn't end last night. we continue the fight knowing that al qaeda remains committed to attacking our homeland and our allies. we were reminded of this last week when police in germany arrested three men associated with al qaeda who were planning an attack there. since the beginning of operation enduring freedom, we have matched the terrorist threat with the valor of our armed services and counterterrorism professionals. the men and women of the central intelligence agency's counterterrorism center have unselfishly devoted themselves to preventing attacks themselves

and hunting down bin laden. last night their efforts met with success, and we're deeply, deeply grateful for their efforts. as for the broader war, the death of bin laden may create the opportunity to renew our efforts to bring fresh pressure on al qaeda's leadership. president obama noted that it is essential that pakistan joins us in this fight. in the coming weeks and months these same counterterrorism professionals will focus on determining what bin laden's death mean for the death posed for al qaeda affiliates in the remainder of al qaeda's senior leadership. but today the world knows, once again, that wherever al qaeda lurks, wherever they lurk, we will find them. it may not be days from now.

it may not be months, but those who plot harm to innocent americans and our allies will be captured or killed. for them justice will be done. anyone who lived through the horror of 9/11 remembers exactly where they were on that terrible september day. now they will remember where they were when they first heard the news that the man behind it had been killed by brave american forces inside pakistan. we'll remember where we were when, after year of effort, we finally got our man. america didn't seek this fight. it came to us. but ever since 9/11 we've been determined to fight al qaeda to the end. we knew from the start it would require patience and great sacrifice. and that effort has paid off. thanks to the skill and perseverence of many brave men

and women we have done what we said. america has not wavered, it has not lost sight of the mission, and we will prevail. gosh, it was a watershed moment in our fight against terrorism. the crimes touched most of the continent that brought loss of life to thousands of men, women, and children. in the strongest possible terms, terrorism in all of its forms, it is the community. this is a to remember that the

families of victims and everywhere in the world, united nations and will continue the fight against terrorism and we will fight against terrorism. and remember september 11, 2001. i was in new york on that day. unhook the will continue to flee this campaign with leaders to fight against terrorism. i think you very much. >> this news will be welcome right across our country. it does not mark the end of the

threat we face from extremist terror. we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead. but it is a massive step forward. he was responsible for the deaf of thousands of innocent men, women, and children right across the world. people of every race and religion. he was also responsible for the death of many british citizens of both here and in other parts of the world. i would like to congratulate the u.s. forces had carried out this great action. of like to thank president obama for ordering this action. we should thank all of those the work day and night with hoffa and no recognition to keep us safe from the threat of terror. and above all today, we should think of the victims of the poisonous extremism that this man has been responsible for. of course, nothing will bring

back the loved ones the families have lost to terror, but at least they know the man who was responsible for these acts is no more. >> you're looking at the picture of his compound in pakistan. he was killed during a gunbattle with navy seals and the of the cia military forces. the leader who was buried at sea. >> for over two decades, he has been the leader and symbol. he has continued to plot attacks against our country, our friends, and allies. it is the most significant achievement to date. >> watch the reaction of from cabinet officials and around the world hall in their entirety

whatever you want, on line, with a c-span video library. it is washington your way. we begin our coverage of the reaction to the killing with the white house press secretary who was joined by white house security and counterterrorism advisers. he told reporters that it was a defining moment in the war against terrorism. he describes how he and the president, as well as other members of the security team viewed this operation. this is about an hour. >> one point before we get started, i have with me the

assistant to the president for homeland's security and counter terrorism. he will take questions from you about the events of last night and yesterday afternoon. and what preceded those events. and if you have any questions on other subjects, i would do about 10 minutes after he is finished to take those questions. a does want to make the point before john comes up that as many of you go, the president even before he was president has had a very clear idea about the approach he would take as president towards osama bin laden. in august, he said if we have actionable intelligence about high-value targets, in july of

2008, who said we must make it clear that if pakistan will not act, we will take out terrorist targets if we have them in our sights. he repeated statements like that i wanted to make clear that this was approached and he always felt he would take what he was president, and once he took office, he made sure that we would revitalize our focus and the hunt for him. with that, i would like to invite john up to take your questions. and i will be standing here if you have questions other topics. [laughter] >> i apologize.

>> i wanted to ask about the specific goal of the raid. was there consideration to try to take a live? >> it was absolutely to prepare for all contingencies. if he did not present any threat, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that, we discussed that extensively. the concern was that he would oppose any type of operation. it was a firefight. he was killed in that fire fight and that is what the remains were removed. we were certainly planning for the possibility that we thought was going to be remote and given that he would likely resist arrest. >> there was the most likely

outcome. >> we were trying to make sure that we were able to accomplish the mission safely and securely for the people involved. we were not going to put our people at risk. the president to make sure that our personnel were protected and we were not going to give any of his cohorts the opportunity to carry out lethal fire on our forces. he was engaged in he was killed in the process. if we have the opportunity to take him alive, we would have done that. >> have you determined how he was able to hide? the you believe what they said he had no idea that he was there? >> this was something that was considered as a possibility. pakistan is a large country. we're looking right out at how he was able to hold out there for so long. and whether or not any type of support system was there that

allowed him to stay there. and the people in the compound were working on his behalf and that is how we ultimately found our way to the compound. we're less than 24 hours after this operation, so we're talking with them on a regular basis now. we're going to sue for all types of systems and benefactors that he might have had. we have to look at all leads in this issue. >> is it really credible that they had no idea that this compound was being built? >> is inconceivable that he did not have a support system in the country that allowed him to remain there for an extended time. i will not speculate about what type of support he might have had about the official basis. we're closely talking to them

right out. we're leading to open opportunities to continue to pursue whatever leads might be out there. >> of the things a lot of people felt about is what does this mean for the war in afghanistan? does it make it easier to wide things down? >> the accomplishment of the very brave personnel from the united states government were able to realize just today is a defining moment in the war on terrorism by decapitating the head of the snake. it is going to have very important reverberations throughout the area of the network. in that area, this is something we have been after for 15 years. " we are going to do is try to take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate to the people in the area that they are something of the past.

and we're hoping to bury the rest of them. >> and the situation yesterday, can you describe how you are monitoring and goings of? understandably a very tense scene. were you watching the operation? were you listening to it? how were you getting information? >> unprintable convene midday yesterday. the president joined us in the early afternoon before the operation got under way. president rejoined the group and we were able to monitor the progress of the operation to its final target to the remains, to the target. it was probably one of the most anxiety filled times in the

lives of the people who were assembled here yesterday. the minutes passed like days in the president was very concerned with the security of our personnel. that was what was on his side throughout. he wanted to make sure that we were able to get through this and accomplish the mission. it was very tense, a lot of people during their breath. there was a fair degree of silence as we would get the updates. we finally were informed that those individuals who were able to go into that compound had found an individual the believed were -- believed was osama bin laden. there was a tremendous belief that he actually was found in that compound. the president was relieved once we had our people and those remains off target. >> was there a visual confirmation, or just radio

reports? >> if he monitored the situation in real-time. we were able to have regular updates and to ensure that we had real time visibility into the operation. i am not going to go into details about what type of visuals we had or what type of feeds were there. it gives us the ability to track it on an ongoing basis. >> i understand there was a moment of real tension with the helicopters and when the navy seals were leaving. many governments started scrambling their jets. there was concern that they were coming to where the u.s. troops were, where the navy seals were. was there a concern that the pakistanis that were not informed about this operation -- was there an actual concern that they might actually take military action against navy seals?

>> we did not contact the pakistanis until all of our crop for outside of pakistan -- all of our vehicles were outside of pakistani airspace. week were concerned that if -- we were concerned that they did not have concerns about who was on there. we were concerned that our people and our aircraft would get out of the air space. frankly, there was no engagement with pakistani forces. this operation was designed to minimize the chances of engagement with pakistani forces. it was done well and no pakistani forces were engaged, and no other individuals were killed. >> can you talk to us about what

documentation you may have found their? there was a big ball of information. where you able to get -- were you able to get information? >> people in the compound were careful to acquire whatever material we thought was appropriate and was needed. we are in the process now of looking at whatever might have been brought out. i will not go into details about what might happen acquired. we feel this is an important time to prosecute al qaeda and take advantage of today to continue to break the back of a qaeda. we are trying to determine the quality of the information we picked up. >> any other close calls we have not been informed about? >> over the years, torre borrow was the last time we had what we

thought was actionable and credible information about where he was located. the number of leads have been pursued over the years. this demonstrates there are some very good people who have been following been logged in for many years. they have been very persistent. they had to pull on every thread. as a result, they were able to track this and continue to build a body of evidence circumstantially. that is what they did. it was much greater confidence that we had in this body of intelligence than we have had since torre bora. there was nothing the confirmed in london was at that compound. therefore, when president obama was faced with the opportunity to act upon this, the president had to evaluate the strength of the operation and make the gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory.

>> in that final mission, can you talk to us about the anxiety of not being able to track or even get the name initially of the gentleman who led you to the compound? >> counter-terrorism work is exceptionally tedious in terms of taking a little bit of data at and try to correlate it with something else. as a result of the information we had about these careers, over time we were able to piece together information like the name he was known by. eventually a suggested that with his real name and other things. . retract that until we got to the compound. over the last six months, we tried to ensure that we had the best visibility in terms of

understanding what was happening at that compound. that body of evidence kept humility to the point where the president said he wanted to have operations against this compound. he wanted options and to make sure that we took into account the safety and security of the american people who would be conducting the operation, that we looked at it from the standpoint of limiting damage and making sure we were able to maximize the chances of mission success. ultimately, we brought us together. the president made the decision and the results speak for themselves. >> he said that osama bin laden was actually involved in a firefight. it has been reported he reached for a weapon. did he get his hands on a gun, and did he fire? >> he was engaged in a firefight with those that enter the area of the house he was in. whether he got off any rounds, i do not know. from a visual perspective, here is in london living in this

million-dollar compound in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield. i think it really speaks to just how false his narrative has been over the years. again, looking at what he was doing cutting their, putting other people out there to carry out attacks -- it speaks to the nature of the individual he was. >> what was the most anxiety- filled moment? was it when the helicopter appeared inoperable? was it when you heard shots file -- shots fired? >> you know in your mind exactly what the first up is. if there is any deviation, it causes anxiety. but the individuals to carry out this assault planned for

contingencies. when that helicopter was seen to be unable to move, you go to plan b. there were able to conduct the operation as they were preparing to do. seeing that helicopter in a place and condition that it was not supposed to be -- i think for me and the other people in the room, that was a concern we had and then we had to go toward a contingency plan. but golly, they were as able to carry out that contingency plan. we were able to monitor the situation at the time. >> when he actually -- can you describe any reaction by the president specifically when it became clear this was osama bin laden and he had been killed? >> you say when it became clear. that was one of the things we

had to do over the course of this operation. when we heard that the individuals who carried out this assault felt as though they had an individual who appeared to be been london -- to be osama bin laden, that was one thing. then there was facial recognition, height, a dna analysis. confidence was building. but at what point do you feel confident that you have the person you are after? it was more a growing sense of confidence and accomplishment. there was not want a half when people say the dna results come in. this was something that was built in overtime. we made a decision last night, because we felt we were confident enough to announce to the world that we got him. but his reaction at any time? >> we got him. >> osama bin laden use women as human shields when american personnel went in? >> it was a family at the

compound. there was a female who was in a fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield osama bin laden from the incoming fire. >> i am wondering where you are at this point on the idea of releasing photos of osama bin laden to show the world he is dead. >> we are less than 24 hours from the arrival of those individuals. we have released a tremendous amount of information to date. we are going to continue to look at the information we have and share what we can, because we want to make sure that the american people and the world understand exactly what happened and the comments we have, that it was conducted in accordance with the mission. at the same time, we do not want

to compromise our ability to be as successful the next time we get one of these guys. >> is there some thought that releasing a photo or to might avoid conspiracy theories throughout the muslim world. >> we are going to do everything we can to make sure that nobody has any basis to try to deny the we got osama bin laden. therefore, releasing information and photographs is something to be determined. >> why does the debate a hinge on whether to release something, or what to release? >> i think it is both. what falls into the category of things you could potentially released to the public? is it dna results, comments about the conduct of the operation, the intelligence base? then you have to take a look at the upside and downside. sometimes when you conduct an

operation based on intelligence, based on a sensitive and capable forces we have available to us, we want to make sure we are not doing anything to expose them and limit our ability to use the same intelligence capabilities in the future. >> has anybody secured the compound? has anybody in the pakistan army secured the compound? >> a little while ago, i saw pakistani military police had that compound under control. clearly it was the site of a major operation yesterday. it would not be my presumption that the authorities would be in control of that compound. whether it be the land or the compound, the individuals who were killed were al qaeda facilitators identified as the gatekeeper/courier.

>> it is my understanding that you called this one of the president's gutsiest decisions. that implies there was some disagreement around the table and that this was not a unanimous recommendation. >> absolutely. you have a circumstantial intelligence case. people will say that either there is insufficient circumstantial evidence to go forward with something like this, which involves a unilateral operation in another country to go after someone you believe is osama bin laden. there were different points of view. there were also different courses of action, the types of things you can do. what are the benefits of doing that from a remote location like we have done in the past in

certain areas, as well as what are the risks associated for security forces going into the compound. the present one to make sure at the end that he had used of all the principals. >> was a close call? >> i have been following osama bin laden for 15 years. i have the utmost confidence in the people particularly of the cia, who have been tracking him. they were confident and their confidence was growing. this was different. it is different than anything we have seen before. i was confident we have a basis to take operation. i also have the confidence that the u.s. team that went in there had exceptional skill to do this very capably. so i was a supporter. i know other people were supporters. but the president has to look at all of the different

contingencies. what would have been the downside if it was not osama bin laden? he decided this was so important to the security of the american people that he was going to go forward with this. >> what about the role of how the u.s. is interacting with pakistan? what did they know or not know about osama bin laden? >> the president mentioned yesterday that he spoke to their president and u.s. officials are in contact with their pakistan counterparts. we are engaging with them as we learn more about the compound and whatever type of support system it had. we have had differences of view on counter terrorism cooperation. at the same time, i will say that pakistan has been responsible for capturing and killing more terrorists inside of pakistan than any country,

but a wide margin. there were many brave soldiers, security officers, and citizens who have given their lives because of the terrorism surge in that country. we believe that partnership is critically important to breaking the back of al qaeda and eventually prevailing. >> can you tell me about the burial at sea? where did it happen? when did it happen? >> that was done in strict conformance with islamic precepts and purposes. it was prepared in accordance with islamic requirements. we early on made provisions for that type of burial. we wanted to make sure it was going to be done. it was taken care of inappropriate way. i am not going to go into details about where, but that

burial has taken place. it took place late today our time. >> when was that decision made, that he would be buried at sea? >> was this part of the plans all along? >> the course of action and the subsequent decisions that would happen had been developed over the course of the last several months. the senior officials in a working group working with us on a daily basis over the last several years were looking at every decision. based on what type of scenario that would unfold, what actions and decisions were made? the standpoint was if we captured him, where would he go? if he was killed, but would we do with him and where would he go? it was determined that it was in the best interest of all involved that this burial take place according to islamic

requirements at sea. >> why at sea? >> it was determined -- there is a requirement in islamic law that an individual be buried within 24 hours. when inside of pakistan, he was killed and remove from pakistan. there were certain steps that had to be taken. we wanted to make sure we were able to do that in the time allotted for it. going to another country, making those arrangements, would have exceeded the time, in our view. therefore, we thought that the best way to ensure that his body was given an appropriate islamic burials was to take those actions that would allow us to do the burial at sea. >> did you consult a muslim expert? >> we talked to the appropriate

experts. there was unanimity that this would be the best way to handle it. >> have the al qaeda members at the moment informed? >> i have no idea. -- at gitmo been informed? >> i have no idea. >> are you confident the body will not be found? >> burial at sea take place regularly. the u.s. military is able to do that in a manner consistent with islamic law and requirements for a burial at sea. that burial was done. >> today, lawmakers are urging reevaluating aid to pakistan, military aid there. >> there are a number of questions, and understandably so. we are in the first day after the operation.

he was found outside of islamabad. and sure plenty of people have questions about the support by the pakistani government. >> is there a visual recording of this burial? >> just a quick question -- was there an imam there? >> it was done appropriately, with the appropriate people there. >> the president is going to speak to the partisan -- the bipartisan community tonight at the dinner. what will he say that is different? can you give a preview? >> you are going to have another 20 hours of information that has been acquired since last night. what he is going to do is give congressional members hear an update. last night, he did not have some of the analysis that was done. now we can say with 99.9%

confidence this was osama bin laden. he will also explain to the congress, in many respects, some of the unique features of this decision. how it was kept so closely held within our government, why it was done, and things along those lines. >> there is the reporting that the burial -- that the saudis declined it. >> after we had confirmation it was osama bin laden, we took the steps we had agreed to them when necessary to ensure the burial at sea was the most appropriate thing to do. we touched base with the right people. i am not want to go into detail. >> can you give us any details on whether there were previous operations that were called off

at the last minute because of fears of risks or perhaps the inability to identify the body positively? >> you mean against this target? there were different courses of action about the object -- about the options available and to the president, whether there would be some kind of standoff options. we discussed all the pros and cons of them. through that process of discussion, the options were narrowed down until the president decided that this was the best option because it gave us the ability to minimize collateral damage, and sure that we knew who it was that was in the compound -- ensure that we knew who it was in the compound, and respect the sovereignty of pakistan and allow us to engage with them immediately after the fact. >> you mentioned that questions

are going to be raised, understandably, about the role of pakistan. for you and your counter terrorist job, given the history and the fact that this was done without consultation -- are you concerned that in your line of work it will be very difficult to reestablish a good working relationship there? >> there is dialogue going on with our counterparts in the aftermath of this. the are expressing understanding about the reasons why we did this. they are appreciative that it was done without having casualties outside of that compound. if the u.s.-pakistan relationship goes on and number of different levels -- counter- terrorism is one of them. it can be a complicated matter. we do not always agree on some of the things we want to do. but to continue dialogue i think we get where we need to be.

we look forward to continuing to work with our colleagues. the are as much on the front lines with regard to the battle against terrorism. >> how certain are you that there will be some kind of movement to avenge this death, some kind of retaliation? if we still had color coded alerts, would this be a time when you would raise that alert? >> there was a change in the color code advisory system. i think the director of homeland security said we do not have any critical reporting that would require an elevation of threat status. in any incident like this, we take the prudent steps afterward to make sure we have our vigilance up and are taking the appropriate measures so that our security posture is strong both overseas and here. i think there is always a

potential for terrorist groups to try to take a vintage of an operation like this. some of them are asking themselves. osama bin laden is dead. al qaeda is becoming bankrupt. there is a new wave in the middle east that puts a premium on individual rights and human dignity. it is time to move forward. we are hoping this is going to send a message to those individuals who are out there that terrorism and militancy is not the wave of the future. it is the wave of the past. >> is al qaeda weaker? >> this is a strategic blow to al qaeda. it is a necessary, but not necessarily sufficient blow to lead to its demise. we are determined to destroy it. i think we have better opportunity to destroy that organization. the second-in-command is not

charismatic. he was not involved early in afghanistan. he has a lot of detractors within the organization. i think you will see them start eating themselves from within more and more. >> there are reports that there was a replica of the compounds. can you tell us where or how that was put together? >> you can imagine that for something as important and risky as this, every effort will be made to do the practice runs, i understand the complexities and layout of the compound. the rim multiple opportunities to do that in terms of going through the exercises to prepare for it so that once they hit the compound they have over dissimulated that a number of times. i am not want to go into details about where and when. needless to say, when they hit the compound, they had already trained. >> the compound was so big.

how did they know where to find osama bin laden? was it a bedroom or a dining area or something like that? >> the outer features of the compound were studied intensively. there were certain assessments made about where individuals lived and where osama bin laden and his family were. they did not know when they got there exactly what some of the internal features of it would be. but they had planned, based on features of the compound, to carry it out. whoever it was that did the assault on that. >> was it the family part of the compound? >> this is a question. given the community you have seen, the messaging in the last and the four hours, is the president going to raise any

other issues and the leaders made to -- >> i will get to that. i want to give john a few more. he has some things he needs to do. let me go to april. >> how many civilian casualties were there? >> there were two al qaeda facilitators, the career and his brother, in the compound. there was osama bin laden's son and a woman assumed to be his wife who was shielding him. >> did he take her as a shield, or did somebody put her there? >> i was not there. it was an effort to try to shield osama bin laden. >> i want to go back to a couple of questions. there are intelligence folks in this administration and the administration prior who said the attack was not about if it would happen, but when it would

happen. are you saying this is a strategic blow and the head of the snake is lopped off? are we going to have a change because of this? >> i happen to be of the mind- set it is not if, but when. i think every day counter- terrorism officials whether it is common security or law enforcement are trying to stop whatever threat might be up there. they go into every day with that idea. this does not mean we are putting down our guard as far as al qaeda is concerned. it may be a mortally wounded tiger that still has some life in it. we need to keep up the pressure. there are individuals in that organization that are determined to carry out attacks and murders of men, women, and children. >> de think the government of

pakistan has been forthcoming? >> there are a lot of people within the government of pakistan. i am not going to speculate about who might have knowledge. we are talking to the pakistanis about this. they seemed as surprised as we were initially >> is the president still firmly committed to visiting pakistan this year to make that message? >> i am not good to address the president was a schedule. i think there is a commitment that he has made that he is intending to visit pakistan. the president feels very strongly that the people of pakistan the to be able to recognize their potential to

have a life that is full of security as well as prosperity. because of al qaeda as well as other militant organizations in that country, too many pakistanis have suffered and have died because of that. what the president has wanted to do it we are doing with the pakistani government is to see what we can do to help the pakistani governments provide that kind of lifestyle for their populous in the future. >> been london -- bin laden was found in such comfortable in pakistan, what is the basis of the presence in afghanistan? >> to bring it to security that they can have and also not allow them to use afghanistan as

a launching point. they cannot use that area to carry out attacks. we're determined to give them what they need and it deserved because of what we can help them with. >> in the time it has unfolded since, has the president had any contact with our leaders in the nato? >> he has had a number of conversations. i am not going to go into the individual discussions, but clearly it is something of international significance and he will continue to have in the coming days those discussions. >> but you cannot say if it is

with presidents are cozy or -- >> is it likely that the neighbors knew anything about this? >> when you look at the beaches of this compound, barbwire on the top, this was a family compound that had very little interaction said to the best of our knowledge with the surrounding houses. but it clearly was different than any other house out there. it had the appearance of a fortress. it does raise questions about that basically. we have had some indications that the family that was there tried to remain anonymous and try not to have it corrected. it does raise questions about a compound of that size in this area not raising suspicions

previously. >> i just want to clear something up. the woman that was killed was bin laden's wife? >> my understanding. >> and he was using her as a shield? >> she served as a shield. that is my understanding. we are still getting reports as to what happened. when she fought back, when the opportunity was there to get to bin laden, she was a position in a way that she was being used as a shield. whether or not been laid in or his son put her there, my understanding is she met her demise. she was been laid and was a wife. >> thank you very much. >> i am sure we will have more. >> is there a reason you said 99.9% certain been laid index was at 100. >> i believe that sit on dna.

i just want to address a question. tonight the president will, obviously as john said, make some remarks related to the successful mission against osama bin laden. one of the things will likely hear him sound will echo what he said last night. these are good days for america and americans. the fact that we were able to accomplish this as a lot about our country and perseverance. i think you can fairly say that the victims in this country on 9 \ 11, they were not republicans or democrats, they were americans. those who have been working on this diligently for 9.5 years are not republicans or democrats, they are americans.

he said to be said about those yesterday. the one thing you will hear from the president tonight is the capacity of americans to come together and achieve very difficult goals when we work together. we can follow up on logistics'. there are some logistical issues, we will get it to you right after. let me just do 10 minutes or so so we can all file and other things. i will move around and take the associated press around a bit. >> can you talk about his moves and try to keep his poker face knowing the actions that are going to be taken? >> i think one thing that is

important to note, as john mentioned, the compart monopolization here. it was obviously a success here and the ability to keep the mission secret. having spent a great deal of time with them on friday, i can say he was focused on the devastation in tuscaloosa. he was focused -- and he talked a lot about it in the wake of that visit. the experience that was unique about that, you discover that when folks get an opportunity to meet the president, there are different ways that they do that. there is something you need about even a president being able to meet individuals who have suffered such terrible things.

there is something that is very powerful. i think he felt that. he was focused on that. >> after the meeting tonight, other than bin laden, what is his objective? "i think as we said, this is a continuation of his effort to bring leaders of congress here in a social setting to improve communication in general. there is no agenda.

there is no goal in terms of budget or any other issue except to have that kind of conversation which i think he finds to be a useful thing to do and in some ways creating a better environment for the work that the white house and the congress needs to do together. nothing beyond that. andrea? >> two kings. who is in charge of the compound it now? >> from what i understand, pakistani authorities are in charge of the compound. i will just refer to you what the president said since taking office.

given the attack at osama bin laden launched against the united states, the lives that he took up just on 911 but the other occasions, he was a legitimate target. the president believes that given intelligence to capture and kill osama bin laden, he would move very quickly to take that action. the opportunity presented itself. i was simply sit there was a great deal of confidence as have been discussed by experts that he was in the border region or in pakistan. i do not think the hypothetical makes a lot of sense. >> as the president picked a new

commerce secretary? when can we see that announcement? >> i do not have any personnel announcements for you. >> almost lost in this news is the nato strike against the compound on saturday. does the white house believe that that mission was in keeping with carrying out the un resolution? >> yes. i believe there has been ample commentary about that from nato. we do believe that. we obviously continue to focus on that mission as well as other missions. >> thank you very much.

>> we continue our coverage of the reaction to the killing of osama bin laden with secretary of state hillary clinton. >> good morning. as president obama said last night, osama bin laden is dead. justice has been done. today i want to say a few words about what this means for our efforts going forward. first i want to offer my thoughts and prayers to the thousands of families whose loved ones were killed in osama bin laden's campaign of terror and violence from the embassy bombings in africa to the strike on the uss cold to the attacks of september 11, 2001.

these were not adjusted attacks against americans of the we suffered grievous losses. these were attacks against the whole world. in london, madrid, bali, istanbul and other places, innocent plea -- innocent people, most of them muslims, were targeted in markets, mosques, subway stations, and airplanes. each attack motivated by a violent ideology that holds no value for human life or regard for human dignity. i know that nothing can make up for the loss of the victims were fill the voids that they left. i hope their families can now find some comfort in the fact that justice has been served. second, i want to join the

president and honoring the courage and commitment of the brave men and women who serve our country and have worked tirelessly and relentlessly for more than a decade to track down and bring osama bin laden, this terrorist, to justice. from our troops and our intelligence experts, to our diplomats and our law enforcement officials, this has been a broad, deep, very impressive effort. we have drawn together our allies, france on every continent.

continued cooperation will be just as important in the days ahead. because even as we mark this milestone, we should not forget that the battle to stop al qaeda and its syndicate of terror will not end it with the death of been locked in. -- been laid in. we must take this opportunity to redouble our efforts. in afghanistan, we will continue taking the fight to al qaeda and their talent and allies while working to support the afghan people and began to take responsibility for their own security. we are implementing the strategy for transition approved by nato at the summit in lisbon. we are supporting an afghan political process that seeks to isolate al qaeda and in the

insurgency. our message to the talent and -- taliban remains the same, but today it might have greater resonance. you cannot wait us out. you cannot defeat us. you cannot make the choice to abandon al qaeda and participate in a peaceful, political process. in pakistan, we are committed to supporting the people and governments as they defended their own democracy from violent extremism. indeed as the president said, been laid in had also declared war on pakistan. he had ordered the killing of many innocent pakistani men, women, and children. in recent years, the cooperation between our government, military, and law enforcement

agencies increased pressure on al qaeda and the taliban. this progress must continue. we are committed to our partnership. history will record that bin laden -- osama bin laden's death came at a time of great freedom and democracy. a time when people across the middle east and north africa are rejecting extremist paths and making a path of peaceful progress. there is no better rebuke to al qaeda and its heinous ideology. all over the world we will press forward, bolstering our partnership, strengthening our networks, investing in a positive mission of peace and progress. when or recklessly pursued the murderers who target innocent people. the fight continues and we will never waver.

i know there are some who doubted the state would ever come. the question our resolve and are reached. let us remind ourselves, this is america. we rise to the challenge, we persevere, and we get the job done. i am reminded especially today of the heroism and humanity that marks the difficult days after 911. in new york were i was a senator, our community was devastated. we pulled through. 10 years later, that american spirit remains as powerful as ever. it will continue to prevail. this is a day not only for americans, but also for people all over the world. people who look to a more peaceful and secure future with continued vigilance, but more so

with growing hope and a renewed faith in what is possible. thank you you all very much. >> i will make a brief statement that we will be happy to take a few questions. director panetta and i serve together in the house of representatives. he has been very generous with his time with me, and i sit down to talk with him fairly regularly. so i have been following director panetta for some time now.

i received a call last night from the white house around 9:30, then shortly after the president called me short after and told me what took place. most of you know what to place at this stage. the president was very somber when he was relating to be what took place. when he talked about the facility, i had in my mind's i would have been. i had been briefed by panetta and more generous terms. today americans across the country are welcoming the news of this awful man, this man who epitomize evil has been brought to justice by american forces. his death is our most

significant victory in the fight against al qaeda. it sends a strong message to terrorists around the world. we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the courageous men and women in our military and our intelligence community who put their lives on the line. i have not had a chance to tell you this but i went to a funeral and boulder city where a young man was killed. he was a navy seal. as we learn, these were seals that went into the operation. what they do is so courageous. they are the finest set special operation forces in the world and they are trained by our country. so these men and women in the military who put their lives on the line to make this happen is remarkable. i cannot help but get -- this

young boy who i played ball against his dad -- his uncle, -- over the past two and a half years, the alabama administration has escalated our intelligence, and economic efforts, to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al qaeda in pakistan and afghanistan around the world. we know that the fight against terrorists who want to harm america is not over. we know that. as we remember those who were killed on that dark day in december and their families, and the other thousands of people that this evil man plotted to kill, we will continue to be

vigilant with our military, with our intelligence community, and support them as i know the american public does. >> secretary gates reached me when i was waiting for a plan at the airport last night about 10:00 or so, my first reaction was great satisfaction and relief that a true mass murderer had been brought to justice. i thought to myself that justice has a long-term memory and a long arm. i was also stunned by the capability of our special forces, the amazing performance of our men and women in uniform, that they are able to pull this off.

they never cease to amaze me in their skill, their confidence, their competence, and their bravery. thinking about this coming into baltimore and washington last night, i'm also thinking about the methodology of bin laden, how it had been punctured. that he could not ease did justice. he did not. while people were thinking about this mythological character in caves along the border between pakistan and afghanistan, he was and comfort for many years in a big place. the minions that he sends out to kill people are doing their devilish deeds and much more

difficult circumstances than he is. so the other thought i had flying the backed was the memory and remembrance of those who were lost on 9/11 end of the war will continue. this is a victory, but it is not the final victory over terrorism. of howrning's statement maas' condemning the the killing of osama bin laden, calling him a murderer, it reinforces our resolve that this war has to continue to be fought. the myth of been laid in has been punctured. -- the myth of bin laden has been punctured. >> the president has a timetable

to begin withdrawing out of afghanistan. he has indicated that he will stick with that. i think it is appropriate. >> well prices are dropping and that stocks are up. is there a connection between this, and if there is, how much of an affect do you think consumer confidence will have but the threat of terror diminishing? >> the world community is satisfied -- satisfied that a man of terror has been brought to justice. i think what we have seen with the price of gold that has dropped, stock prices have gone up, that is hopefully a trend. i am not confident that will be the case. i am glad that everybody is happy that this man has been brought to justice. i think the international

economic community is relieved that this man is out of circulation. we know there are other terrorists out there, but this is a shot in the arm to put good will all over. >> is it all a question in your mind that pakistan do more than they said? >> i think the pakistani army and intelligence have a lot of questions to answer. given the location, the length of time, and the apparent time that this facility was actually built for osama bin laden and its closeness to the central location of the pakistani army side, i think the army and intelligence of pakistan have plenty of questions that they should be answering. hopefully they are being asked by the pakistan government.

i do think that the pakistani president's statement today was a very reassuring statement when he very specifically said that he thinks it is a great victory and that it is a success. he congratulates us on the success of the operation. reassured by his statement, not necessarily suspicious that he knew. i must tell you that i hope he will follow through, the president will follow through and ask some very tough questions of his own military and intelligence. they have a lot of explaining to do. >> question about funding. is there is now a question of what the future of funding for the war in afghanistan?

you have been critics of interrogation by torture. one of the allegations that come out is that the interrogation methods has led to osama bin laden. how far should interrogation be allowed to go? >> i do not have any basis to believe in the lead here were produced by illegal activities on our part. i have no basis to know that. my views about the fact that torture produces misinformation not good information are pretty well known. >> what about the question of funding? >> i think we have our two committees, the armed forces committee, they have a job to do. do. there are looking for any