in the pentagon. secretary gates is doing the same thing. we are going to continue to do the work we need to do. >> did the president communicate to you what the threat level is now? >> the only informational have is that our embassies have been put on an alert status, and rightfully so. >> [inaudible] do you felt confident? >> i hope that is the case. i think we should be very cautiously optimistic in that regard. we have a lot of work to do. this man is out of circulation, that is a shot in the arm for justice all over the world.

thanks. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> we heard more about the death of osama bin laden from president obama. he and the first lady hosted a group of bipartisan leaders and their spouses at a dinner at the white house tonight. >> thank you. everybody, please have a seat. good evening, all love you. on the behalf of michelle and myself, i want to welcome everybody to the white house. we scheduled this 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 ant especially fitting occasion to do this. obviously, we have had disagreements and disagreements in the past. i suspect we will have them again in the future. but last night, as americans learned that the united states had carried out an operation that resulted in the debt and capture of osama bin laden -- [applause] thanks.

i think we experience the same sense of unity that to pass -- that took place on 9/11. we're reminded again there is something that 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 the military and counter-terrorism professionals that may be mission possible. i also want to thank the members of congress from both parties who had given extraordinary support to our military and our intelligence officials. without your support, they could not do what they do. i know that unity that we felt on 9/11 as afraid of little over the years.

-- has frayed a little over the years. but i also know there have been several moments like this during the course of this year that have brought us together as an american family, whether the tragedy in tucson were most recently our unified response to that terrible storms that have taken place in the south. last night was one of those moments. so tonight, it is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that tried to confront the many challenges that we still face. glad to see all of you here tonight. weird joyful that you could join us. -- we are joyful that you could join us. please have a little bit of fun. thank you very much, everybody. [applause]

>> good afternoon, everyone. the tragic events of 9/1110 years ago remind us that we are all americans, and that what unites us as americans is far greater than what divides us. i think last night's news unify our country in much the same way. the death of osama bin laden is an important moment in the war against radical extremism and terrorism. an important event for people around the world to have been subject to the terror of al qaeda and osama bin laden. to the families who lost loved

ones on september 11, 2001, we will never forget what you lost. for those who fought and died for 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 are around the globe continues. we face a complex and dangerous threat even today. it is important that we remain vigilant in our efforts to defeat terrorist enemies and to protect the american people. this makes our engagement in places like pakistan and and can stand more important, not less. -- and afghanistan more important, not less. i want to thank the american armed services and those involved in the intelligence community for their tireless

efforts and perseverance that led to the successful end. i also want to commend president obama and president bush for all 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 tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail in our quest to defeat those who intend to do us harm through acts of terror. last night we heard president obama to lead 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 all lot harder than we would like, and sometimes it brings about more tragedy then

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 our intelligence community and this president in to quest and theirs defeat radical islam and the threat 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 the entire world that america has resolved. it may take us a decade, but we will continue to follow through. has the same result, we have with any challenge that this country faces. i congratulate all those who were involved. it was not something that

happened overnight. those individuals that did the work for our intelligence committee, what president bush did, and the work that president obama did, he had a decision that he had to make and we thank him for the decision that he made. to the navy seals, going in and helicopters, one breaking down, and still carrying out the mission. the strength of this country and we continue to have that resolved that we fight terrorism anywhere in the world. >> few events have been emblazoned in the hearts and 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 today to congratulate. from all those who labored all those many years in the

intelligence community, to the enlisted personnel, to the incredible courage of the navy seals, and certainly all the way to the commander in chief, president obama -- congratulations are in order. but one things that has not changed after today, the price of liberty remains eternal vigilance. vechey. >> thank you all. >> a day after announcing u.s. commanders killed osama bin laden in a circle re, president obama on monday awarded the medal of honor to to army privates who were killed during the korean war. before passing out the awards, the president spoke about that various u.s. intelligence and

military leaders who helped find osama bin laden. this is about 30 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of united states and mrs. michelle obama. ♪ >> please join me in prayer. almighty god, we ask your blessings on the ceremony. we gather to commend the noble

lives and sacrifices of this nation's sons. though stirred by news of the past 24 hours, we pause in these moments to remember the heroic combat actions taken by these two soldiers on the korean peninsula some 60 years ago. but anthony and henry responded against an enemy onslaught and save the lives of their fellow soldiers. they lead from the front and loved beyond measure, betraying the ultimate act of selfless service. oh god, remind us that our nation has risen to true greatness on the soldiers of americans like anthony and henry. me this ceremony reexports our awareness as a nation that this country's way of life and our freedom is a priceless inheritance, one for a commitment and sacrifice of those who selflessly pay for our freedom with their blood. may your blessings be upon the

families of henry and anthony who have given their loved ones to this nation and what kept their memories alive for this great moment. by your grace, may we never forget their sacrifice. in your holy name, a man. >> good morning, everybody. please be seated. on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. too many guests from hawaii, aloha. and thank you for the wonderful indication. -- indication. i think we can all agree that this is a good day for america. our country has served its commitment to see that justice is done. the world is safer. it is a better place because of the death of obama bin laden.

-- osama bin laden. we're reminded that as a nation, there is nothing that 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 of patriotism in the crowds that gathered outside the white house, at ground zero in new york, and across the country, people holding candles, waving the flag, singing the national anthem, people proud to live in the united states of america. we are reminded that we are fortunate to have americans who dedicate their lives to protecting ours. the volunteer, they train, they endure separation from their families, they take extraordinary risks so that we can be safe. they get the job done. we may not always know their

names. we may not always know their stories. but they are there, every day, on the front lines of freedom and we are truly breast the best less. i want to knowledge before we begin the ceremony, tw of individuals critical to my work today, someone 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 to let things will go down as one of the greatest secretaries of

veterans affairs in our history, ericsson secchi. -- eric shinseki. [applause] now have to say that as commander in chief, i could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform. that is true now. in today's wars. it has been true in all of our wars. and that is why we are here today. long ago a poet of the first world war world of the sacrifices of young men in war. they shall not grow old as we are left grow old. age now -- shall not we read them nor the years condemn. at the going down of the sun and

in the morning, we will remember them. today we are joined by two american families who six decades ago it donation one of the rhone-private first class lha.y sve \ and private henry. they did not grow. these two soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice when they were just 19 and 21 years old. age to doubt weary them. in the hearts of their families, they remain forever young. living sons, protected brothers, on 10 kids who stood tall and america's hometown. in america's 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 also honor their families. they remind us they are extraordinary military families that bear the heavy burden of war. we're joined by members of congress who are here, we're very grateful for you we're also joined by leaders from the army and our armed forces, including chairman of the joint chiefs of staff admiral mike mullen and the vice chairman, general jim clark right. there they are right there. [applause] and this is not in the script, but let me acknowledge that without the leadership of bob gates, mike mullen, and hoss

cartwright, yesterday and today would not happen. i could not be more proud than i am so grateful that they've been a part of our team. [applause] i especially want to welcome some of those who fought so bravely 60 years ago. our inspiring career in veterans. korean war veterans who have made the trip. and i also want to acknowledge those who are welcoming to more american heroes into the ranks, members of the medal of honor society. thank you so much for your presence today.

past november, i paid a visit to the south korea -- a visit that coincided with the 60th anniversary of the start of the korean war, as well as november 11, a veteran state. i was privileged to spend the day with our troops and with dozens of the veterans of the middle east -- of the korean war -- members of a generation who fought for a country they never knew and people they never met. it was a generation that included private first class anthony kaho'ohanohano. he earned -- he learned early that we have a duty to others, his father, a dedicated police officer, and a mother who did go did herself to nine children. tony was the fall guy. he loved life. swimming in the oceans, playing basketball -- sounds like my kind of guy. [laughter] his siblings remember him as the

big brother. quiet but strong, who took care of them come stood up for them in the neighborhood, and would treat them to ice-cream. tony's loyalty to family was matched by his love of country -- even though a white was not even a state yet. by september 1951, the korean war had been raging for more than a year, and tony was a part of the 17th interbreed -- 17 infantry regiment, seventh infantry division, which had been -- which had been fighting for strategic hills that could shape the course of the war. is what was near a village called chuapri, with the enemy advancing. tony made a decision. the boy did -- he ordered his wife to fall back and seek cover. and then tony did something

else. he stayed behind, machine gun in hand. he lay down fire so this man could get to safety. it was one american soldier alone against an approaching army. when tony was wounded in the soldier -- shoulder, he fought on. he threw a grenade after a grenade. when his weapon and that of ammunition, he grabbed another. and when he ran out of ammunition, he reached for the only thing left -- a shovel. that is when the enemy overran his position. in the final moments, the combat was hand-to-hand. it was that bravery and courage of a single soldier that inspired his men to regroup, to rally, and to drive the enemy back. and when they finally reached his position, the measure of his fowler became clear. after firing so many bullets, the barrel of his machine gun was literally bent. toney had stood his ground and

save the lives of his men. after his death, he was awarded the second-highest award for valor, the distinguished service cross. but his family felt that he deserved more. and so did senator and world war ii vet we are honored that senator akaka has joined us. we're obviously extra nearly grateful that we are joined by another senator and a medal of honor recipient dan inouya. this is a much for your presence. [applause] hawaii is a small state. but this is a very big family. in fact, i went to high school

with one of their cousins. tell whitey i said hello. this is a remarkable family. service defines them. tony's father and all six sons served in the military. another member of the family has served in afghanistan. nearly 30 members of the family traveled from hawaii to be here, including his sister elaine, and brother eugene. the sacrifice that your family in toward, for the service that family has rendered, thank you so much. i would ask that you all join me in welcoming his nephew george who worked for so many years to get his uncle the honor that he deserves. george?

>> the president of the united states of america, authorized by an act of congress, march 3, 1863, has awarded in the name of congress for the medal of honor to private first class anthony kaho'ohanohano, united states army, for conspicuous gallantry in interest. the at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. private first class anthony kaho'ohanohano distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of chupa-ri, korea.

private first class kaho'ohanohano was in charge of a machine gun squad of company f when a numerically superior force launched an attack. because of the net enemies overwhelming numbers, friendly troops were forced to execute a limited withdrawal. as the men fell back, private first class kaho'ohanohano ordered his squad to take up a more defensible position and provided cover fire. having been wounded in the shoulder during the initial enemy assault, private first class kaho'ohanohano gathered a supply of grenades and ammunition in return to his original position to face the enemy alone. as they concentrated their strength against his place, private first class kaho'ohanohano fought fiercely and courageously, delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the onrushing enemy. when is an emission was

depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed. private first class stanceanohano's heroics so inspired his comrades that they launched a counterattack that completely repulse the enemy. friendly troops discovered 11 enemy soldiers lying dead in front of the emplacement and to decided. killed in hand-to-hand combat. private first class kaho'ohanohano's extraordinary heroism and selfless devotion to duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the seventh infantry division, in the united states army.

[applause] >> about the time that tony was inspiring his man, another young soldier was joining up with the seventh infantry division in korea, private first class henry svelha. he grew up in new jersey. he loved fishing on the jersey shore. he was one of six kids and the youngest son. but the one who seem to take care of everybody else. his sister dorothy remembers how her mom would be in the

kitchen at the end of a long day trying to cook dinner for six kids, henry, a teenager, was walking in, grab his mother's hand, and dance her around the kitchen. if anyone needed anything, henry was there. and he was there for america in korea as the war neared its third and final year. entering knew the dangers and in one of his last letters home, he wrote, i mean not return. that june of 1952, the heat was unbearable. the monsoon rains and mosquitoes were relentless. but the seventh infantry division pushed on, probing enemy lines, fighting bulker buy bumper, hill by hill. and as henry and his company near the top of one hill, the rocky slopes seemed to explode with the enemy fire. its units started to falter, and that is when henry made his move. he stood up, he looked ahead,

and he charged forward into a hail of bullets. those who were there describe how we kept firing his weapon, kept hurling grenades, and now even after being wounded in the face, he refused medical attention in cat leading the charge. when an enemy grenade landed among his men, every human instinct come every impulse would tell a person to turn away. but at that critical moment, and rein svelha did the opposite. he threw himself on that grenade. with his sacrifice, he saved the lives of his fellow soldiers. henry svelha's body has never been recovered. it is a wound in his family's heart that has never been fully healed. it is a reminder that as a nation, we must never forget those who never came home or who

are missing in action or who are taken prisoner of war. we must never stop trying to bring them back to their families. henry was awarded the distinguished service cross, but his family believe he had earned this nation's highest military honor. they contacted. congressman and his staff who made it their mission, and we think representative bill passed role for making this day possible. henry's parents and brothers did not live to see this day. two of his sisters, dorothy and sylvia, are with us. dorothy, sylvia, your mind is that behind every american who wears this nation's uniform stands the family who serves with them. your mind every american who lays down their life for our country that there is a family who mourns them and honors them through the rest of their lives. every day for nearly 60 years oet'save lived the pu

words that in the going down in the morning, we will remember them. i want everyone to join me in welcoming dorothea and sylvia to the stage for the presentation of the medal of honor. [applause] >> the president of the united states authorized by an act of congress has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor to private first class henry svelha, united states army, for -- conspicuous gallantry.

he distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and interest. the above and beyond the call of duty buyout war -- while serving as a rifleman with the seventh infantry division in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in korea. on the 12th of june, 1952. that afternoon ball private first class svelha were patrolling, but they were coming under heavy fire. the platoon attack began to falter. realizing the success of mission in the safety of the remaining troops was in peril, private first cast -- class svelha fired his weapon and threw grenades at the advance. in the face of this courage and determination, the platoon rally to attack with new -- with renewed vigor. private first class svelha

cannot other early disregarding his own safety, inflicted casualties until fragments from a mortar round exploded nearby when did him in the face. despite his wounds, he refused medical treatment and continue to lead the attack. when an enemy grenade landed among a group of his comrades, private first class svelha without hesitation and undoubtedly aware of the extreme danger threw himself upon the grenade. during this action, private first class svelha was mortally wounded. private first class svelha's extraordinary heroism at the cost of his own live above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, is human, and the united states army. -- his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

families ave both big round of applause, for anthony in for henry. >> please join me in prayer.

gracious god, if you have stirred the hearts once again today as we for the accounts of two great american soldiers, who value their lives of those under their care more than their very own. good to listen the holy scripture that there is no greater love than this. and so it's this eternal truth in our own hearts as we carry out our responsibilities to you, our families, and the great nation. was the young men and women of our armed services to walk in the footsteps of both anthony henry, protecting and defending our lives in freedom's cost. and lord, continue to bless, empowered, and give great wisdom to president as he leads the nation in these challenging times. and god bless america. in your holy name, we pray, amen. >> thank you so much, everyone. please enjoy the reception. and again to the families, we could not be prouder of anthony and henry.

we're grateful for their sacrifice. we're grateful for your sacrifice. you have made this country sector. tony in increase and as a model of courage and patriotism. got less you, and god bless the united states of america. thank you, everyone. [applause] ♪

♪

>> good afternoon. i am proud to be here with the democratic leadership of the house of representatives to say hail to the cheap. congratulations to president obama for his determination and commitment of resources, for may in net of priority to capture osama bin laden. we congratulate our former colleague, the director of the cia, leon panetta, who was passed to achieve this, and the special ops and all who played such a great role with such precision, that not one american life was lost. i hope that it is some comfort to the families of 9/11 that had -- that it has taken place. we can never make them whole but i hope it is some comfort to them that last osama bin laden has been apprehended. we have more work to do. he is one person.

terrorism is still out there. we have a commitment to honor our oath of office to protect and defend. president obama has done that building on the work of president bush before him, and before that, president clinton even before 9/11 made a osama bin laden public enemy no. 1 in the united states. i hope will have a chance to speak about the former resolutions and perhaps go to new york in a joint session as the new york delegation has suggested in a way that is a much better occasion, now that this historic event has taken place. and i say hail to the chief, a tribute to the leadership of our commander in chief, president barack obama. now i will yield to our distinguished majority whip, steny hoyer. >> madam speaker, thank you very

much. [laughter] was a day for which all freedom loving people had wished cents 9/11, 2011. as our president whit to get it, it was a day in which one of the most heinous mass murderers in our lifetime was brought to justice. yesterday bill clinton, george w. bush, and president obama have worked diligently to accomplish. president obama, our intelligence community, members of our armed forces have all work together to bring this day to reality.

as the leader pointed out, however, this is one person. this is a person who was diminished in his ability to carry out terror attacks on the united states, the 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 jihadists radicals for others who want to buy terror accomplish their objectives which they cannot accomplish through peaceful means. throughout the arab world today, we see people reaching for democracy, reaching for an opportunity to participate, reaching in peaceful ways,

bringing osama bin laden to justice was also important for them. terror is not the way. peaceful demonstrations, discussions, actions are. so, i guess this was a day which we have all been waiting, but we do not salute our say it -- ourselves. that yesterday solve their problems, that yesterday will mean that we do not have to worry, eternal vigilance continues to be the price of freedom. i congratulate president obama. i had the opportunity with elosi and assistant leader clyburn and others to congratulate the president personally. he was courageous in authorizing this action. we know that its success was not

guaranteed. but obviously the preparation, the courage, the skill, of those navy seals made it an extraordinarily successful enterprise in accomplishing the objective for which we have all waited so many years. this is a good day for america, a good day for freedom-loving people throughout the world. i yield to mr. clyburn. >> thank you. i just want us to really keep in mind that yesterday does not end this fight any more than 9/11 started it. respectful of the families of 9/11 both last night

and this morning i found myself thinking about the family's of those men and women of the uss cole, one of whom was a constituent of mine from south carolina. anton is the reasonable -- regional director. his brother was on the u.s. as cold. i thought about the families in my district for the embassy in nairobi in 1998, i believe, the cole was 2000. 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 such a way that restores the faith and confidence of the people around the world, a tremendous surge of resemblance to our citizens, to our men and women in uniform, this is the surge that we have been waiting for. >> thank you, all. [unintelligible]

>> 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 the american intelligence, military, and homeland security communities for what they did for all of us yesterday. the fact is that today the world is a safer and better place because of the brave the 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 doing everything we possibly could to make sure that the lack of coordination within the united states government that facilitated the attacks against america 1 9/11 was ended. what happened yesterday was in some sense the exact opposite of the mistakes and the failure to cooperate that led to the 9/11 attacks against the united states. from everything that we can determine, every element of our government -- military, intelligence, homeland security -- or together with -- worked together and the result was the end of the life of osama bin laden. i want to thank all of them and

also particularly express my gratitude to president obama for his leadership as commander-in- chief. and in speaking with one of the members of our national security team this morning, and i want to point out that this was not of political appointee, he said to me that president obama through alex this preparation and deliberation and decision- making, that preceded the successful attack on bin laden yesterday, that 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 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. and in that regard, let me make this point. there is some much commentary on the fact that there now may 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 that they have to detect and if necessary prevent such an attack. my phone great concern in the days ahead is that a so-called loan wolfe, a single individual,

who has been radicalized will now mobilize himself or herself to take action here at home against the american people. of course, as we know on our committee, having spent a lot of time investigating the murder of 13 americans at fort hood by ha san, these are the most difficult cases to see and stop. and so my appeal to the american people is come 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 that some -- by someone who is a friend or a family member. final point i want to make is

this. i want 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 9/11 against islamic extremism and terrorism, it will not end with the death of one man. even that one man who was visibly propagated this political ideology that is a corruption of the great religion. this war against islamic extremism and terrorism will end when the ideas bin laden propagated, which i called his islamism, lie abandoned by its

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, youth-driven revolutions now taking place in tunisia come in egypt, and syria are the true pity edition of bin laden -- true repudiation of bin ladenism. his extreme ideology is the week course, and democracy is the strong horse after all. to rid our world not only of bin laden but bin ladenism, it is critical that we together to do everything in our power to help the democratic forces in the

middle east succeed, for it will be at the hands of his fellow arabs and ferro -- fellow muslims that bin laden is finally and firmly 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's and his national security team to the extraordinary and courageous 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 the call

from the director of the national counter-terrorism center is that that center did not even exist prior to march 2004 intelligence reform and terrorism prevention act, when michael wider calls me to tell me that osama bin laden has been killed, he talked about the extraordinary efforts and cooperation. and prior to 9/11/2001, 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 an significantily development, the architect of the attacks against our country and the inspiration for so many islamic jihadist around the world now being killed, it is not the end of our fight against islamic extremism. we must continue to not let down our guard. we must continue to be vigilant. and i agree that one of the concerns that i must have this

that i homegrown terrorists we choose this moment to strike in an attempt to retaliate for osama bin laden's death. and that is why i was particularly pleased that at midnight last night the department of homeland security, in conjunction with the fbi, put out a situational awareness all art which went to state and local law enforcement, homeland security officials across this country, giving them some intelligence information, telling them that they should be prepared for an increase in attacks, perhaps expediting plots that are now under way. and that they should be on the alert for that to happen. well, not too long ago, there

would been no communication between washington and state and local law enforcement, much less a system that when not in a very timely way to provide this kind of information. so i think it shows how far we have come in the past decade, but we must not rest, because the threat is still with us despite this tremendous intelligence triumph. >> thanks very much, senator collins. >> information about where bin laden was. the so-called interrogations' from guantanamo to detainees. >> listen, my position has been cleared. over the years when you capture

someone in the war and terrorism, they should not be held as a prisoner of war. one of the reasons you do that is because as you've done in every war we have been involved in, prisoners of war or detainees are sources of very valuable intelligence. in this case, as you know, some of the original intelligence that led to the suspicion about this individual about courier's came from somebody we have had at guantanamo. i think it encourages us to treat the people that we -- they are not prisoners of war, they are not common criminals. they could help save american lives. >> what should you tell american citizens after 10 years of war?

>> the biggest symbol -- the man who was the inspirational leader of the forces that attacked us from afghanistan, osama bin laden, is now dead. the war in afghanistan still goes on. i have party heard some quarrels that we should quickly leave to afghanistan because bin laden is dead. if we did that, we would repeat the mistake that we made before when we pulled out of afghanistan in the region after the soviets and it led to the taliban and al qaeda into afghanistan. from afghanistan, they attacked us during 9/11. our decisions must be made by the facts on the ground. i think the killing of bin laden gives us an increased momentum

on the war in afghanistan. if i were a leader of the taliban, i would be frightened right now. the capacity that u.s. intelligence, military, our special operations command, showed leading up to yesterday, a difficult mission against a very tough target. this compound was built to house and protect osama bin laden, but they carried it out. any other leader of extremist anti-american groups, they have reason to worry right now. >> i want to comment on the second part of your question, which 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 billed in a city just one hour north of the capital of pakistan, in a city that contains its military installation, including the pakistani military academy, and it did not aroused tremendous suspicion, especially since there were no internet or telephone connections and the waste was burned and there was barbwire all around the top of the compound. i think this tells us once again that unfortunately pakistan at times is playing a double game. that is very troubling to me.

>> is there anything that congress and the american government can do the way that -- can change the way they deal with this such as conditions with funding? >> we 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 do understand that the pakistan government is under tremendous pressure internally. but it is in pakistan, the only interest is to work with us to deal with the terrorist threat. eventually, that terrorist threat will turn towards pakistan itself.

>> i would add event there will be a lot of -- i would add that there will be a lot of questions regarding intelligence agencies, particularly them knowing about the presence of bin laden in pakistan itself. for years, the pakistani officials have said he is not in pakistan. he is in the mountains between pakistan and a chemist in. my own experience is that this is one of the most complicated security intelligence relationships we have with any nation in the world. on one hand, they give us very helpful intelligence assistance and military assistance. on the other hand, we have a lot of reason to believe that the elements of the intelligence community are closely in touch

with and perhaps support of terrorist groups that are fighting us and the afghans in afghanistan. this is going to be a time of real pressure on the afghans, who have proved to us that they did not know that bin laden was there. >> there were orders to kill not capture osama bin laden. do you know if that was the case or not? >> i do not know the ins are to that. the description we have heard from officials is that it was an initial attempt to capture and control him. he resisted. the navy seals and a special forces command says it was consistent with their orders that they had to kill him.

and they did. >> pictures were taken. does it serve any purpose to release those pictures to the public? >> i will leave it open to the administration in the the president. there is a problem that unless there is an acknowledgement by the people in al qaeda that bin laden is dead, it would not be necessary to release the pictures. he has been shot in the head. to quell any doubt that this is a ruse the american government has carried out -- it may be necessary to release the pictures. i will respect whatever decision the president makes.

based on information that are received, i am convinced that he was killed yesterday. >> what is that information? >> the e d in a tests, which is pretty conclusive. -- dna tests, which is pretty conclusive. i have no doubt that osama bin laden was killed yesterday. i recognize that there will be those who will try to generate a message that he is alive and that we missed him somehow. in order to put that to rest, it may be necessary to release some of the pictures or the video or the dna test to prevent that from happening. >> the other thing is that we

had navy seals of there. i trust the navy seals. i trust the information that this is definitely osama bin laden. one of the decisions that the president had to make is was the evidence sufficient that this was osama bin laden to authorize this rate to go forward as commander in chief. >> any information from the compound itself that there may be information to prevent future attacks? >> i do not know anything in that regard. banks. -- thanks. [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] 1] >> thanks for coming this afternoon. we appreciate it. one down, two to go. we have a lot to be thankful for today. given our intelligence services and the long-term efforts to find in the locate in bring to justice somebody who was determined to evade our custody or action with us. i want to start back a little bit, something that happened four years ago. a small piece of information that was set upon by our

analysts and our intelligence folks across the community. for a very steady pace overtime, they worked to expand their knowledge based on that one piece of information. it really shows you what happens when the whole intelligence community comes together to solve a problem. it was the cia, our national security agency,nga, all coming together and putting their resources on the table too slowly and surely get to the news that we got the the osama bin laden. in january, there was a small number of people that got to see all of the pieces put in one place. there were elements that some did not know they were working towards the final goal. at the very end of it, the most dangerous part, i would

suspect, they announced to the special forces that they were going to go on a particular mission to get ready to go. they told them of their target. there was a loud and thunderous cheer, which tells you the quality, commitment, and courage of our special forces, that they were excited at the prospect of bringing justice to the person that masterminded the slaughter of 3000 americans on u.s. soil . this shows the appreciation of all of the intelligence services that led to this. because it took so long for us to get here, some would say this is somehow an intelligence failure. this is the wrong day to say that. when you look at how they traveled toward this target in

absolute interest and how long it took them to be very good operational security, this clearly demonstrates the new intelligence community after 9/11 and their ability to find and reach out anywhere in the world to take care of people but to threaten the united states. with that, i will open it up to questions you may have. fff in early january, we found that there were no indications that it was osama bin laden. we did not have enough information. overtime, they kept building the case. we knew that someone important was using this facility in the furtherance of terrorist activities around the world. we were not sure what the target

was. going through the process of the difficulty of getting to the target was another set of conversations that we had in the months before the briefings. >> how you characterize the relations with the united states and pakistan? >> liaison partnerships, they are never all-in propositions. you have to take service as you find it in the country that you find it. the government of pakistan has been helpful to the united states when it comes to counterterrorism actions and investigations.

there have been lots of places where questions have been raised. there will be questions raised about this particular case as well. it puts pressure on the pakistanis to do the right thing. we have to work through issues to continue a relationship. it does not mean that hard questions will not get asked. we have to continue to work hard at the relationship. >> what are your concerns now going forward? >> anytime you can take an operation leader or inspirational leader, which i argue he was both, it is a great day for our national security. somebody that was the mastermind

slaughtering three dozen people -- he was brought to justice today. it shows how important the people of new york city thought it was. it was important to me. the united states will be patient, diligent, and will reach out and touch you where we find you if you are risking the lives of our united states citizens or allies. >> were you told -- when were you told that the mission -- that the president had ordered a mission? >> it did not happen all of the same time. i was up there for other business. i was at the cia. they wanted to keep is as close as they could, given that any

police said that information, would jeopardize and could accelerate the packing up and leaving of osama bin laden. i have been speaking with leon panetta over the four months and the weekend. we knew the president authorized it and we knew it was likely to happen and got a call after it happened. >> u.s. officials say the information came from sources of the cia developed over the decade. [unintelligible] >> the u.s. policy is to follow the law of intel -- interrogation's. i support that. i believe that it has been a great example of how important interrogations are wherever they

happen. having a consistent interrogation policy is crucial. some would argue that there is not a smoking gun that came out of any of the interrogations over the last 10 years. pieces of information was able to be gleaned that was put together with other sources of intelligence to get us to osama bin laden. some other bad people were able to be caught. >> what were you doing? >> i received a phone call during the weekend. i was traveling on an intelligent trip. i received a call. we spoke saturday and on sunday. >> there were reports that computer hard drives were recovered from the site. any indication that there was an intelligence presence there?

are you confident that no one will arise within the next year? >> in any criminal scene, there is evidence. our folks were very good about collecting evidence they found on the scene. hopefully, that information -- it is being analyzed and will be analyzed, and hopefully we will have good news moving forward. it is likely in the hearing of the next inspirational leader, who has the greatest spoken understanding of the operation, -- iraqi is an important player. my speculation would be one person. the other person is dangerous

and yemen is an important front for us in the war on terror. we are watching it closely. >> of the informants were offered $20 million, and were they paid? >> that is a misrepresentation. the old wanted poster was put up. $25 million for information leading to the arrest of osama bin laden. that had been out there on the street for a long time. no direct money was offered. there were rewards posted for some time, if he provided information for other certain members of al qaeda, that you would be paid by the united states. there has been no determination that it was done or tied into any reward deal. >> what are your thoughts about releasing the photos of bin laden?

>> there will be a lot of talk about it. my liaison partners will have that opportunity to view those photos. it is something we will have to work through. the answer has not been determined yet. we want to make sure that we maintain the dignity, if there was any in osama bin laden, so that we do not inflame our problems in other places around the world. >> you said we had to work through things in pakistan. if there intelligence agency knows that bin laden was there, which you continue an intelligent relationship with them? and what about military aid? >> i do not want to speculate if they did or did not.

i would like to know what they knew. at the same time, there are still equities that we have in pakistan as it relates to our national security. there are some bad people there. of the 20 senior leaders in al qaeda, at least one dozen of them we believe to be traveling around pakistan some place. it was important for us to maintain a relationship so that we could pursue those targets that are posing a threat to the united states. we will have to work through it. keeping a diplomat for 42 days, there have been speculation in the past of the legion of information of the bad guys through their isi. we hope we can work our way through it. it does not mean that we will

not ask hard questions. >> what about the administration taking the ball of -- off of osama bin laden? when was the decision made to bury his body at sea? >> the information on this started four years ago. i do not draw the nexus between going into afghanistan and iraq and not being able to get bin laden. the reason we had difficulty is because of his operational security, the way he conducted himself and operated. a million-dollar compound, and outlandish region of pakistan that was built to repel any operation as it happened. no internet connectivity.

they had people who met people they did not know to deliver messages to a person that it did not know that would work its way back to osama bin laden. it is a very tricky business. that was the challenge. people who want to find blame today are misplaced in the sense that when you look at the incredible undertaking of the analysts of the operators, the officers in the cia, or others that got little tidbits and put it all in one place, this was an incredible operation that few countries in the world if any could do. i think it was prudent to give him a proper burial. it removes any thought that

there will be a shrine to osama bin laden or grave robbing or any other lasting impact for his death. i think it was best done and to lessen the impact for those that want to make him a more than what he was. >> do you see any change? how do you expect things will shift appeared? >> i get a little confused when they say they want troops pulled out of afghanistan, because we are pursuing a al qaeda in other parts of the world, when the taliban is fighting us right now and they are the ones that keep a safe haven to al qaeda to operate and plan the 9/11 attacks in afghanistan. we have to be careful not to find these national security issues that happened for the positive or the-to define all the other things that we have to

do. this demonstrates that it is a global war on terrorism. each place will require different operations, a different plane, a different intelligence techniques, a different military operation techniques. -- different planning, different intelligence techniques, different military operation techniques. the military rests up during the winter. it is hard to get anywhere in afghanistan during the winter. this is their spring offensive, a cultural fighting force that has gone on for hundreds of years. now is the time to whiz -- win that fight. for anyone that wants to mix up this success against the taliban spring offensive, is making a serious mistake and jeopardize in the long term health of our entire national security system.

>> does the death allow a shift of resources to things they could be focusing on since this is over? >> while this was happening, lots of other things were happening. the money that we spend, and the great news about our intelligence service is that they can do many things at the same time. we are concerned about other people. with this change, there is likely to be some changes. if you look at organized crime in america, it was by discontinued operations where we took a senior, smart leadership making rash decisions. any time they make a rash decision it is an opportunity for us to be successful in what we are doing. this means great victories and a

sense a fight -- eight lantastic message to our friends and enemies that we are -- a fantastic message to our friends and enemies. we have a list and we are still working it. >> what are your concerns about retaliating strength as a result of this and information about the carrier networks? >> on the retaliation, one of the things that made al qaeda successful and -- is that they are patient in how they plan an operation. operations took months and sometimes years to plan. 9/11 took a long time to plan. it is highly unlikely that you will see a rash decision to

reach out for a terrorist act. it does not mean that there have not been operations that are ongoing that could come to completion at an operational pace in a day. we know there is planning in multiple places around the world. that part is ongoing. of the courier network, the information four years ago? i cannot comment on where they were held. we have been conducting lots of interrogations. our intelligence committee could look somebody in the eye and ask questions. it did contribute to the information that led to osama bin laden being brought to justice.

>> and you touched on it briefly, but one senator said earlier that there were statements that came out from the pakistani president. what is your view of the relationship going forward? >> you do not see pakistan issuing condonation letters. they knew very clearly -- condemnation letters. they knew very clearly i recall being on my first year on this intelligence committee, helping deliver messages to the pakistanis about how seriously we took this issue that terrorists might be providing safe havens or be planning operations from their soil, and if we got to that level of certainty, we were going to do something about it. this is not something that can completely out of the blue for our pakistani friends, including the isi and the government.

their internal politics were trying to fight the release of a diplomat. had nothing to do with the united states. you cannot enter the international country ruled lot of violating the very basic principle of diplomatic immunity. we have been pretty harsh with them on that. at the end of the day, the fact that they have not come out and condemned it in the way they have others, i think it is a good sign. it is not mean we are not going to ask a lot of questions, but they have internal challenges as well. part of their isi may have different loyalties than other areas.

>> have you been briefed on the dna testing that a positive confirmation of his body? of the report came from a hospital in boston. have you been briefed on that? >> i will just say that the dna samples were not single sourced. there are lots of places that his dna could have been captured or relatives or other means. this was a day that has been planned for for very long time. one of the things that was important was to make sure that it was absolutely him. i think through the dna testing and other things, it is clear beyond a shadow of doubt that this was osama bin laden, based on the science and the way they conducted themselves following the raid.

>> could you comment on what you think the episode does in terms of the president's standing as a leader on national security? >> again, today is the date that we should absolutely celebrate intelligence services operations coming together, our special elite soldiers and folks that went to conduct the raid, and really the president should get kudos for organizing the go in and take care of bin laden. it is a good thing for the country, as it should be. i thought it was a good thing for standing internationally on the national security fraud. that being said, there are a lot of issues that we will have to have conversations about -- on the national security front. you don't want to use this -- if this is your national

security policy, we are in a lot of trouble. is this an is follow up and making sure that our allies overseas know who we are and the kinds of decisions we will make when we get in trouble. we will continue to work with the administration so that america's national security posture wore wide puts us in the best position to keep america safe. >> some of the president's critics question the timing of this. as chairman of the house intelligence committee, could you say anything that would either put those suspicions to rest or support that? >> as somebody who has been involved with this at least since i have been chairman of the committee, as good as they are on operational security, you have to take it vanish when you can -- you have to take advantage when you can to increase the likelihood of success.

i believe the decision was made to increase the likelihood that it would be successful, that we would get osama bin laden and leave. there are so many other places that will not be able to find to disagree with the president. today should not be one of them. this was a well-planned, well executed -- a bushel administration deserves credit for where they got the investigation, if you will. -- the bush administration deserves credit for where they got the information, if you will. it was not without risk. there are plenty of other places we ought to be asking challenging questions. thank you very much. i appreciate it. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> mr. president, today americans woke to good news. nearly 10 years after the united states sent out to kill or capture osama bin laden, justice has indeed been done. the man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and reveled in the harbor of that day is dead. those who follow his twisted vision are again on notice, america is in pursuit.

this was a long time coming. for two decades, osama bin laden and the al qaeda at network have been at war with the united states. the path of terror extended from the first world trade center bombing to the bombing of the towers and the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania to the bombing of of the uss cole through the horrors of 9/11, and through two difficult wars that followed. bin laden's destructive path was already long by then. for the past 10 years, america has been determined to bring this monster to justice. from the beginning of this fight, the mission has been clear, to deny out, and any of its affiliates around the world as a sanctuary from which they could plan, prepare, or launch another attack on u.s. soil.

in 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 911, al qaeda had gained enough strength to once again pose a serious threat to the united states. the taliban had reestablished its headquarters in pakistan and gained enough strength to return to afghanistan and risk the success of our mission there. as the years went by, bin laden's ability to elude capture had become a greater source of frustration to us. and a source of propaganda. over the years, americans have become all too familiar with his dark pronouncements, from his perverse declaration 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 he was the most optimistic planner of 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 administration infighting al qaeda, and now in capturing its self-appointed leader. this is indeed a signal 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 can never bring back those who died on 9/11 or those who have given their lives in this long and difficult work, 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 launch this for many years ago in the false assumption that america did not have the stomach for the fight. while it may have taken longer than we hope, 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 whenever someone suggest that the u.s. has grown weary or 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 do not rest. we continue to fight, knowing that al qaeda remains committed to attacking our homeland and our allies. we were reminded of this just 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 counter-terrorism professionals. the men and women of the central intelligence agency's counter- terrorism center have a and selfishly devoted themselves to prevent attacks against us and in hunting down bin laden. last night there determined efforts met with success, and we are deeply, deeply grateful for their efforts. as for the broader war, the death of bin laden may create the opportunity to renew our efforts with pakistan to bring fresh pressure on al qaeda

senior leadership. president obama noted in his remarks last night that it was essential for pakistan to join us in this fight. today is the day to redouble our efforts in pursuit of al qaeda. in the coming weeks and months, the same counter-terrorism professionals will focus on determining what bin laden staff means for the threat posed by al qaeda -- what bin laden's death means for 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 a brave american forces inside pakistan. we will remember where we were when, after years of effort, we finally got our man. america did not seek this fight. it came to us. but ever since 9/11, we have been determined to fight al qaeda to the end. we knew from the start it would require patience and great sacrifice. that effort has paid off. thanks to the skill and perseverance of many brave men and women, we have done what we said. america has not wavered. has not lost sight of the mission, and we will prevail.

>> the death of osama bin laden announced by president obama last night is a watershed moments in our common, global fight against terrorism. the crimes of al qaeda touched most of the continent's and brought loss of life for thousands of men, women, and children. the united nations condemns in the strongest possible terms that terrorism in all its forms, regardless of its purpose and wherever it is committed. this is a day to remember the victims and families of victims in the united states and everywhere in the world. the united nations will continue to fight against terrorism and

we this campaign to fight against terrorism. i remember personally, vividly, the day of september 11, 2001. day, in new york's on that and the united nations is committed to continue to lead this campaign with world leaders to fight against terrorism. i thank you very much. >> this news will be welcome from across our country. of course it does not mark the end of the threat we face from extremist terror. indeed, we will have to be particularly vigilant in the weeks ahead, but it is, i believe, a massive step forward. osama bin laden was responsible

for the death of thousands of innocent men, women, and children, right across the world, people of every race and religion. he was also responsible for ordering the deaths of many british citizens, both here and in other parts of the world. i would like to congratulate the u.s. forces to carry out this brave action. i would like to thank president obama for ordering this action, and i think is a moment when we should thank all of those who worked day and night, often with no recognition, to keep us safe from the threat of terror. 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 those loved ones that families have lost to terror, but at least they know the man who is responsible for these appalling acts is no more.

>> you are looking at a picture of osama bin laden's compound in abbottabad, pakistan. he was killed navy seals and military forces. he was buried at sea. >> for over two decades, bin laden has been al qaeda as leader and symbol and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. the death of bin laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al qaeda. >> watched the president's announcement last reaction from cabinet officials, capitol hill, and around the world, all in their entirety when ever you want, with the c-span video library. search, what, clip, and share. it is washington, your way. >> tomorrow on "washington journal," a discussion on terrorism now that osama bin laden has been killed.

also a look at the impact of his killing with andrew exum. that is live at 7:00 a.m. eastern, here on c-span. tuesday, a house homeland security subcommittee hearing on u.s. terrorism threats coming from pakistan. also a look at the impact of the killing of osama bin laden and u.s. counter-terrorism policy. witnesses include intelligence and counter terrorism analyst. watch live coverage at 2:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> we begin our coverage of the reaction to the killing of osama bin laden with white house press secretary jay carney who was joined by a john brennan. he told reporters that the

killing of osama bin laden was a defining moment in the war against al qaeda and the war on terrorism. he also described how he and the president as well as other members of the national security team did this military operation. from the white house briefing room, this is about an hour. >> i have with me today john brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. he will take questions from you about the events of last night and yesterday afternoon. then if you have any questions on other subjects, i will do about 10 minutes after mentor print -- after mr. brennan is finished to take those questions. i just want to make a point before john comes up, that as many of you know, even before he

was president, the president had a very clear idea about the approach he would take as president towards osama bin laden. in august of 2007 he said if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and president musharraf won't act, we will. in july 2008, he said we must make it clear that if pakistan cannot or will not act, we will take out high-level targets like bin laden if we have them in our sides. i just want to be clear that this is an approach that he always felt that he would take when he was president, and as john will elaborate, once he took office, he made sure that we would revitalize our focus on osama bin laden 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 on other topics. thank you. >> how do you want to do this? [laughter] >> i wanted to ask about the specific form of the raid. was that -- was their consideration to take bin laden ally, or was it to kill him on sight? >> actually it was to prepare for all contingencies. if we had the opportunity to take him out alive, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that. we had discussed that in a number of meetings in the white house and with the president. the concern was that bin laden would oppose any type of capture operation and indeed he did.

there was a firefight and he was killed in the firefight at this when the remains were removed. we certainly were planning for the possibility which we thought was going to be remote, given that he would likely resist arrest, but that we would be a will to capture him. >> the most likely outcome was that he would be killed on site? >> we were trying to make sure that we were able to accomplish the mission safely and securely for the people who were involved. we were not going to put our people at risk. the president put a premium on making sure that our personnel were protected and we were not going to give bin laden or any of his cohorts the opportunity to carry out legal fire on our forces. he was engaged and he was killed in the process. if we had the opportunity to take him alive, we would have done that. >> you have -- have you been able to determine how he was able to hide in such a prominent location and do you

believe the pakistanis did not have any idea that he was there? >> it is something that is considered as a possibility. pakistan is a large country. we are looking right now at how he was able to be there so long and whether there was any type of support system in pakistan that allowed him to stay there. we know that the people at the compound there were working on his behalf and that is how we ultimately found our way to the compound. less than 24 hours after this operation, we are talking with the pakistanis on a regular basis and are going to pursue all leads to find out what kind of support system and benefactors he might have had. we are pursuing all leads in this issue. >> is it really credible that pakistani authorities had no idea that this compound is being billed -- was being built?

>> i think it is inconceivable that he did not have a support system in the country that allowed him to remain there for extended time. i am not going to speculate about what type of support he might have had on an official basis inside pakistan. we are closely talking to the pakistanis right now and leaving open opportunities to continue to pursue whatever leads might be out there. >> one of the things that a lot of people think about when they hear this news is what this means for the war in afghanistan. >> i think the accomplishment that very brave personnel from the united states government were able to realize just today is a defining moment in the war against al qaeda, the war on terrorism, by it decapitating the head of the snake known as al qaeda. it is going to have important

reverberations throughout the area. this is something we have been after for 15 years. it goes back before 9/11. what we are doing now is trying to take advantage of the opportunity we have to demonstrate to the pakistani people that cockeyed is something in the past, and we are hoping to bury the rest of al qaeda along with bin laden. -- that al qaeda is something in the past. >> in the situation we are in today, can you describe how you are monitoring of the goings on at that have been described as very tense? were you watching the operation? realist thing to it, or however you getting your information? >> the principles convened yesterday around midday. there were others who were here early yesterday morning. when the operation got under way, the president rejoined the

group and we were able to monitor on a real-time basis the progress of the operation from its commencement to its time on target to the extraction of the remains and then the egress off of the target. it was probably one of the most anxiety field periods of time in the lives of the people who were assembled here yesterday. the minutes passed like days and the president was very concerned about the security of our personnel. that is what was on his mind throughout, and we wanted to make sure we were able to get through this and accomplish the mission. a lot of people were holding their breath. there was a fair degree of silence as we would get the updates. when we finally were informed that those individuals who were able to go in that compound and found an individual that they found that they believed was

bin laden, there's a tremendous sigh of relief that what we believe in who we believed was in that compound actually was in the compound and was found. the president was relieved once we had our people and those remains of target. >> was there a visual or was it just radio or phone reports? >> we were able to monitor the situation in real time and were able to have regular updates to ensure that we had real time visibility into the progress of the operation. i will not go into details about what type of visuals we had, but it gave us the ability to track it on an ongoing basis. >> i understand there was a moment of real tension with the helicopter and also when the navy seals were leaving and the pakistani government started scrambling their jets, and

there was a concern that they were coming to where the u.s. troops were. was there an actual concern that the pakistanis that were not apparently informed about this military operation, was there a concern that they might take military action against the navy seals? >> we did not contact the pakistanis until all of our people and aircraft were out of pakistani airspace. at the time, they were reacting to an incident that they knew was taking place in abbottabad. clearly we are concerned that if the pakistanis decided to scramble jets or whatever else, they did not know who were on those jets. we were watching in making sure that our people and our aircraft were able to get out of pakistani airspace, and thankfully there was no engagement with pakistani forces. this operation was designed to minimize the chances of

engagement with pakistani forces. it was done very well, and thankfully, no pakistani forces were engaged and there were no other individuals who were killed aside from those on the compound. >> can you talk to us about what documentation you may have found their? >> the people in the compound to the advantage of their time there to make sure we were able to acquire whatever material we thought was appropriate and what was needed, and we are in the process right now of looking at whatever line have been picked up. i will not go into details about what might of been acquired. we feel that this is an important time to process this effort against al qaeda and continue to work to break the back of al qaeda. >> was a lot of information? >> we are trying to determine

the worth of what information we were able to pick up. >> now that you have bin laden, can you tell us how close the u.s. has got into him in the past? in the other close calls that we have not been informed about? >> torborg was the last time we had actionable and we thought credible informational out where he was located. a number of leads have and number of leads have been pursued over the years. what this operation demonstrates is that there are very good people who have been following osama bin laden for many years. they have pulled on every thread. as a result of that diligence and there and the capabilities, there were able to track this and continue to build the body of evidence that suggested circumstantially that osama bin laden was at that compound. that is what they did. it was much quicker confidence we had in this body of intelligence, this body of the

information we have had, since tora bora. when president obama was faced with the opportunity to act upon this, the president had to the belly with the strength of the intermission, and then made what i believe was one of the gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory. >> can you talk to us about how 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 and doing what is called targeting analysis is exceptionally tedious and painstaking the as far as taking a little bit of data, piecing it together, and try to correlate it with something else. as a result of the information we had in a generic way about these carriers and individuals, over time, we were able to piece

together information, get the name he was known by, associate that with his real name, associate that with some other things. retract that name until we got to the compound. over the past six months, with trying to ensure that we had the best visibility in terms of understanding what was happening in that compound, the body of evidence accumulated to the point where the president said, "i want to have operations against the compound. i want to have options. i want to take into account the safety and security of the americans who would be conducting the operation and look at it from the standpoint of limiting collateral damage. i think the results speak for themselves.

>> we got news osama bin laden was involved in the firefight. he got his hands on a gun. did he fire himself? >> he was encased with those who entered 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, -- here is osama bin laden, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women. i think it speaks to just how false this narrative has been over the years. he is putting other people out there to carry out attacks. anxiety-must've been filled minutes and days. what was the most anxiety filled moment, where the helicopter

intended to be inoperable, or when you heard shots fired? at what point did you actually hear shots fired? >> when you plan to do this, you know in your mind exactly what the first and second step are going on. if there is any deviation from that, it causes anxiety. but the individuals to carry out this assault planned for all the various contingencies. when that helicopter was seen to be unable to move, you had to go to plan b. they did it flawlessly. they were able to conduct the operation, as they were preparing to do. seeing that helicopter in the condition that it was not supposed to be -- i think at least for me, and i think for the other people in the room, that was the concern we had, that now we are having to go to the contingency plan. thankfully, they were as able to carry out that contingency plan as the were the initial plan. we were able to monitor the

situation in real time. >> when he actually -- can you describe any reaction by the president specifically, when it became clear this was osama bin laden and that he had been killed? do you remember the president's words are reactions? >> you say when it became clear. that is one of the things we had to do throughout the course of this operation. when we heard the individual who carried out this assault felt as if they had an individual who appeared to be in london, that was one datapoint. there was facial recognition. height. preliminary dna analysis. there was incremental build up. the confidence was building. at what point do you feel confident you have the person you are after? it was more of the growing sense of confidence and accomplishment. there was not one of hong -- one aha. this was building over time.

we made a decision that last night, because we felt we were confident enough, we announce to the american people and the world that we got him. >> circle back to a point you just made. osama bin laden used women as human shields? >> there was family at that compound. there was a female who was in fact in a fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield osama bin laden from the incoming fire. >> i wonder where you are at this point with releasing photos of osama bin laden to show the world 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 are going to continue to look it the information we have and make sure we are able to share what we can. i want to make sure that not only the american people but the world understands exactly what happened and the confidence we have that it was conducted in accordance with the mission design. at the same time, we do not want to do anything that is going to compromise our ability to be as successful in next time we get one of these guys. >> is there some thought that releasing a photo or to might, conspiracy theories throughout the muslim world? >> we are going to do everything we can to make sure nobody has any basis to try to deny that we got osama bin laden. therefore, the releasing of information is something to be determined. >> is the debate about whether to release something, or what to release in terms of individual

evidence? >> i think it is both. first of all, but falls into the category of things you could potentially release to the public, whether it be dna results, comments about the conduct of the information, what happened in the intelligence base? you have to look at the upside and downside. sometimes, you conduct an operation based on intelligence and based on the sensitive and capable forces that we have available to us. you want to make sure you are not doing anything to expose something that will limit their ability to use the same intelligence sources and capabilities in the future. >> has anybody secured this compound? has the pakistan army gone in? >> a little while ago, i saw that the military police and have that compound now under control. clearly, it is the site of

events from yesterday. it would be my presumption that the pakistani authorities would be in control. >> who owned the land? >> it was two of the individuals who were killed, the al qaeda facilitators, the individual who was identified as the gatekeeper/courier. the residents was, at least in my understanding, in his name. >> it is my understanding that you called this one of the gutsiest decisions the president made. that implies some disagreement around the table. this was not a unanimous recommendation. >> absolutely. you have a circumstantial intelligence case. people will see 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 somebody you believe it is osama bin laden. there were differences of views that were discussed, as well as different courses of action, which are the types of things you can do that involve an assault on a compound and also a standoff position. what are the benefits of doing that from a remote location like we have done in the past in certain areas? what are the risks associated with security forces actually going into the compound? this was debated across the board. the president wanted to make sure he had use of all the options. >> i have been following osama bin laden for 15 years. i have the utmost confidence in the people, particularly at the cia, who have been tracking him. they were confident and their confidence was growing. this intelligence case is different. will we see in this compound is

different than we ever saw before. i was confident we had the bases to take action. i also had the confidence that the u.s. team that went in there has exceptional skill to do this very capably. so i was a supporter. but the president had to look at all the different scenarios of their. what would have been the downside is if it was not osama bin laden? what if he had died? he decided this was so important to the security of the american people that he was going to go forward with this. >> tell us more about the role of how the u.s. is in iraq in with pakistan. are we actively investigating what they knew and did not know about osama bin laden being there? >> the president mentioned yesterday that he spoke to their president. a number of senior u.s. officials are now in contact with their counterparts. we are engaging with them today. as we learn more about the

compound and whatever type of support system osama bin laden had, i will point out that we have had differences of you with the pakistan government on counter-terrorism operations and what they should and should not be doing. at the same time, pakistan has been responsible for the capturing and killing of more terrorists inside of pakistan than any country, by a wide margin. there have been many brave soldiers and security officials as well as citizens who have given their lives because of the terrorist surge in that country. although there is a difference of view, we believe the partnership is critically important to breaking the back of qaeda and eventually prevailing over al qaeda as well as associated terrorist groups. >> can you tell us about the burial at sea? where did it happen? when did it happen? >> the disposal of -- the burial of in london's remains was done in strict conformance with

islamic precepts and practices. it was prepared in accordance with islamic requirements. we early on made provisions for that type of burial and we wanted to make sure that it was going to be done in strict conformance. it was taken care of in the appropriate way. i am not going to go into details about where. but that burial has taken place. it took place earlier today. >> when was that decided? when was that decision made that he would be buried at sea if killed? was it months or years ago? was this part of the plan all along? >> the course of action and the subsequent decisions that have been made have been developed over the course of the last several months. the senior officials -- it was a work group that was working on this on a regular basis over the last several weeks, looking at

every decision. based on what type of scenario unfolded, what actions and decisions would be made? it was looked at from the standpoint of if we captured him where he would go. if he was killed, what 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 in accordance to islamic requirements at sea. >> why at sea? >> it was determined -- there are requirements in islamic law that an individual be buried within 24 hours. when we went inside of pakistan and carried out the operation. 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 allotted for it. going to another country, making those arrangements, would have exceeded the time in our

view. therefore, we thought the best way to ensure that his body was given an appropriate islamic burial was to take those actions that would allow us to do that burial at sea. >> did you consult muslim experts? >> there were a corporate experts. there was unanimity that this would be the best way to handle this. >> do you know if the detainees at gitmo have been informed? >> i do not know. >> how secure is that? are you confident the body is not going to be -- >> burials at sea take place on a regular basis. the u.s. military has the ability to ensure that the burial is done in a manner that is consistent with islamic law as well as consistent with the

requirements for burial at sea. that burial was done appropriately. >> today, lawmakers are urging reevaluating aid to pakistan, maybe attaching strings to military aid. >> i think there were originally a number of questions, and understandably so. we are in just the first day after the operation. he was found outside of islamabad. people have questions about whether there was support provided by the pakistani government. people are raising these questions. >> a quick question about the burial. was there an imam there? >> it was done appropriately, with appropriate people there. >> the president is going to speak to the bipartisan leadership tonight at dinner. what is he going to say about this that is different than what he said before, particularly

geared to this? can you give us a preview? >> you are going to have another 20 hours of information acquired since he spoke last night. but he is going to try to do is give the congressional visitors hear an update on that. last night, we did not have some of the analysis that was done. now we can say with 99.9% confidence that this was in london. it is those type of things as well as to explain to the congress, in many respects, some of the unique features of this mission, which was the extreme compartmentation of it, why it was done in this fashion. things along those lines. >> there are reports that the u.s. offered the body to the saudis. is that true? >> we have a conference and confirmed it was osama bin laden. we took the steps 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 to go into any details about who we might have consulted with in the atmosphere -- in the aftermath of his death and before his burial. >> can you give us any details on whether there were previous operations the were called off a last minute? was there a risk or perhaps the inability to identify been london's body positively? >> you mean against this target? as i said, there were different courses of action about options available to the president, including assault on the ground as an option. through that process of discussion, the options were narrowed down until the president had decided that this was the best option because it gave us the ability to minimize collateral damage, ensure that

we knew who it was that was on that compound, as opposed to some kind of strike there, and also a way to do what we could to respect the sovereignty of pakistan and to allow us to engage with them immediately after the fact that as opposed to some kind of ordinance that might be dropping on them. >> you mentioned that questions are going to be raised about pakistan, understandably, and the role of pakistan. for you in your counter terrorism job, given 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 isi and intelligence workers there? >> there is dialogue going on with our counterparts in the aftermath of this. they are expressing understanding about the reasons we did this. they are appreciative that it was done without having pakistani casualties outside of

that compound. the u.s.-pakistan relationship goes on a number of different areas and levels. counter-terrorism is one of them. it can be complicated, because we do not always agree on some of the things we want to do. through continued dialogue, i think we would get to where we need to be. this is one more incident we will have to deal with. we look forward to continuing to work with our pakistani, because they are on the front lines of the balance -- of the battle against terrorism. >> how certain are you there will be a movement to avenge his death? if he still had the color coded alerts, would this be a time when you raised the color? >> janet napolitano, secretary of homeland security, has announced record when to change that system to the national threat advisory system.

she has said we do not have significant and credible threats that would raise that. during an incident like this. we take the prudent steps after work to make sure we have our vigilance up and are taking the appropriate measures so that our security posture is strong growth overseas and here. i think there is always a potential for terrorist groups to try to avenge an operation like this. but also think some of them are asking themselves. osama bin laden is dead. the al qaeda narrative is becoming increasingly bankrupt. there is a new wave in the middle east that puts a premium on human rights, individual freedom, and dignity. it is the time to move forward. we are hoping this will send a message to those individuals who are out there that terrorism and militancy is not the way of the future. it is the way of the past. >> is al qaeda weaker and never

able to return? >> this is a strategic blow to al qaeda. it is a necessary, but not necessarily sufficient blow to lead to a demise. we have a better opportunity now that osama bin laden is out to destroy that operation. the second-in-command is not charismatic. he was not involved in the fight earlier on 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 compound. can you tell us anything about where and how that was put together? >> you can imagine that for something as important as this and something as risky as this every effort would be made to do the practice runs, to 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 for it so that once they hit the compound the head of dissimulated that a number of times. i am not going to go into details about where it was. needless to say, when they hit that compound they had already trained against it a number of times. >> can i ask you as a follow-up -- if the compound was so big, how did they know where to find osama bin laden? was he in a bedroom, a dining room, an open area? >> the outer features of the compound were studied intensively. there were certain assessments made about where individuals were living and where osama 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 plans based on certain observable features of the compound. whoever it was that made the

assault on that. >> was the been modern family -- was the osama bin laden family in part of the compound? >> given what you've seen from both parties, is there some way to appeal to this sense of unity compared to other issues? >> i will address that, but i want to give john a few more questions. he has things he needs to do. then i will go to april. i am sorry. >> how many civilian casualties were there? >> osama bin laden died. the al qaeda facilitators, the brothers who were the career and his brother in the compound. in london -- osama bin laden's son, and the woman who was shielding osama bin laden. >> did he take her as a shield, or did someone put her there?

>> i was not there. i just know she shielded osama bin laden from incoming fire. >> i have a couple of questions about security. one question is that intelligence folks said an attack was not about if it would happen, but when it would happen. since it is saying this is a strategic blow and the head of the snake is locked -- is lopped off -- has that mind-set changed because of this? >> i have never had the mind-set is not if but when. every day counter-terrorism officials are trying to stop whatever attacks might be out there. they go into each day believing that they can have another day and another terrorist attack. this does not mean that we are putting down our guard as far as the credit is concerned. it may be a mortally wounded

tiger that still has some life in it. we need to keep up the pressure. we cannot relent. there are individuals in the organization determined to murder innocent men, women, and children. >> what is the thought of this administration? did you believe the pakistani government was transparent and honest, given the information they have now on osama bin laden? are they going in and finding out more? >> i am not going to speculate about who if any of them had foreknowledge about osama bin laden being there outside the capital. we are talking to pakistan about this. but in our discussions with them, they seemed as surprised as we were initially that osama bin laden was in that area. quickly spoke about -- >> we

spoke about this as a pivot point. is the president still firmly committed to visiting pakistan this year? >> i am not going to address the president of schedule. he has stated he intends to visit pakistan. that depends on his availability. the president feels strongly 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. because of the al qaeda madness as well as other military organizations in that country, too many pakistanis have suffered and died. but the president wants to do and what we are doing is to see what we can do to help the government provide that type of lifestyle for the populace in the future. >> osama bin laden was found in such a comfortable position in

pakistan. there are obviously big threats to u.s. interest in places like yemen in terms of terrorism. he could still have 100 dozen 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 that as a launching point. this is something we are in ongoing discussions with the afghan government and the pakistani government. there are groups and we want to find they cannot use that area to carry out attacks. we are as determined as we ever have been to bring people what they need and deserve because we can. >> i know we did not let any

other countries know before the strike. was there any contact with the leaders of nato? >> there were a number of conversations with foreign leaders about this mission. i am not going to go into individual discussions we have had. clearly, this is something of international significance and we will continue to have those discussions. >> but you cannot say if you talked to angela merkle or president sarkozy. >> in light of the unique events inside the compound, is it likely the neighbors had known anything about this? >> when you look at the features of the compound, there are 18 foot walls with barbwire on the top. this was a compound that had very limited interaction, to the best of our knowledge and observation, 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. i think we have had some indications that the family that was there tried to remain anonymous and tried not to have any interaction. it does raise questions about the compound of that size in this area not raising suspicions previously. >> i just want to clear something up. i think a few of us are confused. the woman that was killed was bon mot and's wife? >> to my understanding. >> and he was using her as a shield? >> she served as a shield. we are still getting reports of what happened a particular moments. she fought back when there was the opportunity to get to osama bin laden. she was positioned in a way that indicated she would be used as a shield, whether osama bin laden

or his son put her there, or whether she put herself there. my understanding is she met her demise and was one of osama bin laden's wives. >> was there a reason you said 99.9% certain? why didn't you say 100%? >> i believe that is based on dna. >> i just want to start by addressing a question earlier. tonight, the president will obviously make some remarks related to the successful mission against osama bin laden. one of the things you will likely hear him sound will echo what he said last night, which is that this is a good day for america and for americans. the fact that we were able to accomplish this says a lot about our country and our

perseverance. i think you can fairly say that the victims in this country on 9/11, the americans who were victims 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. those who carried out the mission yesterday -- the same could be said about them. one thing you will likely hear from the president tonight is about the capacity for americans to come together and achieve very difficult goals when we work together. we can follow up with you on logistics. the are logistical issues here. we will get it to you right afterward. let me do 10 minutes or so so that we can all file and other things.

i will take the associated press and then move around a little bit. >> not only did the president of this final order friday morning , but he was golfing sunday. can you talk about his movements and try to keep his poker face going through these other events? >> i think one thing that is important to not is the compartmentalization here. it was obviously a success here 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 talked a lot about it in the wake of the visit.

the experience that i think was unique about that was to discover -- when folks get an opportunity to meet the president, there are different ways they do that. town hall meetings, wrote clients, things like that. but there is something unique about even a president being able to meet individuals who have suffered such terrible things as those residents of tuscaloosa did in their moment of despair. that is very palpable. i think he felt that. he was focused on that. then he went on to the commencement address at miami dade college. having said that, he was obviously taking calls and being updated regularly. the same goes with saturday and sunday. sunday, he spent a great deal of his day in the west wing the situation room. george? >> at the meeting tonight, other

than osama bin laden, what are his objectives as far as budget? >> we have said this is a continuation of his effort to bring leaders of congress here in a social setting, with spouses, to improve communication in general. there is no agenda. there is no gold 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 to work at the white house and what day and the congress need to do together. it is nothing beyond that. hold on one second. andre. >> briefly, who is in charge of

the compound now? >> our understanding on the visuals we have seen is that pakistani authorities are in charge of the compound. >> more importantly, what was the legal basis for the operation? >> i will refer you to what the president has said since taken -- since taking office. given the attack that osama bin laden launched against the united states, the lives that he took not just on 9/11 but other occasions -- he was a high-value target and a legitimate target. 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. the opportunity presented itself. >> this would apply not only to pakistan, but to other countries?

>> i will simply say that there was a great deal of confidence. this had been discussed by experts for a long time now, that he was in that border region or in pakistan. i do not think the hypothetical makes a lot of sense. >> has the president picked a new commerce secretary? >> i do not have any personnel announcements for you or timing of personnel announcements for you. >> almost lost in this news is the nato strike against khaddafi's compound saturday, where his son was killed and three of his grandchildren. does the white house believe that mission was in keeping with carrying out the u.n. resolution? >> yes. i think there has been ample commentary about that from nato. we do believe that.

obviously, we continue to focus on that mission, as we do on other missions. you could say that. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> we continue our coverage of the reaction to the killing of osama bin laden with secretary of state hillary clinton. after that, remarks from several other congressional leaders. >> good morning. as president obama said last night, osama bin laden is dead, and justice has been done. today, i want to say a few words about what this means for our approach going forward.

first, i want to offer my condolences to those whose families were affected by osama bin laden. 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 the muslims, were targeted in markets and mosques, in subway stations, and on airplanes. each attack was 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 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 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. here at the state department, we have worked to forge a worldwide anti-terror network. we have brought together the

effort and energy of friends, partners, and allies on every front. our partnerships, including our close cooperation with pakistan, have helped put unprecedented pressure on al qaeda and its leadership. continued cooperation will be just as important in the days ahead. 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 with the death of in london. indeed, we must take this opportunity to renew our resolve and redouble our apart. in afghanistan, we will continue taking the fight to of qaeda and the 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 a strategy for transition, approved by nato at the summit in lisbon. and we are supporting an afghan- led political process that seeks to isolate al qaeda 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 qaeda 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, osama bin laden 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 governments, military's, 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 osama bin laden'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 or rejecting the extremist narrative's and charting a task of peaceful progress based on universal rights and aspirations. there is no better rebuke to al qaeda and its tennis ideologies. 0 -- and itss

heinous ideology. will relentlessly pursue the murderers to target innocent people. the fight continues, and we will never waver. 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 her wisdom and humanity that marks the difficult days after 9/11. in new york, where i was a senator, our community was devastated. but 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 to look to a more peaceful and secure future , yet with continued vigilance. but more so with growing hope and renewed faith in what is possible. thank you all very much. >> then we will be happy to take a few questions. >> director panetta and i served together in the house of representatives. he has been very generous in his time with me. i sit down to talk to him fairly regularly. down in the new classified briefing center here in the capital. so i have been following this with director panetta for some

time now. what were the general aspects of what they're looking at? that was confirmed last night when i received a call from the white house at about 9:30. shortly thereafter, the president called me and i outlined what had taken place. which most of you know what took place at this stage. the president was very somber in relating to me what took place. and when he talked about the facility, i had in my mind's eye what i had been briefed by panetta in more general terms. today, americans across the country are welcoming the news that this awful man, this man who is epitomize evil, has been brought to justice by american forces.

his death is the most significant victory in our 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 went to a funeral in boulder city where a young man by the name of patton was killed. he was a navy seal. as we have learned, it was seals who went into this operation. what they do is so courageous. they are one of the finest special operation forces in the history of the world, trained by our great country. these men and women in the military and intelligence community who put their lives on to make this happen -- they are

remarkable. i cannot help but think of the young puffin boy, who i played ball against his dad. this effort to refocus on afghanistan and pakistan as a central battle and are fighting against terror. -- against terror. the obama administration has significantly escalated our diplomatic, military, and economic efforts to disrupt and dismantling of qaeda in afghanistan, pakistan, and around the world. we know the fight against terrorists 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 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 while i was waiting for a plant 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 that justice has 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, their confidence, their competence, and their bravery. the thinking about this coming into baltimore and washington last night, i was also thinking about pathology of osama bin laden, how it has been punctured. he cannot escape justice and did not. also, what people were thinking about this pathological character in caves along the border between pakistan and afghanistan -- he was in comfort for many, many years in a big place with minions that he sends out to kill people. they are doing their devilish

deeds. they are in much more difficult circumstances then he arranged for himself many years ago. the other thought i had flying back was the memory and remembrances of those who were lost on 9/11, but also those who were lost to terror before and after. the war will continue. this is a victory, but it is not the final victory over terrorism. this morning statement of hamas, condemning the killing of been london, calling him a martyr -- the killing of osama bin laden, calling him a martyr, reinforces our resolve that this war has to continue to be fought. but the myth of osama bin laden has been punctured.

>> the president has a timetable to withdraw out of afghanistan. he has indicated he is going to stick with that. i think that is appropriate. >> there are reports that oil prices are dropping. is there a connection between those? if there is, how much affect these think the these comments will have? >> the world community is satisfied that a man of terror has been brought to justice. 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 everyone is happy that this man has been brought to

justice. but i think the international economic community knows there are other terrorists out there. but this is a real shot in the arm to people of good will all over. >> can i ask about pakistan officials? given where and in london -- given where osama bin laden was found, is it possible they knew where he was? >> i think the army and intelligence had a lot of questions to answer. given the location, the length of time, and the apparent fact that this facility was actually built for osama bin laden, and its closeness to the central location of the army. i think the army intelligence of pakistan have plenty of questions they should be

answering. hopefully, they are being asked by the pakistan government. i do think the 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 and that he congratulates us on the success of the operation. we are reassured by his statement. we are 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 of pakistan, and ask some very tough questions of his own military and his own intelligence. they have a lot of explaining to do. >> the question about aid funding. there is now a discussion about the future of funding for the wars in afghanistan and so

forth after the killing of osama bin laden. second, there has been a notion of interrogation and torture. one of the leads that has come out was that cia interrogation'' led to osama bin laden. how far should interrogation be allowed to go? >> i do not have any basis to believe that any leads 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 on the funding? >> i think we have our two

committees, the armed services committee and the operations committee. they have a job to do. they are looking for any waste at the pentagon. secretary gates is doing the same thing. we are going to continue doing the work we need to do. >> did the president communicate to you what the warning level is now? >> the only information that i have is that all of our embassies around the world have been put on alert status, and rightly so. >> u.s. officials early this morning said that the loss of osama bin laden [unintelligible] >> and certainly hope that is the case. but i think we should be very cautiously optimistic in that regard. i think we still have a lot of work to do.

that man is out of circulation. it is a shot in the arm for justice all over the world. i think that is going to be good for everyone. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> good afternoon, everyone. the tragic events of 9/1110 years ago remind us that we are all americans, and that what unites us as americans is far greater than what divides us. i think last night's news unified our country in much the same way. the death of osama bin laden is an important moment in the war against radical extremism and terrorism, an important event

for peoples all around the world who have been subject to the terror of osama bin laden. to the families who lost loved ones on september 11, 2001, we will never forget what you've lost. for those who 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 the complex and dangerous threat, 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 places like 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 those involved in the intelligence community for their tireless efforts and perseverance that led to the successful evening. i also want to commend president obama and president bush for all their efforts to bring osama bin laden to justice. >> nearly 10 years ago, president bush stood before the nation after 9/11 and pledged to the american people that we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail in our quest to defeat those who intend to do us harm to act of terror. last night, we heard president obama tell a very changed nation that we did not fail. i think what this tells all of us is that success and victory sometita