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

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

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

unselfishly devoted themselves to preventing attacks themselves and hunting down bin laden. last night their efforts met with success, and we're deeply, deeply grateful for their efforts. as for the broader war, the death of bin laden may create the opportunity to renew our efforts to bring fresh pressure on al qaeda's leadership. president obama noted that it is essential that pakistan joins us in this fight. in the coming weeks and months these same counterterrorism professionals will focus on determining what bin laden's death mean for the death posed for al qaeda affiliates in the remainder of al qaeda's senior leadership. but today the world knows, once again, that wherever al qaeda

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

and that effort has paid off. thanks to the skill and perseverence of many brave men and women we have done what we said. america has not wavered, it has not lost sight of the mission, and we will prevail. >> mr. brennan told reporters that the killing of osama bin laden was a defining moment in the war against al-qaeda of the war and terrorism. he also described how he and the president as well as other members of the national security team viewed this u.s. military operation. from the white house briefing room, this is about one hour.

>> if you have any questions on other subjects, i will do about 10 minutes after mr. brennan is finished. i just want to make a point before john comes up that as many of you know, the president, even before he was president, had a clear idea about the approach he would take as president toward osama bin laden. august, 2007, he said if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and

president musharraf will not act, we will. in july of 2008, he said we must make it clear that if pakistan cannot act, we will take a high level terrorist targets if we have that in our sights. he repeated statements like that. i want to be clear that this is an approach that he always felt he would take when he was president and once he took office he made sure that we would revitalize our focus on a sum of ben laden and the hunt for him. with that i want to invite john up to take your questions and i will be standing here if you have questions on other topics, thank you.

>> was there a consideration to take bin lkaden alive? >> it was absolutely to prepare for all contingencies. if we had an opportunity to take him alive, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that, we had discussed that extensively in a number of meetings with the president. the concern was that bin laden would oppose any type of capture operation. indeed, he did with the fire fight. he therefore was killed in that fire fight and that's 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. >> did you think that was the

most likely outcome? >> we were trying to make sure that we were able to accomplish the mission safely and securely for the people involved. we were not going to put our people at risk. president put a premium on making sure that our personnel were protected and we were not going to give bin laden or his cohorts any chance to carry a lethal fire ought on them. he was killed in the process. we had the opportunity to take him alive, we would have done that. >> have you been able to determine how e it in this location? >> people have referred to this as hiding in plain sight. this was considered as a possibility. pakistan is a large country. we are looking right now at how he was able to hold out there for so long and whether or not

there is any kind of support system within pakistan that allowed him to stay there. we know the people of the compound were working on his behalf and that's what we ultimately found our way to the compound. we are right now after a -- 24 hours after the operation and we are talking to the pakistani and we will pursue this to find out what kind of support system and benefactors bin laden might have had. >> is it really credible that pakistani authorities had no idea that this compound was built? >> i think it's inconceivable that bin laden did not have a support system in the country that allowed him to remain there in the country for this amount of time. i will not speculate about what type of support he might have had on an official basis inside

pakistan. we are closely talking to the pakistan is right now. we are leaving open opportunities to pursue whatever leads might be out there. >> what does this mean for the war in afghanistan? does it make it easier to wind things down? >> i think the accomplishment that the very brave personnel from the united states government were able to realize yesterday is a defining moment in the war against al-qaeda, the war on terrorism, by decapitating the head of the snakes known as al-qaeda. it will have report important reverberations throughout the area in that area. this is something we have been after for 15 years. it goes back before 9/11. what we are doing now is to try to take advantage of this opportunity we have to demonstrate to the pakistani

people and the people in the area that al qaeda is something in the past. we hope to bury the rest of al qaeda along with bin laden. >> in the situation room yesterday, can you describe how you are monitoring the goings on? -- how you were monitoring the goings on? were you watching the operation? were you listening to it? how were you getting your information? >> the principals convened yesterday around midday. there were others who are your earliest a monitor the president joined as early in the afternoon before the operation got under way. when it got under way, the president read the vote -- rejoined the group and we're able to monitor on a real-time basis the progress of the operation from its commencement to its target to the extraction of the remains. it was probably one of the most

anxiety-filled. t periods of time. the minutes passed light days. the president was very concerned about the security of our personnel. that was what was on his mind throughout. we wanted to make sure we could get through this and accomplish the mission. it was clearly a very tense. many people were holding their breath. there was a fair degree of silence as it progressed as we would get the updates. when we finally were informed that those individuals who are able to go into the compound and found an individual they believed was bin laden, there was a tremendous sigh of relief. the president was relieved once we had our people and those remains off target. >> was a visual or just a radio

report? >> we were able to monitor the situation in real time and we were able to have regular updates and insure that we had real time visibility into the progress of the operation. i will not go into details about what kind of visuals we had or what type of things were there. it gave us the ability to track it on an ongoing basis. >> i understand there was a moment of real panic with a helicopter and when the navy seals were leaving and a pakistani government started scrambling their jets and there was a concern that they were coming to where the u.s. was. was there a concern that the pakistanis who were not informed about the operation, was very concerned they might actually take military action against the

navy seals? >> we did not contact the pakistan is until all of our people and aircraft were out of at pakistani aircraft. they were reacting to an instance they knew was taking place in about a but. there were scrambling some of their assets. we're concerned that if the pakistan is decided to scramble jets, they did not know who might have been there whether it was the u.s. or someone else. we were watching and making sure that our people and our aircraft were able to get out of the aerospace and thankfully, there is no engagement with pakistani forces. this operation was designed to minimize the prospect, 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 in the compound. >> can you talk to us about what

documentation you may have found there? can you get additional leads out of this information? >> the people in the compound took advantage of their time to make sure we were able to acquire whatever material we thought was appropriate. ofll are in the process now looking at whatever might have been picked up. i will not go into details about what might have been acquired. this is an important time to begin to process -- prosecuted against al-qaeda and take the success of yesterday and continued to work -- to break the back of the alabama was a lot of information? >> we are trying to determine what they picked up. it is not necessarily quantity. frequently it is quality. >> can you tell us how close the u.s. has gotten, are there any close calls? >>tora bora was the last time we

have credible information about where he was located. a number of leads have been pursued over the years. this operation demonstrates that there are some very, very good people who have been following osama bin laden for many years and have been persistent and pulled on every thread and as a result of that diligence and their analytic capabilities, they were able to track this and continue to build a body of evidence that suggested circumstantially that he was at the compound. that is what they did and it was much greater confidence we had in this body of information then we have had sense tora bora. there was nothing that confirmed he was at the compound and when president obama was faced with the opportunity to act upon this, the president had to evaluate the strength of the information and then make what i believe is one of the most gutsiest call of any president in recent memory.

>> can you talk to us about how the eggs idea of not being able to track or get the name initially of the gentleman who led you to the compound? >> we did targeting analysis. it is exceptionally tedious and painstaking as far as taking a little bit of data and kasich together to correlate it with something else. as a result of the information will had about these couriers and individuals, over time, we piece together additional information and got the name he was known by, associate that with his real name, associate that with other things, that the real name was associated with, and track it until we got to the compound in abbottabad. to make sure we had the best of

visibility in terms of understanding what was happening at the compound, that body of evidence kept a cumulative to the point where the president said he wants to have operations against this compound and he wants to know what the pros and cons are and he wants to have options and make sure if we take into account the safety and security of the american people that would be conducting the operation and that we look at it from the standpoint of limiting collateral damage in making sure we could maximize the chance of mission success. ultimately, we got to that point. the president made the decision and the results speak for themselves. >> you said osama bin laden was involved in the firefight. did he get his hands on a gun and did he fire himself? >> he was engaged with those who enter the area of the house. whether or not he got off and iran's, quite frankly don't know.

he has been calling for these attacks living in his million- dollar compound, living in an area that is far removed from the front, hiding behind women who were put in front of him as a shield. i think it speaks to just tell falls his narrative has been over the years. looking at him hiding their widely it is what other people out there to carry out attacks speaks to the nature of the individual he was. >> what was the most anxiety- filled moments? was it when the helicopter appeared to be inoperable? was it when you heard shots fired? could you actually hear the shots fired? >> when you plan these things out, you know in your mind exactly what the first and second step would be. if there is any deviation, it causes anxiety. the individuals to carry out this assault plan for all the

various contingencies. when that helicopter was seen to be unable to move, you had to go into plan b and they did it flawlessly and were able to conduct the operation. saying that helicopter in a place and in the condition that was not supposed to be was, for me, the concern we had that we have to go to a contingency plan and thankfully, they were as able to carry out the content is the plan as the were the initial plan. able to monitor the situation in real time. >> can you describe any reaction by the president specifically when it became clear that this was osama bin laden and he had been killed. do you remember the president's words are reaction? >> that is one of the things we

have to do throughout the course of this operation, when we heard that the individuals who carry out this us all felt they had an individual who appeared to be bin laden, that was one data point. they had facial recognition, heights, dna analysis, there was an incremental build up. the company was building but when you feel confident you have the person you are after. it was more of a growing sense of confidence and a growing sense of accomplishment. there is not one "aha!" this built over time and we made a decision last night because we felt we were confident enough to go out to the american people and the world to say that we got him them was very reaction any time? >> we got him. >> bin laden used women as human shields when american personnel

went in? >> there was family at that compound. there was a female who was in fact in the line of fire that reportedly was used as a shield to shield bin laden from the incoming fire. >> where are you on the idea of releasing photographs of bin laden to show the world he is dead. >> we are less than 24 hours from the arrival on target for those individuals. we have released a tremendous amount of information which to date. we will continue to look at the information we have to make sure we can share what we can because we want to make sure that not only the american people but the world understand exactly what happened and the confidence that we have that it was conducted in accordance with the mission of design. at the same time, we don't want

to do anything that will compromise our ability to be as successful the next time we get one of these guys and take them off the battlefield. >> is it possible that releasing a photograph might avoid skin -- conspiracy theories to route the moslem world's? >> we will do everything we can to make sure that nobody has any basis to try to deny that we got osama bin lot in. then late in. bin laden. >> is it a debate about whether to release or what to release? >> i think it is both. what falls into the category of things you can potentially released to the public? it may be the dna results or comments about the conduct of the operation and the intelligence base. then you have to take a look at the standpoint of what is the upside and downside.

when you conduct an operation based on intelligence and the very sensitive and capable forces that we have available to us in the u.s. government, you want to make sure you are not doing anything to expose something that will limit your ability to use those same intelligence sources and capabilities in the future. >> has anybody secure this compounds? has the pakistani government gone into secure this compound? >> i think the isi or the pakistan military police have the compound under control and clearly, it is the site and it would be my presumption that the pakistani authorities would be in control of that compound. >> who owned the land? >> it was two of the individuals who were killed, the al qaeda facilitators, the idea -- the individual identified as the

gatekeeper. my understanding is that it was in his name. >> you implied this was the gutsiest decision the president made, that implies that there was some discussion. >> he wanted to hear people's views. you have circumstantial intelligence and people will see that either there is insufficient circumstantial evidence to go forward which involved a unilateral operation in another country to go after someone you believe is osama bin laden and there were differences of views. that is what the president wanted to know as well as the course of action which are things you can do which evolve . what are the benefits of doing that from a remote location?

also, what are the risks associated with security forces going into the compound? this was debated across the board and the president wants to make sure that he had all the different views. >> wasn't a close call? >> i have been followed osama bin laden for 15 years. i have the utmost confidence in people particularly at cia who had been tracking him. they were confident and their confidence was growing. this was different. what we saw in this compound was different and we have seen before. i was confident that we have the basis to take action. i also have the confidence that the u.s. team that went in there has exceptional skill to do this very capably. i was a supporter and i know a number of others were. the president had to look at all the different contingencies out

there. he had to look at the downside of the was not osama bin laden. he decided it was so important to the security of the american people that he would go forward. > we continue to engage with the pakistan is as we learn more about the compound and whatever type of support system was there. we have had differences of view of the pakistani government on counter-terrorism cooperation in certain areas and what they should and should not be doing. pakistan has been responsible for capturing and killing more terrorists inside pakistan than any country and it is by a wide

margin. there have been many brave pakistani soldiers and security officials who have given their lives because of the terrorisms courage in that country. although there are differences of view with pakistan, we believe that partnership is critically important to breaking the back of al qaeda and eventually prevailing over al- qaeda and associated terrorist groups. >> can you tell us about the burial at sea? where and when did it happen? >> the disposal -- the burial of the remains were done and strict conformance with islamic precepts and practices. it was prepared in accordance with the different departments. we made provisions early on for that type of burial. we want to make sure it was going to be done. it was taken care of in the appropriate way. i will not go into details about

where. that barry has taken place and it took place earlier today our time. >> when was that decision made? >> the course of action and the subsequent decisions that would have to be made have been developed are the course of the last several months. senior officials panda was a working group that worked this on a daily basis over the last , looked at whatks actions and decisions would be made. it was looked at from the standpoint that if we captured him, what will we do within. if he was killed, what will we do with him. it was determined that it was in the best interest of all involved that his burial take place according to islamic

requirements at sea. >> why at sea? >> there is a requirement in islamic law that an individual needs to be buried within 24 hours. he was killed and removed from pakistan. there were certain steps that had to be taken because of the nature of the operation. we want to make sure we could do that in the time. a lot said. -- in the time period allotted. we thought that 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 at sea. >> did you consult a muslim

experts? >> we consulted the appropriate experts and there was unanimity that this would be the best way to handle this. >> do you know if the detainee's at gitmo have been informed? >> i don't know. >> he was wrapped in a sheet. how secure is that? >> 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 what the requirements are for a burial at sea. that barry was done perfectly. >> lawmakers are urging or reconsidering aid to pakistan? >> i think people are raising a number of questions, understandably so.

he was found in abbottabad. a number of people have questions about whether he had support by the pakistani government. we will have to deal with the questions. >> is there an official recording? >> was there and imam there? >> it was done with the appropriate people there. >> the president was the to the leadership tonight at a dinner. what will he say about this that is different than what he said before? >> you will have another 20 hours of information sense what he said to the nation last night. i think he will try to give the congressional visitors hear an update on that. last night, we did not have some of the analysis that was done and now we can say with 99.9%

confidence that this was osama bin laden. he will explain some of unique features of this mission. >> there is some reporting that a barrel by the saudis was declined to? >> after we had a conference -- after we had confidence that it was osama bin laden, we took the steps that were necessary to ensure that the burial at sea was the most appropriate thing to do. we touch base with the right people. i will not go into details about who we might have consulted with in the aftermath and before the burial. >> can you give us any details as to whether there were

previous operations that were called off a last-minute because of risk or perhaps the inability bodydentify bin laden's positively? >> there were different courses of action about the options that were available to the president whether there would be an assault on the ground or some kind of standoff. we discussed all the pros and cons and through that process of discussion, the options were narrowed down until the president decided that this was the best option because it gave us the ability to minimize damage, insure that we knew who it was who was on that compound, and also as a way to do what we could to respect the sovereignty of pakistan and allow us to engage with them immediately after the fact as opposed to

other scenarios. >> you mentioned that questions will be raised about pakistan, understandably and the role of pakistan. given the history and the fact this was done without consultation, are you concerned in your line of work it will be very difficult to reestablish a good working relationship with the isi for the intelligence authorities in pakistan? >> there is dialogue going on with our intelligence counterparts. they are especially understanding about the reasons why we did this. they are appreciative it was done without having pakistani casualty's outside the compound. the u.s.-pakistan relationship which is strategic goes on a number of different areas and levels. counter-terrorism is one of them. it can be complicated matter and we don't always agree on some of the things we want to do. true that a continued dialogue and communication, we get where

we need to be. this is one more incident we will have to deal with and we look forward to continue to work with our pakistani colleagues because they are as much or -- if not more on the front lines of the battleground of terrorism. >> how confident are you that there'll be some kind of retaliation? do you still have the color coded alerts? will you raise the alert? >> janet napolitano has announced it was a change in the color-coded system. she has put out a statement saying that we don't have specific threat reporting that would require some type of elevation of the threat status. we take a prudent steps after were to make sure that we have our vigilance up and we're taking the appropriate measures so that our security posture is strong both overseas and here.

i think there is always the potential for terrorist groups to strike out and avenge an operation like this but also some of them are asking themselves, that osama bin laden said the efforts were bankrupting themselves. al qaeda, bin laden is old news and it is time to move corporate we hope this will send a message to the individuals out there that terrorism and militancy is not the wave of the future. it is the wave of the past. this is a strategic blow to al qaeda. it is a necessary but not necessarily as efficient blow to lead to its demise. we are determined to destroy it and we have a better opportunity now that osama bin laden is out of there to destroy the organization and create fractures within a period the

number two is not charismatic. he was not involved in the fight early on in afghanistan. i think he has a lot of detractors within the organization and i think you will see them start fighting themselves internally. >> there are reports that there was a replica of the compound. where was that put together? >> for something as important as this and something as risky as this, every effort was going to be made to do the practice runs and understand the complexities and layout of the compound. there were multiple opportunities to do that in terms of going the exercises and prepare for it's a once they get the compound, they had already simulated that a number of times. i will not go into details about where or when but needless to say, when they hit the compound, they had already trained against numerous times. >> the compound was so big, how

did the navy seals know where to find osama bin laden? was it a bedroom or a dining area? >> the outer features of the compound were studied intensively. there are certain assessments made about where individuals were living and where osama bin laden and his family were. they operated according to that and they did not know when they got there exactly what some of the internal features would be. they had planned based on certain features of the compound to carry it out. whoever was that did the assault on that -- >> was the bin laden family part of the compound? >> yes. >> is the president going to make any appeal to leaders to night for unity?

>> let me go to two or three more >> how many civilian casualties were there? >> there one or two al qaeda facilitators, the currier and his brother in the compoundthere son and theen's woman who was presumed to be his wife who is shielding him. >> the attack is not about if it

would happen, it was about when it would happen. are we now changing the mindset? has it changed because of this action? >> every day counter-terrorism professionals in intelligence, military, home unsecured or law enforcement are trying to stop whatever attacks are out there were uncovered a plot. the goats -- believing that they can have another day without a terrorist attack. -- they go through the day believing that they can have another day without a terrorist attacks. al-qaeda might be a mortally wounded tiger this allows life in it and we need to keep up the pressure. there are individuals and organizations that are determined to carry out attacks and murder innocent men, women, and children. >> do you believe that the

pakistani government could have gone and found out more? >> there are many people in the pakistani government and i will now speculate if any of them had fore knowledge of his location. his location raise his question and we're talking to the pakistan is about this. they seemed as surprised as we were initially that bin laden was in that area. >> you spoke about using this as a pivot point that al qaeda is passed. will the president still visit pakistan this year? >> i will not address his schedule. their statements he has made that he intends to visit pakistan and a lot of depends on availability. the president feels strongly that the people of pakistan need to be able to realize their

potential to have a life that is full of security and prosperity. because of the al-qaeda mannes and other militant organizations in that country, too many pakistani sense suffered and died because of that. we want to see what we can do to help the pakistani government provide the type of lifestyle for the populace in the future. >> two more. >> there are big threats to u.s. and places like yemen. do they still need 100,000 troops in afghanistan? >> the basis for the presence in afghanistan is to bring that country the security that it can have and not allow al-qaeda to

ever again use of damage done as a launching point. we have ongoing discussions with the afghanistan and pakistan the government. that part of the world has given rise to remember groups, we want to make sure they cannot use that area to carry out attacks. we are determined as we ever have been to bring the security that these countries and the people need and deserve because of what we can in fact help them with. >> we did not lead any other countries know before the strike. did the president have any contact with leaders of nato? >> he had a number of discussions with other leaders but will not going to be individual discussions. this is something of international significance and he will continue to have those discussions. >> you can say if the talks to

unum markell or nicolas sarkozy? -- angela merkel nicolas sarkozy? >> when you look of the features of the compound, the 18-foot walls with barbwire on the top, this was a fact -- a compound that had 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 sort of a fortress. it raises questions. i think -- we have had some indications that the family that was there tried to remain anonymous and tried not to have interaction. it raises questions about a compound of that size in this

area not raising suspicion previously. >> i want to clear something up. the woman that was killed was and he wass wife? using her as a shield? >> she served as a shield. that is my understanding and we're still getting reports of what happened at that particular moment when she fought back and when there is opportunity to give it tobin laden, she was positioned in a way that she was being used as a shield she may have put yourself there or the sun parlor there. -- or the sun poured her there. -- or the son put her there. >> was there a reason you said 99.9%? >> i believe that is based on

dna. >> tonight, the president will obviously make some remarks related to the successful mission against osama bin laden. he will say that this is a good day for america and americans. the fact that we were able to accomplish this says a lot about our country and perseverance. i think you can fairly say that the victims in this country on 9/11, the americans or 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 can be said about them. one theme you will likely hear from the president is the capacity of americans coming together to achieve it very difficult goals when we work together. >> [inaudible] >> there are some logistical issues and we will get them to you right afterwards. let me do 10-minutes so we don't double over some things. >> if the president gave his final order on friday morning, can you talk about his mood trying to keep a poker face?

>> there 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 friday, i can say that he was focused on the devastation in tuscaloosa. he was focused and talked a lot about it in the wake of that visit. the experience i think that was unique about that is you discover that when folks get an opportunity to meet the president, there are different ways they do that, in town hall meetings or whatever. about asomething unique president being able to make

individuals who have suffered such terrible things as the residents in tuscaloosa did great in their moment of despair, it is very powerful and i think he felt that. he was also focused on cape canaveral and onto the commencement address at miami dade college. he was taking calls and being updated regularly and the same goes for saturday and sunday. sunday he spent a great deal of his day in the west wing in the situation room. >> back to the meeting tonight, what isan been lobinladen, his objective of the budget? >> this is a continuation of his intent to bring leaders of congress here in a social setting with spouses to improve communication in general. there is no agenda.

there is no goal in terms of budget or any other issue accept to have that kind of conversation which i think he finds to be a useful thing to do in terms of, in some ways, creating a better environment for the kind of work that the white house and congress need to do together. nothing beyond that, george. >> who is in charge of the compound now? >> that was asked. individuals we have seen, pakistani authorities are in charge of the compound. >> secondly, what was the legal basis for the operation? >> i would refer you to what the president has said, given the

attack that osama bin laden lost against americans that he was a high-value target and a legitimate target and as president believed 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 to other countries if he was found somewhere else? >> there is a great deal of confidence for a long time that he was in that border region or in pakistan. i don't think that hypothetical makes sense. >> as the president picked a new

commerce secretary? >> i don't have any personnel announcements or timing of personnel announcements. >> almost lost in this news is the nato strikes against the gaddafi compound saturday. his son was killed and three of his grandsons. is that keeping with the resolution? >> there has been ample commentary about that from nato. we continue to focus on that mission as we do on other missions. thanks very much.

[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 his wife hosted congressional leaders and their spouses at a dinner at the white house monday night. [applause] >> thank you, everybody please

have a seat. good evening all of you. on behalf of michelle and myself, 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. tonight seems like an especially fitting occasion to do this. obviously, we have all had disagreements and differences in the past. i suspect we will have them again in the future. last night, as americans learned that the united states had carried out an operation that resulted in the capture and death of osama bin laden -- [applause]

i think we experienced a the same sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. we were reminded again that there is a pride in what this nation stands for and what we can achieve that runs far deeper than party, for deeper than politics. i want to again recognize the heroes who carried out this incredibly dangerous mission. as a well as all military and counter-terrorism professionals who made the mission possible. i also want to thank the members of congress from both parties who have given extraordinary support to our military and our intelligence officials.

without your support, they could not do what they do. i know that unity that we felt on 9/11 has frayed a little bit over the years. i have no aleutians about the difficulties and the debates that we will have to be engaged and in the weeks and months to come, but i also know there have been several moments like this during the course of this year that brought us together as an american family whether it was the tragedy in tucson or most recently are unified response to the terrible storms that have taken place in the south. last night was one of those moments. tonight, it is my hope that we can harness some of that unity, some of that private to print -- some of the pride to confront the many challenges we face three to all of you here tonight, we are joyful that you could join us and please have a

little bit of fun, all right? thank you very much, everybody. [applause] [general chatter] >> on c-span this morning, "washington journal" is next. then the house gavel's and at 10:00 a.m. eastern for morning business. later, they will debate health insurance funding. >> today, a house, and subject committee hearing on u.s. terrorism threats coming from pakistan. also a look at the impact of the killing of osama bin laden on u.s. counter-terrorism policy. witnesses include intelligence and counter terrorism analysts. watch live coverage