Osama Bin Laden Raid: White House Counterterrorism Adviser Talks Al Qaeda, Drones One Year Later

WASHINGTON -- White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan appeared on three separate Sunday morning programs to discuss the administration's efforts against al Qaeda a year after President Barack Obama ordered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

"We're on the path towards al Qaeda's destruction, and the president has committed that we're not going to rest until al Qaeda is destroyed as an organization," Brennan told CNN's "State of the Union with Candy Crowley." "We're not going to relent until they're brought to justice one way or the other. We demonstrated the ability to do that with bin Laden."

Last week, the Obama campaign team released a video lauding the dramatic May 2, 2011, raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and suggesting that Mitt Romney, the prospective GOP presidential nominee, would not have done the same. The campaign video drew strong criticism from the Romney camp as well as from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a Romney supporter and Obama's opponent in the 2008 election.

Crowley of CNN, George Stephanopoulos of ABC's "This Week" and Chris Wallace of "Fox News Sunday" each tried to pin Brennan down on whether he believed Romney would have ordered bin Laden's killing had he had the chance.

"I don't do politics. I'm not a Democrat or a Republican," Brennan told Wallace in a statement echoed across the other programs, apparently responding to those accusing the president of politicizing the raid. "I just try to do what I can to keep the American people safe."

Still, Brennan made sure to burnish Obama's tough-on-terror image. "President Obama made the decision that brought Osama bin Laden to justice," he told CNN. "It was a tough decision, as we know the evidence was not there as far as an ironclad case. A lot of it was circumstantial. I just know that President Obama, when the time came for him to make a momentous decision like that, he took the action that did bring bin Laden to justice."

"It is something that I think was overdue," Brennan said on Fox News. "I'm glad we seized the opportunity when we had it so bin Laden could kill no more."

Looking to the post-bin Laden world, Brennan spent time on each program stressing the importance of U.S. drones along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border as well as in Yemen, where they were used to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen who served as a propagandist for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Al-Awlaki helped train the so-called underwear bomber, who tried to set off a bomb while on a plane over the United States on Christmas Day 2009.

The drone "is a tremendously capable tool to use against the terrorists abroad," Brennan said on Fox News. "It has capability to monitor [terror suspects'] activities. It provides a good insight to our intelligence analysts and operators." He added, "It has the capability to carry out strikes as well."

With those strikes, however, have come civilian casualties that have frayed U.S. relations with the Afghan, Pakistani and Yemeni governments, which are caught between supporting American anti-terrorism efforts and responding to their own restive populations.

"We've been very judicious in working with our partners to try to be surgical in terms of addressing those terrorist threats," Brennan told ABC. "The president has told us we want to make sure that we protect the American people, and unfortunately, sometimes you have to take life to save lives."

Comments

[mschroe477]

06:50 PM on 04/30/2012

John Brennan makes it clear he has no problem with civilian casualties in using Drone’s as the preferred weapon of choice. He has stated in other interviews that there are probably less civilian deaths using Drone’s than using troops on the ground which would probably result in more civilian deaths, and further states, “…unfortunately, sometimes you have to take life to save lives.” I wonder how Brennan would feel if all of his family was to be killed by a Drone strike while taking out a few terrorists? Would he still have that uplifting, gunho feeling of his family’s lives being sacrificed for the greater good in killing a few more terrorists? I don’t think he would have a problem with that, after all, people are people despite what family they belong to, civilian’s are civilian’s and if a few here and a few there have their lives snuffed out, be they innocent women, children, baby’s, or pregnant mother’s to be, it’s OK because we are saving a American lives. I mean, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it, because if those innocent civilian’s happen to be Afghans or Pakistani’s they’re expendable, right? Right?

[naaman2]

04:04 PM on 04/30/2012

Giving an order to kill binLaden was difficult? lol --- If that was so hard for Obama, he should step down & go back to Chi-town.
In fact, Time Magazine said Obama didn't participate in the job of killing ObL. - a general did; Then if it fell through, the gen would take the fall. (BHO always covers himself.)

[Larry Waters]

09:06 PM on 04/30/2012

Giving the order easy?

Sure if you're not shouldering the awesome responsibility of the presidency.

Obama didn't particpate in the job of killiing OBL?

The President is the commander-in chief without his initiative order the raid would never have happened.

"And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of Bin Laden the top priority of our war against Al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle and defeat his network."

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/02/nation/la-na-bin-laden-obama-text-20110502”

[ekim gnitlon]

05:18 PM on 05/08/2012

that not true ...

[Ian Davis]

03:45 PM on 04/30/2012

Obama handled this whole thing so well... no gloating that could potentially spark retaliation... they even considered the Muslim faith when it came to his burial. In contrast to Bush who went into Iraq not even knowing there were two types of Muslims.
Polls in Pakistan show that the majority of the people think Osama is still alive. Funny, I had no idea Fox news had strong viewer-ship over there.

[naaman2]

04:17 PM on 04/30/2012

Let's see some pictures of binLaden dead. - We viewed Ghaddafi being sodomized & his battered dead body Why not binLaden's?

[radiohd07]

05:29 AM on 05/01/2012

Letting his body fall off the back of the boat in the waters doesn't qualify as considering the muslim faith for burial.

[Stephanie Hacker]

01:42 PM on 04/30/2012

oh and my birthday is May 2nd. That was an awesome birthday present last year. Thank you Mr. President

[Larry Waters]

01:39 PM on 04/30/2012

The Bin Laden ad isn't sensational and the 911reference (a photo of NY firefighters cheering) was subdued.

Clinton's assessment of the risks, to the Seals and the president's legacy, that Obama faced as he made the decision to give the order for the mission was articulate and spot on.

The Romney quotes were brief, and if accurate, not overdone-simple compare and contrast.

For a political ad in these divisive hyperbolic times it was a refreshing change of pace:

a quiet reminder of the awesome responsibility of the presidency and the character of President Obama.

[naaman2]

04:20 PM on 04/30/2012

Giving an order to assassin binLaden - articulate & spot on. lol How could he say not to kill him? Really now!

[Larry Waters]

07:18 PM on 04/30/2012

Clinton's assessment...was articulate and spot on

[ekim gnitlon]

05:26 PM on 05/08/2012

Romney, your god, said the hunt was a waste of resources.

Before that Bush, your other god, left Afghanistan for Iraq. So both of your heroes

declined to take the shot. Have a nice day.

[riverhouse]

12:48 PM on 04/30/2012

It's amusing to see the swirling and spinning going on here. The Republican baggers simply cannot tolerate the fact that the cool, cerebral, rational President Obama is the one who got bin Laden, not their blustering cowboy dude who talked a better game than he could play.

[naaman2]

04:21 PM on 04/30/2012

"cool, cerebral, rational" --- oh, my....next week do you cannonize him?

[bizzaro birdman]

11:57 AM on 04/30/2012

Any president that was sitting in office at the time would have made the same decision. This doesn't make Obama 'the man' or anything else.

[ekim gnitlon]

05:31 PM on 05/08/2012

Actually this is not true. GW Bush left Afghanistan for Iraq. He turned down the shot..he had eight years and did not get him. Obama got him in three years because like the colors on the flag, HE DON'T RUN !!

[StopMakingSense2]

11:40 AM on 04/30/2012

We'll let the rubepublican's have all the Tora Bora moments they want! With them success is never an option!

[Ron]

11:39 AM on 04/30/2012

When Republican's use MIssion Improbable it's considered ok, but let a Democrat publically talk about the sucess of OBL being killed and it's another story. The Republican failure finding and getting OBL was their agenda all along, with OBL's family having close ties with the Bush family, and OBL's escape from Tora Bora. The failed policies allowed OBL to go free until this administration changed the policies towards going after him. The Republican's I can understand don't want this brought out, and to show the sucess this administration had getting this terrorist. Bush said publically he didn't care about getting OBL.

[geezach]

11:08 AM on 04/30/2012

When Bush did his "Mission Accomplished" stuff on board the Abraham Lincoln....Karl Rove PLANNED on that being a huge campaign ad. What a visual and sound bite! We all know what happened.

So, yes, Obama can use the killing of Osama as an ad. GOP get over yourselves.

[65ball]

10:49 AM on 04/30/2012

Obama should take the credit for fast and furious as well...

Plausible deniability was always at play. If the raid didn't work Obama could have said he knew nothing about it....same applies to fast and furious...

The difference is fast and furious didn't work. Our Federal Government approved a plan to break international law and illegally sell assault weapons to Mexican drug Cartels across national borders which is a huge crime without the approval of the a Mexican Government.

Also the guns have been proven to be involved in the killing of a Border Patrol agent and countless other human lives.

If the Bush administration would have done this the left would have been outraged...and screaming louder then anyone..

A plan like this that breaks international laws would have to have the approval of the President or at the minimum Eric Holders. Also in place would be plausible deniability for Obama. Which Reagan had during the Iran Contra scandal.

Where is the promise of transparency..??

[caseyhd]

11:27 AM on 04/30/2012

Ah the old deflect and deny Tea Party routine. The Article was about all the great success Obama has had in getting Bin Ladin. I might remind you that Bush refused to do anything about Bin Ladin in 7 years. You cannot deny Obama did a GREAT job killing the worst mass murderer in US history.

[65ball]

04:13 PM on 04/30/2012

Your right...LOL
The CIA and all the intelligence agencies were sitting around doing nothing and it took Obama to tell them to go get Bin Laden for it to happen...

The problem with your thinking is all of the interrogation tactics used in getting Bin Laden, Obama was against and wanted to get rid of them. Until his family was threatened so he decided to keep them...

Bush deserves more credit...and you can't admit it...

[naaman2]

04:24 PM on 04/30/2012

Obama actually assissinated Osama by himself. The Navy Seals did it! - Romney would probably have given the same order, silly, How could any president say not to kill him! Sheeze!

[dfranz]

12:13 PM on 04/30/2012

Yeah but...

Per usual GOP tools convieniently forget that Fast and Furious was initiated by GW Bush. Face it, there is nothing Obama could do that you would ever give him credit for.

[65ball]

04:15 PM on 04/30/2012

Fast and Furious is all Obama....Bush had nothing to do with this....

In your line of thinking Killing Bin Laden is Obama and Fast and Furious is Bush....

The policies and interrogation tactics used to get Bin Laden were put into place by BUSH. And Obama fought against them....

If Obama wants to take credit for the Bin Laden Killing because it was on his watch the same should be said for the Fast and Furious.....

[bushywhacky]

09:43 AM on 04/30/2012

You have to give Bush credit for his technique. The country is attacked so you throw a dart at a world map and declare war at the point the dart hits.

[Bill Duckworth]

09:34 AM on 04/30/2012

So Obama, his administration and Groopies would have ordered the troops to kill Chief Joseph, Geronimo

Just like the other sidie did to Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

A different country when Justice (equal and fair under the law) is Vengence according to a tough guy who is against bulling and for women and gay rights

POPULARITY and Secularism is destroying Individual Right here and there

[seiedvard]

10:20 AM on 04/30/2012

So, Bin Lanen shouldn't have been taken out?
Was he not the enemy?
So, why then did we go to war with Afghanistan and Iraq?

[Bill Duckworth]

11:26 AM on 04/30/2012

What fact do you base you conclusion? No trial? no body?

You must believe the CIA...like WMD, like 911 involvement, like you either are for us or your against us?

"OBL is a Enemy". What country were we at war with? You mean he was a Law Breaker, crimnal?

We went to war against Iraq for WMD and 911 involvement. Proven UNTRUE

We went to war against Afganishtan because they ask for Evidence and a Fair Trial. France ask for that for Roman Polanski who raped a 14 year old. Still France did not extradite him.

[politicaldon]

09:28 AM on 04/30/2012

Mr President please continue to tell the American people about the successes of your presidential term. The Repubs are complaining loudly because they hate the truth and they want to convince low information voters that your presidency has been a complete failure.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE TRUTH GETS IN THE WAY.

Hitler said, 'If you lie long enough and strong enough the people will believe.' MLK said, 'The truth crushed to the earth will rise again.'

The truth will out.

[Don Glenn]

09:50 AM on 04/30/2012

Ain't it the truth! F+F

[caseyhd]

11:31 AM on 04/30/2012

Amen

[Rangergirl]

09:06 AM on 04/30/2012

The President is right ... He can towt the death of OBL.. and dozens of other Al Quida leaders... Come on... Where was Bush.? Nowhere. Obama has done well on Forgeign Policy... Romney said he wouldn't have gone after him... But he would like to start a war with IRAN.

[Sellie Truitt]

10:45 AM on 04/30/2012

The Money Hungry Group can only think of POWER and not what's Best for our Country. Can you imagine what will happen to this Country if the WRONG party is elected? Would Bin Laden still be around to threaten our Country if the WRONG Party was in Power? This year we can celebrate 911 with a different meaning. We got Bin Laden and NOW it's OUR DUTY to show appreciation to the ACCOMPLISHER.

[Sellie Truitt]

10:55 AM on 04/30/2012

I THINK JIMMY KIMMEL IS ABOUT AS FUNNY AS A MAN DYING OF PROSTATE CANCER. IT WAS EASY TO SEE THE SNEAK PUNCHES HE THREW AT PRESIDENT OBAMA. THUMBS DOWN FOR MY PART.