Obama: Marking bin Laden death isn’t ‘celebrating’

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama gave a steely defense of his handling of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and his use of it to burnish his re-election credentials a year later, saying Monday that it is appropriate to mark an anniversary that Republicans charge is being turned into a campaign bumper sticker.

He then jumped at the chance to portray presumed Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney as unprepared to make the kind of hard call required to send U.S. forces on that highly risky mission. Without mentioning Romney by name, Obama recommended looking at people’s previous statements on the manhunt for the 9/11 mastermind.

Obama’s re-election team has seized on a quote from Romney in 2007, when he said it was not worth moving heaven and earth to go after one person. On Monday, Romney said he “of course” would have ordered bin Laden killed, but his campaign criticized Obama for turning the successful death raid to political gain.

Obama is using Wednesday’s anniversary to help maximize a political narrative that portrays him as bold and decisive. Romney has sought to cast Obama as weak and too quick to compromise on other foreign-policy matters, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Romney was scheduled to appear today in New York City with firefighters and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to help mark Wednesday’s anniversary of bin Laden’s death.

“I hardly think you’ve seen any excessive celebration taking place here,” Obama said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. His voice was taut and his smile thin.