Lawmakers on Capitol Hill put aside their partisanship at least temporarily Monday and praised President Obama for the mission resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden. However, some GOP leaders were quick to note that the path to justice for the al Qaeda leader was set under Obama’s Republican predecessor, President George W. Bush.
“This is great news for the security of the American people and a victory in our continued fight against al Qaeda and radical extremism around the world,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said. “I want to congratulate and thank the hard-working men and women of our armed forces and intelligence community for their tireless efforts and perseverance that led to this success. I also want to commend President Obama and his team, as well as President Bush, for all of their efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice.”
Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and vice chairman of the subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, said bin Laden’s elimination came thanks to “the U.S. armed forces and intelligence community … as well as the Obama and Bush administrations.”
As the nearly decade-long effort to capture or kill the world’s most wanted terrorist came to a close Sunday, Obama began phoning Capitol Hill lawmakers to tell them the news. He announced bin Laden’s death to the relevant committee leaders, those heading panels the oversee military and intelligence operations. The president also talked to congressional leaders, including Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Soon after those conversations, word of bin Laden’s death leaked to the press and lawmakers’ official statements begin pouring into reporters’ email inboxes.
The response from lawmakers of both parties was largely one of elation, tempered by the understanding that bin Laden’s death does not mean the United States should end its fight against terrorism that still poses a threat here and abroad.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, gave a response that typified the reaction of many on Capitol Hill.
“I am overjoyed that we finally got the world’s top terrorist,” McCain said. “The world is a better and more just place now that Osama bin Laden is no longer in it. But while we take heart in the news that Osama bin Laden is dead, we must be mindful that al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies are still lethal and determined enemies, and we must remain vigilant to defeat them.”
Bin Laden’s death comes just as lawmakers are arriving back in Washington after a two-week congressional recess. Most lawmakers who heard from the president Sunday night were still in their districts, preparing for their return to work, including a battle over the 2012 budget and a debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling.
Pelosi was among those still at home when she heard from Obama.
“The death of Osama bin Laden marks the most significant development in our fight against al Qaeda,” Pelosi said. “I salute President Obama, his national security team, [CIA Director Leon] Panetta, our men and women in the intelligence community and military, and other nations who supported this effort for their leadership in achieving this major accomplishment.”
