Obama: Killing Bin Laden 'Top Priority'
By James Gordon Meek
President-Elect Obama didn’t mince words about his plans for Al Qaeda’s top thugs in an interview broadcast tonight.
“I think it is a top priority for us to stamp out al Qaeda once and for all,” Obama told CBS’ “60 Minutes.” “I think capturing or killing (Osama) Bin Laden is a critical aspect of stamping out Al Qaeda. He is not just a symbol, he’s also the operational leader of an organization that is planning attacks against U.S. targets.”
Recall that, as we reported in the New York Daily News, Obama received his first “expanded access” intelligence briefing about 10 days ago from Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell.
But maybe he missed - or simply disagrees somewhat - CIA Director Michael Hayden’s remarks last week about Bin Laden’s current capabilities.
In a speech Thursday to the Atlantic Council, Hayden said the Al Qaeda kingpin, who the CIA has failed to kill for over a decade, “is putting a lot of energy into his own survival.”
“In fact, he appears to be largely isolated from the day-to-day operations of the organization he nominally heads,” Hayden said.
Near the Obama home in Chicago, meanwhile, the local cops are still adjusting to having “the big guy” - a term of respect bestowed on every president by the rank and file in blue - in the neighborhood.
Before Obama left his house Sunday afternoon, a Chicago police officer stationed a block away stopped two local residents at a concrete barrier, according to an Obama press pool report.
“Let 'em go, they live here!” another police officer shouted, according to the pooler. “You only stop them if they live right next door, or if they look like suicide bombers or something.”
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