 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says if Osama bin Laden is captured alive, the United States should bring him to justice but in a way that avoids turning the al Qaeda leader into a martyr. After meeting with a team of top foreign policy advisers including some seasoned diplomats he has newly recruited, Obama hit back at efforts by his Republican rival John McCain to paint him as weak on fighting terrorism.
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McCain allies, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have accused Obama of having a 'pre-9/11 mindset' that focuses on law enforcement in fighting the war on terror.
But Obama linked McCain's national security approach to that of President George W. Bush, calling it 'disastrous' and citing the failure to capture bin Laden as evidence of the failure. 'The record shows that George Bush and John McCain have been weak on terrorism,' Obama told reporters. 'Their approach has failed. Because of their policies, we are less safe, less respected, and less able to lead the world.'
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Asked by a reporter how he would proceed if bin Laden were caught during his presidency, Obama said 'we may not be able to capture him alive.'
'It does not make sense for me to speculate in terms of what the best approach would be in trying him and bringing him to justice,' Obama said. 'I think what would be important would be for us to deal with him in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he's engaged in and not to make him into a martyr,' he added.
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'And to assure that the United States government is abiding by basic conventions that would strengthen our hand in the broader battle against terrorism.'
| Paging Mr. Clark, Mr. Ramsey Clark to the white courtesy phone ... |
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