by Mark Silva
Katie Couric has interviewed President-elect Barack Obama - and we assume she didn't ask him what newspapers and magazines he gets his information from - for a special that will air on the eve of Tuesday's inauguration.
Excerpts will be broadcast this evening on the CBS Evening News.
In light of the newest communiqué from the still-elusive Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader responsible for 9/11, Couric asks Obama how important capturing him still is.
" My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him,'' Obama says. "But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives, then we will meet our goal of protecting America.
Here, courtesy of CBS, is a preview of the interview:
COURIC: A new Osama bin Laden tape was released. And in it he taunted President Bush--
OBAMA: Right.
COURIC: and basically called for a new jihad to stop the aggression on Gaza. What will youdo differently to bring Osama bin Laden to justice?
OBAMA: Well, I think-- I talked frequently during this campaign that we took our eye off the ballwhen we invaded Iraq. And now it's done. My job is to withdraw in a responsible way from Iraq and stabilize the situation there. But our real focus has to be on Afghanistan, the border regionsbetween Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we have to put as much pressure on them as possible.
I've already spoken to my National Security team about how we're going to do that.
And I'm confident that we can keep them on the run and ensure that they cannot train terrorists to attack our homeland. That's my number one priority as president of the United States.
COURIC: How important do you think it is, Mr. President-elect, to apprehend Osama bin Laden?
OBAMA: I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically aliveor not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function. My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't evencommunicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.
Comments
He sounds just like President Bush. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Posted by: Derrick | January 14, 2009 5:05 PM
He sounds just like President Bush. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.
Posted by: Derrick | January 14, 2009 5:05 PM
I think this is wrong. What he and his followers have done to this great nation and others we can neither dismiss or stop in the persuit of justice. As an American and a member of the human race I think most people would agree that him living in a cave somewhere is not a very good sence of security. It reminds me of being a little kid and being afraid of monsters under the bed. Only this monster is in a cave.
Posted by: turf doc | January 14, 2009 5:23 PM
see nobama cant even answer the question - twice she asked him the same question and he babbled around the answer - is he really that dumb?
Posted by: bcp | January 14, 2009 5:40 PM
I feel so safe with President elect Hussein at the helm... not... Remember this is the guy who believes that Diplomacy will end all wars. Unfortunately, we are dealing with terrorists not preschoolers. He will get a dose of what President Bush has been in for the past 8 years. He is already nervous. It shows because he lacks so much experience in international matters and domestic matters is not much better. I can't believe the U.S. elected someone with such a lack of experience in anything except maybe the law. Lawyers have brought this country down as well so can't depend on that kind of experience to help the U.S. the greatest country on earth.
Posted by: Jo | January 14, 2009 6:17 PM
WOW.......A BUSH supporter has the nerve, or lack of brain power, to call OBAMA dumb! WOW
Posted by: Mr D. | January 14, 2009 6:23 PM
see nobama cant even answer the question - twice she asked him the same question and he babbled around the answer - is he really that dumb?
Posted by: bcp | January 14, 2009 5:40 PM
At least Obama didn't say something stupid like...I don't know....something like: "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE" or 'BRING'EM ON".
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/24/bin-laden-bush-caught/
Posted by: allardice | January 14, 2009 6:32 PM
see nobama cant even answer the question - twice she asked him the same question and he babbled around the answer - is he really that dumb?
Posted by: bcp | January 14, 2009 5:40 PM
In a way yes that dumb- Remember Obama has had no experience in wold afairs.
Posted by: Inky | January 14, 2009 7:24 PM
What Mr. Obama said here is consistent with his prior policy statements. A pull out from Iraq would please a lot of people because the invasion was in error to begin with. Secondly, it is costing us 30 billion dollars per month in lodging and boarding in Iraq, money that should go towards our domestic needs. Enhanced focus on Afghan borders is definitely needed and we are glad that he will do that.
Posted by: Reductionism | January 14, 2009 7:54 PM
Good grief! He was killed in oct 2007 and Benazir Bhutto told the WORLD this on David Frost's show in November of 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9Tg
WHY DID MOVEON.ORG GO FOR OBAMA? Was this just a shift of chairs? Meanwhile, we've become a militarized culture that doesn't seem to CARE to SMELL the Fascism.
WAKE UP! WAKE UP!
Posted by: Osama bin DEAD! Don't FALL FOR THIS CRAP! | January 14, 2009 9:36 PM
The Military is about to have the biggest drop in personnel ever. Once Obama makes the military a haven for gays, military personnel will call it quits. Our new nancy military will not be able to defend this country. No way a bunch of nancys will be able to track osama. I think this is Barrys way of letting Osama Bin Laden get away.
God help us. We are in real trouble. 20 Jan 09. The start of Americas decline to nothing.
Posted by: Democrats for Truth | January 14, 2009 9:52 PM
Now this is the kind of no noncense talk that i am talking about. This is exactly the kind of forceful leadership that we need - a clear statement of his preferences.
Posted by: ejhickey | January 14, 2009 10:53 PM
Why bother with Bin Laden? It would cost us millions to process him and he is just one of millions of peace loving, Muslim Terrorists ready to take his place. Deal with the hords. Make terrorism not pay. Make Islam responsible.
Posted by: Tim | January 14, 2009 10:58 PM
Magna Cum Laude, Harvard Law.
Not many dummies hang that shingle.
Posted by: Bubba ✔ | January 14, 2009 11:15 PM
You are mistaking logical responses to questions for ignorance. I know it's been 8 years since we've heard any kind of intelligence from a leader but this is what is sounds like. Get used to it. You may have to brush up on your skoolin
Posted by: Jerry | January 15, 2009 1:06 AM
The audacity of Bush supporters to be critical of Mr. Obama's comments regarding wanting to capture or kill Bin Laden go beyond laughable - they prove once and for all that most Bush supporters truly care about party and ideology over America.
Hate Obama, hate liberals, hate hate hate. That's fine. But you can never argue with this one fact: Bin Laden attacked America 9 months into the Bush Administration reign, and the Bush Administration has been completely unable or worse, uninterested in capturing him and bringing him to justice in the 8 years since.
This is not political. This it not left versus right. This is merely a fact. Period.
Keep criticizing Obama, folks - at least he'll have the guts and brains to care about bringing this era's Hitler to justice.
Posted by: Todd | January 15, 2009 7:27 AM
Todd: I am an independant, I did not vote for Bush or Obama! Obama has no guts nor brains all he is, is talk, talk about change that will never happen! Obama will not get Bin Laden either. We can not just send our troops into the mountains to get Bin Laden because our troops would get slaughtered! We would be going into mountains where there are so many hiding places we would never find him even if we sent enough troops to go in from every side! At least with Bush as president Bin Laden has not dared come out of the mountains, and Obama will not risk going into the mountains after him either, like I said before too many of our soldiers would die going into mountains with plenty of hidding places.
No matter who got elected as president the economy was going to get better because the democratic congress will not being going against Bush anymore like they have been for the past 2 years.
Posted by: Gidget | January 15, 2009 1:50 PM
@Gidget
Ever notice that the self-identifed "independents" are always wingnuts?
Posted by: a blinkin | January 15, 2009 2:55 PM
blinkin : Or maybe independants see things differently than Democrats and Republicans! Maybe we look at the person not just go along with a party! And did you ever notice independants don't call people names for having a different opinion!
Posted by: Gidget | January 15, 2009 3:25 PM
Gidget:
I tried to gracefully overlook it, but the word really is "independent." With an "e" towards the end. Perhaps you can turn a new page in your life and bring your literacy up to maybe a third grade level.
---
Anyone who thinks OBL lives in a cave, etc. is delusional. Actually, they're putting up psychological defenses because they really can't comprehend how Dear Leader has let this go on for 7+ years.
As to OBL, he's: 1) rich beyond our conception; 2) got bad kidneys; and 3) not hated in Pak/Afgh in the way he is in the civilized world. That means he can pay people to house, protect and nurture him. He'd be dead from kidney failure if he had to live in a cave for any length of time. So get real folks.
My guess is he's living in relative comfort and being protected by those around him. He also probably moves about from place to place with some frequency.
We don't need to mindlessly hunt around in caves; we need adequate intelligence -- spies --to ascertain where he is. A couple $ mill here or there in bribes wouldn't hurt either. Near as I can tell the Fed's money printing press works pretty well these days, so that's no problem. Just ask Dear Leader.
Posted by: a blinkin | January 15, 2009 5:13 PM