Obama Speech

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, For Immediate Release. May 02, 2011
Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden
    THE PRESIDENT:   Good evening.   Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history.   The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world.   The empty seat at the dinner table.   Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father.   Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace.   Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
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Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.   A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability.   No Americans were harmed.   They took care to avoid civilian casualties.   After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies.   The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.   There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue...