Obama: US Can Defeat Osama Without Killing Him

He'd prefer it, but says troops can isolate him
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 14, 2009 7:34 PM CST

John McCain may have vowed during the campaign to go to the gates of hell to kill Osama bin Laden, but Barack Obama suggested tonight it may not be necessary. In an interview with Katie Couric on CBS, Obama said that while he'd prefer to "capture or kill" bin Laden, the US can effectively neutralize him by weakening his terrorist group.

"I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically alive or not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function," Obama said. "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 even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America."
(More President Obama stories.)

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