Obama says bin Laden must not be a martyr

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday he would bring Osama bin Laden to justice in a way that wouldn’t allow the terrorist mastermind to become a martyr, but he may be killed if the U.S. government finds him.

“First of all, I think there is an executive order out on Osama bin Laden’s head,” the Illinois senator said at a news conference. “And if I’m president, and we have the opportunity to capture him, we may not be able to capture him alive.”

Obama’s campaign said he was referring to a classified Memorandum of Notification that President Clinton approved in 1998 — revealed in the 9/11 Commission report — that would allow the CIA to kill bin Laden if capture weren’t feasible.

Obama said he wouldn’t discuss what approach he would take to bring bin Laden to justice if he were apprehended. But he said the Nuremberg trials for the prosecution of Nazi leaders are an inspiration because the victors acted to advance universal principles and set a tone for the creation of an international order.

Lee ADDS: Apparently this is another subject Obama is not too well versed in.

Osama Bin Laden has sworn to never being taken alive. In recent article it was reported that there was an imminent encounter, that was somehow thwarted, where Bin Laden’s hideout was neared. “We were about to set off his explosive vest when the marauders suddenly withdrew.”

To boot, Obama must have forgotten that there was a major hunt for Saddam Hussein that resulted in his being taken alive! So, Senator Obama, would you quit trying to influence things with your foolish statements? Scheez! Gimme a break!