Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Bin Laden's Death Hailed on Capitol Hill

   Michael Bowman | Capitol Hill  May 02, 2011
   Reacting to the death of Osama bin Laden, Senate Armed Services
   Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich, left, accompanied by Senate
   Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill
   in Washington, May 2, 2011

Photo: AP

   Reacting to the death of Osama bin Laden, Senate Armed Services
   Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich, left, accompanied by Senate
   Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., talks to reporters on Capitol Hill
   in Washington, May 2, 2011

   U.S. lawmakers are welcoming the death of Osama bin Laden, but caution
   the struggle against terrorism is far from over.
   Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he received a telephone call
   from Barack Obama shortly before the president announced Osama bin
   Laden's demise at the hands of U.S. Special Forces. At the Capitol, the
   Nevada Democrat gave his reaction in quiet, somber tones.
   "Today Americans across the country welcome the news that this awful
   man, this man who epitomized evil, has been brought to justice by
   American forces," he said. "His death is the most significant victory
   in our fight against al Qaida, and sends a strong message to terrorists
   around the world."
   Reid paid tribute to U.S. military forces and intelligence officers for
   a successful mission. He said President Obama's decision to refocus
   U.S. attention on Afghanistan and Pakistan proved critical in locating
   and killing the terrorist leader.
   Standing alongside the majority leader was Senate Armed Services
   Committee Chairman Carl Levin of Michigan, who said the mythology that
   surrounded bin Laden as an invulnerable warrior enduring great
   hardships for his cause has been punctured by his death at a location
   of relative comfort and opulence.
   "While people were thinking about this mythological character in caves
   along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he was in comfort
   for many, many years in a big place while minions he sent out to kill
   people were doing their devilish deeds," said Levin.
   The Michigan Democrat welcomed the positive reaction of the Pakistani
   government to bin Laden's death. Noting that bin Laden was living in
   close proximity to a major military training facility, Levin had blunt
   words for Pakistan's armed forces and intelligence service.
   "They have got a lot of explaining to do," said Levin.
   Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said, while Americans
   celebrate a victory in the war on terror, they must not let down their
   guard.
   "We must not rest, because the threat is still with us, despite this
   tremendous intelligence triumph," she said.
   Collins said she worries a radicalized individual may mount a revenge
   attack at home or abroad.
   That concern was echoed by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman
   Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who urged heightened vigilance by people
   everywhere.
   "Be alert," he said. "This is a classic, 'If you see something, say
   something,' moment."
   Lieberman said as part of a comprehensive anti-terrorism strategy the
   United States must continue to support democratic movements in the
   Middle East and beyond.
   "It is fitting that bin Laden was killed just as democracies are being
   born in the Arab world," said Lieberman. "The peaceful, youth-driven
   democratic revolutions now taking place in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and
   Syria are the true repudiation of bin Ladenism. It turns out, contrary
   to what bin Laden prophesied, that his extreme ideology is the weak
   horse, and democracy is the strong horse after all."
   Lieberman said the actions of pro-democracy Arabs and Muslims will
   ultimately consign bin Laden to what he termed the "ash heap" of
   history.

.