Obama says Bin Laden death anniversary has not been 'any excessive celebration'

Washington, May 1 (ANI): US President Barack Obama has responded to criticisms that he is engaged in a politicization of the killing of Osama bin Laden, saying there hasn't been 'any excessive celebration' by his administration.

"I hardly think you've seen any excessive celebration taking place here. I think that people, the American people rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3000 of our citizens," CBS News quoted Obama, as saying.

"And it's a mark of the excellence of our intelligence teams and our military teams, a political process that worked. And I think for us to use that time for some reflection, to give thanks to those who participated, is entirely appropriate and that's what's been taking place," he added.

Obama was slammed by Arizona Senator John McCain and other Republicans after he released a video suggesting the al-Qaeda leader would have been alive if Mitt Romney had been the President.

It highlighted Romney's 2007 comment that it was 'not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars' to find the mastermind of 9/11.

According to the report, speaking during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Obama said that people should 'take a look at people's previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go into Pakistan and take out bin Laden.'

"I assume that people meant what they said when they said it," the report quoted him, as saying.

"That's been at least my practice. I said that I would go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they would do something else, I'd go ahead and let them explain it," he added. (ANI)