JIM LEHRER: Good evening. In an interview on Chris Matthews’ Hardball last night, President Obama tried to quiet skeptics who believe the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan was a sham staged by the U. S. military. The President also said he is not awed by the power at his command. Here’s a clip:
OBAMA: I want to show you something, Chris. [unwrapping a handkerchief] This is bin Laden’s right ear. I wanted a finger but they were all gone by the time I requested one. Look at this closeup of Osama from 1997. Check the right ear. OK, now examine the real thing here. Compare the folds, crevices, and ridges. Clearly identical, yes? No two ears are alike, Chris. The one I’m holding was attached to bin Laden’s head. Case closed.
MATTHEWS: I’m convinced, Mr. President. Hey, you gonna eat that? Ah, just pulling your leg, sir. Last question: you are the Commander-in-Chief of the mightiest military machine on earth. Are you humbled by the power you possess?
OBAMA: Humbled? [snort] Hardly. I’ve grown in office, Chris. The bin Laden raid and Libya have actually eased my mind about the use of force. I want you to meet someone, Chris, the man with the “nuclear football.” [gestures to military attaché standing out of camera range] C’mon over here, Captain, Major, whatever. Open up the briefcase . . . . I’m giving you an order, soldier. Now show Mr. Matthews which button I push to take out China. The red one? Put your finger on it, Chris. Go ahead, touch it. Press it and our world goes poof. Gives you a little thrill, doesn’t it, Chris? Makes you feel like a God?
LEHRER: More of the President’s interview with Matthews later in the program.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Also on the NewsHour tonight:
First Lady Michelle Obama orders four peek-a-boo Dior burkhas for next month’s trip to Saudi Arabia.
Maine Senators Snowe and Collins win 100 year exemption from federal taxes for state residents.
Pollster John Zogby begins sampling public school kindergartners on presidential preferences.
RAY SUAREZ: Up first, we interview administration officials who watched the bin Laden takedown live from the Situation Room. Director Leon Panetta, please explain the rules of engagement under which Seal Team 6 operated that night.
PANETTA: Sure, Ray. The President authorized operatives to use lethal force against bin Laden under two contingencies only: if he resisted or if he failed to defend himself.
SUAREZ: Which was it, sir?
PANETTA: He resisted defending himself, Ray, leaving our people no choice.
SUAREZ: Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan, you said bin Laden died while using his second wife as a shield, and that she was killed as well. Later, another official said she was shot in the leg. Which is correct, sir?
BRENNAN: Both, Jim. She was shot in the leg and expired shortly afterward. Oh, it was his third wife, not his second, by the way. And the son who died was actually the second born of bin Laden’s first wife, not the youngest of his second.
HILLARY CLINTON: With all due respect to Mr. Brennan, the “human shield” story doesn’t appear to be holding up, Jim. Close examination of the tape reveals the woman had her back to the door while trimming bin Laden’s hair when SEALS burst into the room. She was using a hairdryer, which they mistook for a weapon. Osama wasn’t “hiding” behind her.
SUAREZ: David Plouffe, White House Advisor–rumor is President Obama “virtually” participated in the mission.
PLOUFFE: He did, Jim. We knew months ago this would be going down soon, so the President spent almost every night playing Mortal Kombat: Special Forces to hone his fighting skills. On the big day, military techs did a system patch, tying the President’s Xbox 360 wireless controller into Squad Leader Alpha 1’s sensorium. It was sort of like a guy at a base in Nevada operating a drone over Afghanistan.
JOE BIDEN: Ah geez, c’mon, Dave. Xbox, for cripes sake. Why jazz it up? I was sitting right next to him. The boss was playing solitaire on his iPad while the firefight went on and on and on.
SUAREZ: Mr. Brennan, in the hours following the raid, did the U. S. really ask the world’s 194 countries to consider taking bin Laden’s body for burial?
BRENNAN: Yes, Jim. We sent e-mail inquiries to every government, but no one answered in a timely fashion and we took that for a “no.”
SUAREZ: Director Panetta, is the Administration still opposed to aggressive questioning of terror suspects?
PANETTA: Absolutely, Jim. And I can assure you none of the SEALS employed “harsh interrogation” measures against anyone in the compound at any time during the raid.
SUAREZ: What’s the mood in the White House now that things have settled down, Mr. Vice President.
BIDEN: Everyone’s still real high, especially the President. Oliver Stone’s coming in tomorrow to pitch a movie. The Boss doesn’t care who plays Osama, but he’s adamant about Obama playing Obama. He thinks he’ll be a lock come Academy Awards night. Hey Hillary . . . you OK? You don’t look so good.
SUAREZ: Thank you all.
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