{"id":28926,"date":"2011-05-02T00:21:20","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T06:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=28926"},"modified":"2011-05-02T17:31:19","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T23:31:19","slug":"nm-politicians-react-to-bin-laden%e2%80%99s-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/05\/nm-politicians-react-to-bin-laden%e2%80%99s-death\/","title":{"rendered":"NM politicians react to bin Laden\u2019s death"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Osama bin Laden<\/p><\/div>\n

Upon learning of the death of Osama bin Laden<\/a> late Sunday, New Mexico politicians expressed pride in America, gratitude to the military and intelligence agencies, and a sense that justice had been served.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter years of searching for Osama bin Laden, the hard work of our intelligence officials and armed forces has paid off,\u201d said U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman<\/a>, D-N.M. \u201cI hope this news brings a measure of closure to the families whose lives were irrevocably changed by bin Laden.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce<\/a>, R-N.M., agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am proud of our men and women in the military,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has been nearly 10 years of dedicated, disciplined effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAl Qaeda\u2019s forces are widely dispersed, so the value of this news can easily be overstated, but it is an important factor any time an enemy loses its top leader,\u201d Pearce said.<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich<\/a>, D-N.M., who is seeking to replace Bingaman in the Senate next year, said, \u201cjustice has been served.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe death and capture of bin Laden is a tremendous victory for the United States, our intelligence community and for every serviceman and woman who has been fighting al Qaeda on the front lines since September 11, 2001,\u201d he said. \u201cLet this be a warning to anyone who would consider harming Americans at home or abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson<\/a>, R-N.M., who is also seeking Bingaman\u2019s Senate seat, said U.S. forces \u201chave been relentless in their determination\u00a0to kill or capture\u00a0Osama Bin Laden.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the thousands of Americans who have played a\u00a0role in this effort deserve our gratitude,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the relentless pressure of American power made it more difficult for\u00a0bin Laden to operate freely, he continued to inspire followers with a twisted ideology of mass murder,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cHis death is an important accomplishment in the defeat of Al Qaeda.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fight doesn\u2019t end here, Wilson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKilling bin Laden creates disruption, sparks communication, and leads to reorganization\u00a0and rivalries for power within al Qaeda\u00a0that can be detected and acted upon by U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism forces in the months to come,\u201d she said. \u201cNow is the time to keep up the pressure on al Qaeda and its affiliates so that we can capture or kill those who will seek to carry on its murderous agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Auditor Hector Balderas<\/a>, a Democrat and also a U.S. Senate candidate, said the killing of bin Laden is a \u201cmomentous development in our country\u2019s fight with terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all New Mexicans and Americans who suffered personal losses in the devastating attacks, this action further demonstrates our country\u2019s resolve to stand together in our most trying times,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile attacks may crumble our buildings, American values are impenetrable, and our principles enduring,\u201d Balderas said. \u201cAs President Obama made clear tonight, the death of bin Laden is a significant moment, but we must remember that al Qaeda is an organization with deep roots, and our obligation to defeating it must not waver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic Party of New Mexico<\/a> Chairman Javier Gonzales said justice \u201chas been served.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder President Obama’s direction the United States carried out one of our most successful missions in our history,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a great day in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Update, 7 a.m.<\/h3>\n

From U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n<\/a>, D-N.M.:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor nearly a decade U.S. forces were relentless in their pursuit to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, and yesterday those efforts resulted in a significant victory for the American people.\u00a0I applaud President Obama and the brave efforts of our military and intelligence personnel, and I hope this will bring solace to all those who lost loved ones in the heinous attacks of 9\/11.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Update, 5:30 p.m.<\/h3>\n

Bingaman made this additional statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis news has been a long time coming, and was made possible through the tireless efforts of our intelligence officials and armed forces. The fact that Osama bin Laden is no longer operating al Qaeda or pursuing terrorist acts against our country is a relief to all of us.\u00a0I hope this news brings a measure of closure to the families whose lives where irrevocably changed by bin Laden.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From U.S. Sen. Tom Udall<\/a>, D-N.M.:<\/p>\n

\u201cOsama Bin Laden epitomized the terror that gripped our nation on Sept. 11, 2001. Today, citizens across the globe share in a sense of relief and justice with the Americans who lost loved ones at his hands. Our heartfelt congratulations belong to the intelligence personnel, military forces and commander-in-chief for bringing this long manhunt to a close. Moving forward, our nation must remain vigilant in our efforts to confront radical extremism, but today we share in this momentous achievement.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cOsama bin Laden\u2019s death marks an important and extraordinary victory, nearly 10 years after tyrants and murderers chose to kill thousands of innocent Americans on Sept. 11, 2001 and target freedom-loving people across the world with violence. It is appropriate for us to celebrate this moment of great consequence today, but we must remain steadfast in our efforts to keep Americans safe, confront terrorism, and support the members of our Armed Forces whose life purpose is to protect and defend us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform who have bravely served in the pursuit of our nation\u2019s greatest enemies will not be forgotten. I am particularly honored to recognize the efforts of the state\u2019s National Guard and New Mexicans who have served or who continue to serve in our military. Today, they can embrace a sense of pride and gratitude that, through their perseverance and sacrifice, they have brought to justice the man behind the worst terrorist strike in American history. We are grateful. We are blessed. And we are thankful for their service.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From Republican Party of New Mexico<\/a> Chairman Monty Newman:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Americans we observe, with enthusiasm, the death of Osama bin Laden. We now turn our thoughts to the families that lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001 at the hands of this man. We also remember those that lost their lives in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole and the other attacks carried out by his terror network. Our hearts and prayers are with you now and forever.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the men and women in our military and in the intelligence community, our deepest respect and gratitude for the sacrifices that you make in order to protect our freedom. Your commitment to our security is unwavering and as a result we thank you and your families everyday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must always, as a country, be vigilant against those who would seek to destroy our way of life. This is a great day for America and the protection of freedom worldwide.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From Janice Arnold-Jones<\/a>, a Republican who has formed an exploratory committee as she consider running for Heinrich\u2019s seat:<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Sept. 16, 2001 President George Bush said, \u2018My administration has a job to do and we\u2019re going to do it. We will rid the world of the evil-doers.\u2019 The news of a Navy Seal team ridding the world of Osama bin Laden has indeed done exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a day to be proud of our military.\u00a0As a nation, however, we must remain vigilant and strong. We must be ever mindful there are hundreds, if not thousands, of fanatics who are like-minded\u00a0followers of bin Laden.\u00a0It is our vigilance and the strength of America as a nation, as a people,\u00a0that will ensure the\u00a0cause of freedom and diminish the\u00a0fanatical oppression prescribed by the followers of bin Laden.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UPDATED: Upon learning of the death of Osama bin Laden, N.M. politicians expressed pride in America, gratitude to the military and intelligence agencies, and a sense that justice had been served.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[201,116],"class_list":["post-28926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-terrorism","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28926\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}