Cheney says Obama deserves credit in bin Laden's killing

Former Vice President Dick Cheney toasted President Obama, saying the Democratic president deserves credit, along with members of the military and intelligence communities, for the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Cheney, who was vice president during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks initiated by bin Laden, and who's been a consistent critic of Obama on national-security issues, expressed his relief at the al Qaeda leader's death.

"This really is a great day for an awful lot of people who worked very hard for a long time," Cheney said in brief remarks, video of which was aired on MSNBC.

Cheney praised members of the military and intelligence officials for their work over the better part of the last decade to capture or kill bin Laden. The former Republican vice president said that Obama and his national-security team "deserve a lot of credit, too."

In an earlier statement, Cheney offered his congratulations to Obama, who late on Sunday night announced that a strike he'd ordered in Pakistan had successfully killed bin Laden.

Cheney warned of future vigilance against terrorism, though.

"Al Qaeda remains a dangerous enemy," Cheney said. "Though bin Laden is dead, the war goes on. We must remain vigilant, especially now, and we must continue to support our men and women in uniform who are fighting on the front lines of this war every day. Today, the message our forces have sent is clear — if you attack the United States, we will find you and bring you to justice."

This item was first posted at 8:16 a.m.