Terror Not Back Burner for Barack Obama
By Thomas M. DeFrank
Daily News Washington Bureau Chief
WASHINGTON—The Mumbai carnage is a grim reminder to a President-elect determined to make economic recovery his first mission: The scourge of terror doesn't rest for Thanksgiving turkey or presidential transitions.
As Barack Obama sat down to celebrate a holiday dinner Thursday at his Chicago home, he had already spoken to Secretary of State Rice for an update on the terror attacks in India. He'd also received an intelligence briefing from U.S. analysts and telephoned the Indian ambassador Wednesday evening to express his sorrow.
Obama frequently reminds the country there's only one President at a time. Yet his predecessor, President Bush, has ordered full cooperation with the government-in-waiting given the unyielding threat of global terror.
"The President-elect is also receiving regular situational updates from the State Department Ops Center and the National Counter Terrorism Center," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said.
The Mumbai attacks are even more incendiary because they ratchet up tensions between archenemies India and Pakistan, who both have nuclear weapons and no use for each other. With Indian officials darkly asserting the attackers came from Pakistan—already a haven for Al Qaeda, Taliban fighters and other evildoers—Obama confronts an even more difficult time managing the discord in the world's most volatile region.
Obama and Bush aren't alone among world leaders on guard.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the "outrageous" attacks in India would be met with a "vigorous response."
And Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni condemned the attacks, saying it was "painful testimony that terrorism is the main challenge" for the international community.
Reader Comments
Obama camp's anti-terror strategy
Obama's people will just tell him the terrorists are planning to run against him in the next election.
Where was Bush?
<Where Was Obama?
We saw and heqard from Barrack Obama nearly every day this week, that is until the terror attacks in India. Then, he was invisible save for this vague reference to being briefed by Condoleeza Rice.>
Hey Greg, where was Bush?
You know HIM? The actual president. Give it a rest...your guys lost
terrorism
for those of you who know your history, all the illegal invasions of other countries by our country were a form of terrorism. Each time we go to WAR a law suit is filed against it in the supreme court, check out the book "warrior king"
Our military wiped out the taliban in four days after 9/11. invading iraq was not about terrorism, it was about oil, and greed, blind greed. as long as we have income tax we will have blind greed running our country. check out FairTax.org.
and lets not forget the electric car, developed and destroyed by GM Auto. check out the video "who killed the electric car":
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