Obama campaign touts bin Laden kill

WASHINGTON, April 27 (UPI) -- The assassination of Osama bin Laden -- arguably U.S. President Barack Obama's biggest foreign policy credit -- Friday became official campaign fodder.

Just one day after Vice President Joe Biden said at a fundraising event had Republican Mitt Romney been president he would not have authorized bin Laden's killing, the Obama campaign released a Web video hammering the theme.

Last May 1, Navy SEALs raided bin Laden's Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound, killing the terrorist leader.

In Thursday's campaign appearance, Biden said: "Thanks to President Obama, bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive. You have to ask yourself, if Governor Romney had been president, could he have used the same slogan -- in reverse?"

The campaign video asks: "Which path would Mitt Romney have taken?" as former President Bill Clinton praises Obama.

Politico reported Obama gave an interview in the Situation Room to NBC to mark the one-year anniversary of al-Qaida leader bin Laden's assassination and deputy national security adviser John Brennan was to make the Sunday TV talk show circuit.

The Romney campaign accused the Obama camp of politicizing bin Laden's death.

In a statement circulated by the Republican National Committee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona -- the Republican presidential nominee in 2008 -- accused Obama of exploiting the anniversary of Obama bin Laden's death to score political points, The Hill reported.

"Shame on Barack Obama for diminishing the memory of September 11th and the killing of Osama bin Laden by turning it into a cheap political attack ad," McCain said.