Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now: Kerry

Seeking to boost the foreign policy and national security credentials of US President Barack Obama amidst a barrage of attack from the opposition Republican camp, a top American Senator has sought to remind Obama's courage and leadership role in giving orders to kill Osama bin Laden.

Taking a dig at Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the former governor of Massachusetts would not have given such a order.

"Obama kept his promises. He promised to end the war in Iraq and he has, and our heroes have come home. He promised to end the war in Afghanistan responsibly, and he is, and our heroes there are coming home," Kerry said addressing the third and final day of the Democratic National Convention yesterday.

"He promised to focus like a laser on al-Qaeda, and he has, our forces have eliminated more of its leadership in the last three years than in all the eight years that came before.

"And after more than ten years without justice for thousands of Americans murdered on 9/11, after Mitt Romney said it would be "naive" to go into Pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took President Obama, against the advice of many, to give that order to finally rid this earth of Osama bin Laden," he said.

"Ask Osama bin Laden if he is better off now than he was four years ago," Kerry said.

Tearing apart the foreign policy of Mitt Romney, Kerry alleged that the Republican presidential candidate is out of touch at home and out of his depth on the foreign policy front.

"Here's the choice in 2012: Mitt Romney – out of touch at home, out of his depth abroad, and out of the mainstream? Or, Barack Obama – a President giving new life and truth to America's indispensable role in the world, a Commander-in Chief who gives our troops the tools and training they need in war – the honour and help they've earned when they come home," said Kerry, who is said to be a strong potential candidate for the post of Secretary of State in the next Obama Administration.

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