Obama Takes Shot at 'Likely Opponent' During Presser with Japanese PM

President Obama took an indirect shot at Mitt Romney during his press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda today.

After the two leaders opened it up for questions from reporters, Obama was asked what he thought about his “likely opponent” countering the president’s campaign claim that he wouldn’t have gone after Osama bin Laden by saying, “Anybody would have made that call, even Jimmy Carter.”

Noda was also asked about the same subject and whether he thought the U.S. was playing the anniversary right or whether he “might advise against excessive celebration.”

“I hardly think that you’ve seen any excessive celebration taking place here,” Obama said.

“As far as my personal role and what other folks would do, I’d just recommend that everybody take a look at people’s previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go into Pakistan and take out bin Laden.  I assume that people meant what they said when they said it. That’s been at least my practice. I said that I’d go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him, and I did,” he continued. “If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they’d do something else, then I’d go ahead and let them explain it.”

Noda said he holds Obama in “high regard” for “standing at the very forefront in the fight against terrorism.”

“Now, although bin Laden has been killed, terrorism has not been rooted out, and I think continued efforts will be needed in cooperation with the United States,” the prime minister added.