STATEMENT BY JOHN MCCAIN ON OSAMA BIN LADEN TAPE

U.S. Senator John McCain today issued the following statement regarding the release of a new audio tape from Osama bin Laden:

"Osama bin Laden's latest propaganda message and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto are stark reminders that we are engaged in a worldwide conflict with Islamist extremism, and we cannot relent or waver. We must reassert our determination to prevail in this struggle in which we confront the enemy to all of the values that free peoples cherish. We cannot succumb to the false and dangerous notion that we can retreat or waver on one major front in this war and not embolden our enemies elsewhere. Rather, we must stay on offense against al Qaeda and continue to support the forces of moderation in their life and death battle against the forces of evil and extremism."