Thaindian News

Washington, May 4 (ANI): The death of Osama bin-Laden has come as a ‘wake-up call’ for the potential Republican candidates of the challenge they will face to defeat US President Barack Obama in the 2012 polls, unless they ‘focus on serious issues’.

The dramatic end of Bin-Laden by American commandos will immediately reorder a Republican presidential contest that until now had been coloured by provocative voices and marginal issues, Politico reports.

In the recent past days, Obama had faced criticism from the opposition over his birther issue.

Tycoon Donald Trump who is thinking of making a run for the White House on a Republican ticket in 2012, had even demanded a copy of Obama’s birth certificate after his own birth certificate was declared a fake by New York’s Department of Health.

However, the recent incident of bin-Laden being tracked down on Obama’s order has turned things around, political analysts say.

“This is probably a wake-up call that the stakes of this game are very serious. If the byproduct of this is that we get a little more serious about what it takes to lead the country in the Oval Office, then that will be a really good thing,” Reppresentative Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a veteran political strategist, said.

Referring to Trump, long-time GOP strategist Mike Murphy said: “Trump never felt more over to me than at that moment. Maybe the market for clown candidates will now diminish.”

While Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee and top George W. Bush adviser, urged the candidates to focus on serious issues, another former RNC chairman said it is time to emphasise on the fact that ‘we need strong leadership.’

Earlier, former Alaska Governor and potential GOP candidate, Sarah Palin, had praised Trump for demanding the release of Obama’s birth certificate. (ANI)