The White House confirmed today that deputy Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi is dead, and called it a “major blow” to the group.

However, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney offered no details on how his death was brought about and avoided other questions about the CIA’s controversial drone program.

Carney said al-Libi's death is "part of the...degradation that has taken place to core Al Qaeda during the past several years.”

Earlier today NBC's Jim Miklaszewski confirmed that al-Libi was killed in a weekend drone strike in Pakistan. 

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, today lashed out at Pakistan for the jailing of the doctor who helped lead the United States to Osama bin Laden.

That came as the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which McCain is the ranking Republican, said it wants to require the Defense Department to certify that Pakistan is open to maintaining supply lines -- and not supporting militant extremist groups -- before releasing U.S. funds to Pakistan's armed forces.

"All of us are outraged at the imprisonment and sentencing of some 33 years, virtually a death sentence, to the doctor in Pakistan who was instrumental not on purpose but was instrumental and completely innocent of any wrongdoing."

He added, "It is our goal to make sure that this doctor is not sentenced to death which is basically what he got for helping us apprehend Osama bin Laden."

In announcing this action today, McCain and Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) said they would not put a number on the restricted funds to Pakistan's military. They said they are open to discussing it with the Obama administration.

McCain also reacted to NBC's Andrea Mitchell's interview with President Zardari's son -- he called him "a very articulate young man," but then went on to challenge everything he said.

McCain believes Pakistan's demand for an apology over the airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani's last year is connected to their decision to convict and jail the doctor.

A very animated McCain told reporters,  Why convict an innocent man in response to your dissatisfaction that you didn't get an apology from the United States of America? What's that all about? This is a human being, a human being."

He continued, "To somehow allege that under any countries law that this doctor violated any law is of course just beyond ludicrous. It's outrageous."

McCain said the U.S. has expressed regret over the airstrike and he wants to know more details about it. He said once a complete investigation is done President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will decide if an apology is in order.

Levin and McCain held a press conference to announce completion of the markup of their Defense Authorization bill which included the Pakistan aid restrictions.

Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to cut an additional $33 million in U.S. aid to Pakistan.

The amendment sponsored by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) cuts $1 million for every year of the 33-year sentence received by the Pakistani doctor.

The cuts will impact U.S. military aid to Pakistan. The Obama administration requested $2.27 billion in aid for the next fiscal year, but the committee pared that back and proposed $800.3 million. This $33 million cut to military aid will reduce that number even more.

Obama’s delicate dance on Afghanistan – balancing an unpopular war and strategic interests … Why using the bin Laden anniversary was smart … Republicans’ muted response, and Mitt Romney’s vague response (and foreign policy) … It hasn’t been a great week for Romney, but Friday’s jobs report gives him another chance … And cavalry has arrived - Restore Our Future is back, with a $4 million ad buy across nine battleground states … A Romney staffer’s exit leads to more controversy … Gingrich’s long goodbye … And Lugar attacks Mourdock on air in Indiana, but the race is all about Lugar.

By NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, Natalie Cucchiara, and Brooke Brower

Charles Dharapak / AP

President Barack Obama arrives to address troops at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 2, 2012.

*** The delicate dance on Afghanistan: President Obama was doing a delicate dance on Afghanistan yesterday. It's why people came away with two impressions -- either the U.S. is committing to stay in Afghanistan (until 2024) or the war is ending. Both are true to an extent, though this is a marked shift in strategy to a narrower counter-terrorism focus. Think Biden plan. This is ONLY the end of the Afghanistan war – as we know it. It is NOT the end of the war itself. The reasons Obama's walking this fine line -- he's trying to manage a fragile relationship with Afghanistan, which is concerned that the U.S. will leave, and a war-weary American populace, which increasingly views the war as unpopular. It’s between Karzai and Afghanis not believing the U.S. would stay and Americans wanting the U.S. to go. Look at the polling, and you see just how unpopular the war's become over the past year in particular.

*** Why using the bin Laden anniversary was smart: When there were whispers that Obama was going to Afghanistan yesterday, there were cries from the right that the president was going to spike the football. No, this was a president using the bin Laden anniversary to sell what was not going to be that popular a policy on Afghanistan. It was a tough sell, but he might as well use the most popular anniversary he had to sell the policy and, frankly, hope that it led to the exact interpretive confusion that we’ve noticed in the media this morning. He used whatever political capital he had to sell a policy that wasn’t going to be viewed as very popular. And the result – a muted response from Republicans, some of whom seem to be trying to figure out how to attack Obama, but haven’t quite figured it out how yet on this. One thing this will create though – a new annual fight in Congress over the funding of Afghanistan. By the way, read the president’s speech again: there are a LOT of caveats in there: What happens if some of the goals aren’t met -- does that mean some troop withdrawals slow? Could the U.S. ramp up again? There are more open questions this morning as one digests what happened yesterday.

*** Romney’s vague response: After Obama’s speech, Mitt Romney’s campaign put out this VERY vague statement:

“I am pleased that President Obama has returned to Afghanistan. Our troops and the American people deserve to hear from our President about what is at stake in this war. Success in Afghanistan is vital to our nation’s security. It would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and a strategic setback for America if the Taliban returned to power and once again created a sanctuary for terrorists. We tolerated such a sanctuary until we lost thousands on September 11, 2001. Many brave Americans have sacrificed everything so that we could win this fight for a more secure future. Let us honor the memory of the fallen, not only by keeping them in our daily thoughts but also by staying true to their commitment. We are united as one nation in our gratitude to our country’s heroes.”

But what does this statement say? When it comes to Afghanistan, Romney has never been very clear on what he would do differently than this president. He’s vaguely talked about timelines, but that’s not clear. It’s incredibly vague. It’s, well, to borrow John Boehner’s favorite analogy: it’s Jell-O.

*** It hasn’t been a great week for Team Romney: The bin Laden anniversary has dominated the news, the Grennell controversy (more on that below) and Romney may have even walked into an Obama team trap (with a largely unfair accusation declaring Romney wouldn’t have ordered the bin Laden raid) with his “Jimmy Carter” comments. Carter was an unforced error for Romney, and the Romney team knew it. Yesterday, was a Romney who stopped and said basically, “I’m not going to have this debate because I’m not going to win this debate.” Say nice things, be vague, and wait for that Friday jobs report. He was a much different Mitt Romney. And if that jobs report is subpar, he can get back on message – on the economy, which is what this election is all about. That’s exactly what the Romney campaign is focusing on with a new video this morning, “Broken Promises: Jobs and the Economy.”

*** Romney staffer’s exit leads to more controversy: When it was revealed that President Obama was in Afghanistan, word leaked out that the Romney campaign had parted ways with foreign policy spokesman Richard Grennell, who was openly gay and also landed in hot water because of misogynistic Tweets that were deleted. Jennifer Rubin writes, though, that it was because of the opposition from anti-gay groups that forced him out. Grennell himself alludes to that as the reason in a statement. Romney Campaign Manager Matt Rhoades said in a statement from the campaign: “We are disappointed that Ric decided to resign from the campaign for his own personal reasons. We wanted him to stay because he had superior qualifications for the position he was hired to fill.” Did they beg him to stay or beg him to stay in another capacity? His hiring raised eyebrows among social conservatives, but raised eyebrows with others that they hired someone with an acerbic Twitter tongue to deal with the press. It was always a head-scratching decision. The danger of this story is it feeds this notion that when Romney tries to say, “I’m more of a moderate” – even in a general – he still has to look over his right shoulder to cover his right flank.

*** They’re baaaack: After a short hiatus after the GOP primary finally wrapped up, Mitt Romney-aligned Super PAC Restore Our Future is back. They’ve bought up $4 million in broadcast and cable ads (and will likely increase) over the next two weeks in nine states – Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia, and New Hampshire. Notice, though, what’s left out (at least for now) – Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Wisconsin, you can explain, because there’s no room on the air there with the Walker recall fight. Pennsylvania, maybe can be explained, because they were just up there in the primary. But lots of people are going to ask – Michigan but not Pennsylvania (so far), really? That’s got to be a little disconcerting that this isn’t an expand-the-map ad buy. There’s no indication yet of what ad Restore will run. The buy goes up Thursday. Brittany Gross, a spokeswoman for the PAC wouldn’t characterize what the ad would look like yet or acknowledge that there was a forthcoming buy. (Here’s the most recent Restore anti-Obama ad.)

*** The long goodbye -- we can finally roll the credits on the ‘Sixth Sense: Campaign Newt edition’: Newt Gingrich is expected to “officially suspend his campaign” at 3 pm in Arlington, VA, today, a week after he said he would be dropping out. He will speak about “helping Mitt Romney and the Republican party build a governing coalition in Washington and state capitals across the country,” spokesman R.C. Hammond said in a statement. Don't expect Romney to appear despite also being in the area. One thing Gingrich is doing is setting the record for the longest exit from the race. And the way Gingrich has decided to exit is exactly the playbook you’d follow if you did NOT want to speak in primetime at the Republican Convention. In fact, both Gingrich and Santorum have bungled their goodbyes. Romney owes them VERY little at this point. For the record: Here’s the Gingrich good-bye video and here’s the Obama campaign’s “good-bye video,” compiling Gingrich’s attacks on Romney. Of course, there was the same trove of video with Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden attacking Obama during the primary. That hasn’t helped the GOP much.

*** Lugar up with attack ads hitting Mourdock, but race is all about Lugar: Incumbent GOP Sen. Richard Lugar, the longest-serving Republican in the Senate in big jeopardy of losing that job, went up with new radio and TV ads yesterday, hitting state Treasurer Richard Mourdock as having “bad judgment” and “a record of failure.” But the Indianapolis Star notes the race is all about Lugar: “On one side, it's about voter fatigue as the former Indianapolis mayor seeks a seventh Senate term. It's about conservatives who are upset with some of Lugar's votes and some of his bipartisan friendships. It's about frustration among many GOP county organizers over Lugar's lack of involvement for many years in local politics. It's about a belief among some that Republicans should be represented by a dig-in-your-heels fighter, not a diplomat. And it's about the Lugar campaign's stumbles, as well as a deep anger at Washington, D.C., insiders. On the other side of the street, it's about people who deeply appreciate Lugar's willingness to consider more views than the one in his head. It's about a hope that Capitol Hill won't remain as gridlocked as it has been these past few years, and that more lawmakers with Lugar's reasonableness will take office, or at least that fewer will be tossed out. It's about a belief that this country needs lawmakers less inclined to explain the country's problems in simplistic political sound bites, and more capable of grasping the global picture -- yes, even if that means missing the Posey County GOP Lincoln Day dinner because it conflicts with a trip to the former Soviet Union.”

Countdown to Indiana Senate/Wisconsin recall primaries: 6
Countdown to Wisconsin recall election: 34
Countdown to Election Day: 188 days

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DUE TO TECHNICAL ERROR, FIRST THOUGHTS WAS LATE PUBLISHING.

The bin Laden killing, one year later – how quickly things change … Republicans cry foul that Obama campaign is using the death as a reelection weapon … Foreign policy vs. the economy (it’s still the economy) … Is Obama the Warrior in Chief? … Another veep tryout – this time it’s Romney with New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. … Gingrich to drop out Wednesday.

Believe it or not, tomorrow marks a year since Osama bin Laden was killed. We wrote then: “While it’s doubtful that Osama bin Laden’s death will have as long of a political impact [as 9/11] -- especially in this fast-changing, short-term memory media landscape -- it will surely shape the contours of next year’s presidential race. … Last night changes everything (for now), but we also know how quickly it can dissipate.” And dissipate it did. The president’s bump – for something that was as big a singular accomplishment that any president could have -- was short-lived, because of the economy and the debt-ceiling fight. It’s a reminder of just how important the economy is that the bump was never as big as it would have been under normal circumstances. (By the way, NBC’s Rock Center went inside the decision making of the killing of bin Laden. Brian Williams previewed his interview with the president on Meet the Press. The full show, with interviews of others that were in the room) airs Wednesday at 9:00 pm ET.

*** Playing politics: Republicans are crying foul at the Obama campaign’s touting of the killing (and using it in a campaign video charging that Mitt Romney might not have made the same call. There are two lines of attack: (1) Republicans are trying to minimize the accomplishment, saying anyone would have done it; and (2) They say he’s politicizing everything, including foreign policy. Ed Gillespie, an adviser to the Romney campaign and former Bush adviser said on Meet the Press: “This is one of the reasons President Obama has become one of the most divisive presidents in American history. He took something that was a unifying event … and he’s managed to turn it into a divisive, partisan, political attack. … I think most Americans will see it as a sign of a desperate campaign.” It’s fascinating to watch Democrats try to demagogue foreign policy, the way Republicans do and have done over the years (see Cheney, Dick in 2004). Republicans usually find themselves almost overreacting when Democrats go over the top in their foreign policy attacks. Count on some REALLY heated cable and Twitter rhetoric this week on this topic as the run-up to the bin Laden anniversary kicks in.

Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks to troops at Third Infantry Division Headquarters at Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Georgia, on April 27, 2012, prior to Obama signing an Executive Order to protect them from deceptive targeting by educational institutions.

*** Warrior in Chief? The Romney campaign has pushed the issue of foreign policy, trying to paint Obama as weak and appeasing (especially when it comes to Iran). The GOP would have liked to paint the picture of Obama as a feckless, weak president, lacking strength. But despite the rhetoric, Obama’s foreign policy has been incredibly muscular. In fact, Peter Bergen of the New America Foundation in the New York Times Sunday Review provocatively casts President Obama as the “Warrior in chief,” ticking off several of Obama’s foreign-policy raids, killings, and use of drones. The death of bin Laden undercut any hopes Republicans had of being able to paint Obama as Jimmy Carter. And he makes the point of this disconnect: “Despite countervailing evidence, most conservatives view the president as some kind of peacenik. From both the right and left, there has been a continuing, dramatic cognitive disconnect between Mr. Obama’s record and the public perception of his leadership….” Make no mistake, had it failed, that’s exactly how he would have been portrayed. Bergen writes that if Romney runs a risk when criticizing Obama on foreign policy. If he tries to portray him as “a typical, weak-on-national-security Democrat,” then “he will very likely trap himself into calling for a war with Iran, which many Americans oppose.”

*** McCain as top foreign-policy attack dog: Taking the lead on the attack, though, is Sen. John McCain, Obama’s 2008 opponent (who also believes Obama hasn’t had courage to act in Syria). McCain, now a Romney surrogate, said Obama’s “diminishing the memory of September 11th,” and accused him of “doing a shameless end-zone dance.” It’s a fine line. McCain clearly doesn’t mind playing this role. He says things Romney couldn’t get away with and it’s something that’s quite beneficial to Romney. If Romney said what McCain did, Romney might get ridiculed. It’s an interesting role that McCain is willing to play. It could be a preview of the role McCain might play going forward in the campaign -- traditional role of VP, but on foreign policy. McCain doesn’t mind going personal with Obama, as he’s demonstrated since 2008. You can try to explain away McCain’s motives all you want, but it could be oddly effective for Romney.

*** STILL THE ECONOMY: But for all the talk of foreign policy and how much credit Obama deserves or whether or how he should be touting it, the most important issue this election – as it was a year ago -- remains the economy. It should be like a flashing red sign – IT’S THE ECONOMY, IT’S THE ECONOMY. Jobs will get a fresh look Friday when the latest report comes out. The unemployment rate has been essentially flat for three months. Even though the rate has come down from a high of 10.0%, if the rate continues to appear not to drop very much or the trajectory seems flat, that is going to be a problem for the incumbent president. Watch the trajectory; it will tell you the whole ballgame.

*** Another veep tryout: Today’s another veep tryout with Romney and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte at 10:50 am ET. Though she’s been a senator for just two years, Ayotte served as New Hampshire’s attorney general (she was appointed by Republican Craig Benson in 2003 and RE-appointed by a Democratic governor). The Republican Party’s problems with women have been well documented over the last few months. If Romney is going to pick a woman, the most serious candidate is likely Ayotte. That is, aside from Condoleezza Rice if she wants it, and there’s no indication she does. But the shadow of Palin still looms large over the GOP pick, and the Romney team may be more risk averse because of it. But as GOP 12’s Heinze wrote last week: “Sarah Palin didn't prove that picking a woman doesn't help with women. Palin was simply the wrong woman.” (By the way, over the weekend, NBC’s Alex Moe reported that Newt Gingrich would officially drop out Wednesday.)

*** Obama fundraises with Clinton: There were a couple striking things at the fundraiser with President Clinton this weekend at the home of Terry McAuliffe: (1) How little Romney was mentioned. After a weekend and week of going after Romney personally, last night was more in line with where the Obama campaign was when this campaign first started -- go after the entire GOP. It was more the theme of -- they want to take you back, it’s their failed economic policies on steroids, not the party of Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt; it’s not their Republican Party. (2) This was not an ordinary Obama fundraiser speech. Here, he was trying to follow one of the Democratic Party’s best economic communicators. Obama knew he was on friendly turf, but not the friendliest turf, as he was trying to appeal to Clinton people. One Democratic source who is more of a member of Team Clinton than Team Obama described last night as kind of like a “first date” between Clinton and Obama; For the first time, this person could actually see the two of them starting to bond; It took a while for Clinton to get over 2008 but so far, things have gone well in this courtship. Two more Obama-Clinton fundraisers to go; New York and PROBABLY Hollywood.

*** A way to bring up Seamus: Don’t overlook the fact that the White House used the opportunity of the White House Correspondents Dinner -- when they knew they’d get lighter coverage for what they did – put a story that they’ve struggled to put into the mainstream, quietly trying to do for months, the Seamus story. It was frankly a way to get Seamus out there. Yes, Obama made fun of himself and eating dog, but they’ll take that to get the Seamus story mainlined; They’ve been trying for months.

** Waiting on Lugar’s fate: There are just eight days until the Indiana Senate primary that could see the ouster of the most senior Republican in the Senate. AP today wonders whether Richard Lugar waited too long to brand his opponent. On Friday, the 2008 GOP presidential ticket split its endorsement – John McCain endorsed Lugar; Sarah Palin endorsed his challenger and Tea Party favorite, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock. Mitt Romney said he was staying out of it. A poll aligned with Mourdock showed him up 44-39% Thursday. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette headline: “Hundreds cheer Mourdock at city rally.” The rally was organized by Tea Party Express, which has played a big role in this race.

Countdown to Indiana Senate/Wisconsin recall primaries: 8
Countdown to Wisconsin recall election: 36
Countdown to Election Day: 190 days

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The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan just told Congress that the U.S. will continue to have a "significant combat presence" in Afghanistan in 2013.

One of the declarations from last year's NATO summit in Lisbon was that the Afghan Security Forces would take the lead for security in 2013. But, during a tense exchange with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Gen. John Allen declared that the U.S. will still need many of the post-surge combat troops to remain in the fight.

McCain asked Allen whether he has any opinion right now as to what the U.S. presence will be in 2013.

"My opinion is that we will need significant combat power in 2013," Allen responded.

McCain asked if "significant" meant 68,000 troops (the number that will be left after the surge troops re-deploy at the end of summer 2012).

"68,000 is a good going-in number, but I owe the president some analysis on that," Allen replied.

Pentagon and Air Force officials confirm that the supervisor at the center of the Dover mortuary scandal has resigned. 

Quinton Keel was the division director at the Dover mortuary when allegations of the mishandling of America's war dead were first reported. Keel himself was accused of lying to federal investigators and retaliation against three whistleblowers.  he government's Office of Special Counsel accused him of "negligence, misconduct and dishonesty." He was also accused of ordering the mutilated arm of a dead Marine sawed off so the body would fit into his uniform for burial.

The latest investigations had found that partial remains of victims killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, along with those of service members killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had been incinerated and dumped in a Virginia landfill.

Two other supervisors remain under investigation for alleged attempts to retaliate against the whistleblowers who first brought the issues at Dover to the attention of federal investigators.

The Air Force and Pentagon had resisted repeated calls from members of Congress and veterans groups that someone be fired over the scandal. That appeared to change earlier this week, when the White House announced the president was "deeply concerned" over the growing scandal and reports that unidentified remains of 9/11 victims had been dumped in a landfill.

As for Quinton Keel, one senior defense officials told NBC News today that "If he hadn't quit, he would have been fired."