What national unity?

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is appealing to lawmakers to continue the spirit of national unity that followed Osama bin Laden’s death.

At a White House dinner Monday for congressional leaders, Obama said the nation is experiencing the same type of rallying together that occurred after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Some Republicans, including those who’d like to deny Obama a second term, praised the president for the military operation that ended with bin Laden’s burial at sea.

Obama said he has no illusions about the difficulty of some of the policy debates that lie ahead.

But he said he hopes all sides will harness some of that unity and national pride to confront these challenges.