Did you know President Bush was afraid to fire a cruise missile at Bin Laden because he might miss?

Question

Qutoing: {...former 9-11 Commission member Richard Ben-Veniste...had "specifically asked President Bush about efforts after he was inaugurated on January 20, 2001, until 9-11, eight months later, what he and his administration were doing to kill bin Laden." According to Ben-Veniste, "one of the questions ... I specifically had, was why President Bush did not respond to the Cole attack. And what he told me was that he did not want to launch a cruise-missile attack against bin Laden for fear of missing him." }
"Media largely ignored substance of Clinton's criticism of Bush anti-terror efforts"
http://mediamatters.org/items/200609270001

George W. Bush would make one incompetent bodyguard- as we've learned all to painfully.

If President Bush had been a football player rather than a cheerleader, he'd be like a football player who is afraid to catch the ball for fear of missing it. His team would therefore always lose the game!

For those who don't know the facts: The CIA and FBI didn't certify that al-Qaeda was behind the USS Cole attacks until President Bush was in office. That's why Ben-Veniste asked the question.

That he was being tracked??? Yeah, it's unprecedented that outlaws know they are being tracked. What was Pres Bush's excuse after the "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" memo, that the Pres actually might get OBL and not have an excuse to go to war in Iraq?

Answer 1

One has to wonder. I love how Condi claims that Clinton didn't present Bush with a plan on Al Qaeda, when in fact its been proven that he did.

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB147/index.htm

Hey cvq, Bush handpicked the 9/11 commission, so go figure!

Answer 2

If you believe this drivel then you need serious help!

1 - Richard Ben-Veniste is not the place to look for non-ideological information about the thinking of the Bush Administration. And, yes, it does NOT matter that he was a member of the 9-11 Commission - he's been a partisan left-winger forever and that's why they chose him for that side of the Commission.

2 - It was a guy named Bill Clinton that was President when the Cole was attacked. Got that? BILL CLINTON. It was more than 110 days LATER that George Bush took office.

Geez, with "questions" like this one, it's no wonder that this is known as the Moron Forum.

Answer 3

Had he despatched them into Bin weighted down's camps, it may were a reliable theory. What he in truth did changed into order virtually the completed cruise missile inventory fired into empty desolate tract. Clinton's warfare on terror all started the day Lewinski changed into deposed and ended the day of the Senate impeachment vote, yet i'm particular it truly is truly a twist of destiny.

Answer 4

Did YOU know Bill Clinton had many chances to kill Usama Bin Laden and didn't utilize any one of them. And the Cole incident happened on Clinton's watch. October 2000 Bush was still a President Wannabe. I know Texas is a powerful state but I didn't know the Governor of Texas had the ability to order a cruise missile launch by the US Military. If Bush had ordered a missile launch wouldn't that be usurping the power of the President of the US?

Answer 5

Let's see...

You have one Clinton appointee about one chance to kill Bin Laden.

Assuming Dubya blew it here... what about the 10 that Clinton had?

Some people (like this poster) didn't get the memo that 9-11 changed everything. They still live in a 9-10 world.

Finally -- if "containment" of Bin Laden isn't good enough for you, when why do you think that we should've been happy with "containment" of Sadam (instead of invading and capturing him)?????

Answer 6

Hey, dummy, are you unacquainted with English? "For fear of missing him" is not about being afraid, but about not wanting to miss. Missing his would alert him that he was being tracked and had been found.

You see, Clinton waged useless bombings to distract the media from his reprehansible misconduct, rather than in an effort to destroy our enemies. (Oh, and Clinton's temper tantrum hissy fit on Fox was all lies, smears and insults, like a typical Dem).

I don't really mind that you people disagree with Bush's decisions and policies and the general GOP platform. But when you have to lie and distort and smear to do it, then you have shown what an empty philosophy you embrace, and it continues to scare me that the hollow, empty people you put up in 2000 and 2004 were almost elected.

Answer 7

Interesting! Is there any transcript or other corroboration? Ben Veniste may well not be a credible source - he's a fierce partisan.

How he and Gorelick were allowed on the Commission I'll never know.

Thanks.

Answer 8

Attention Bonehead: The attack on the USS Cole happened on President Clinton's watch. If anyone should have addressed that issue, it should have been HIM! If Clinton didn't know who to hold accountable, then you can add THAT to the list of his failures as President. I think Chris Wallace would agree with that.

Man, facts. What a concept.

Answer 9

You are forgetting that the clinton administration had several oppurtunity's to get bin laden and dropped the ball very time.

Answer 10

He and bin laden's family were friends. He is protecting a man who should be hunted down!

HE IS SO Stupid!!!! oh my gosh...I cannot stand him...even when he gives speeches ..i just turn the TV off..he sounds so stupid!

do people really think he sounds eloquent when he gives speeches????