Why did Clinton let Osama Bin Laden slip away?

Question

By MANSOOR IJAZ
President Clinton and his national security team ignored several opportunities to capture Osama bin Laden and his terrorist associates, including one as late as last year.

I know because I negotiated more than one of the opportunities.

From 1996 to 1998, I opened unofficial channels between Sudan and the Clinton administration. I met with officials in both countries, including Clinton, U.S. National Security Advisor Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger and Sudan's president and intelligence chief. President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who wanted terrorism sanctions against Sudan lifted, offered the arrest and extradition of Bin Laden and detailed intelligence data about the global networks constructed by Egypt's Islamic Jihad, Iran's Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas.

Among those in the networks were the two hijackers who piloted commercial airliners into the World Trade Center.

The silence of the Clinton administration in responding to these offers was deafening.

http://www.infowars.com/saved%20pages/Prior_Knowledge/Clinton_let_bin_laden.htm

Answer 1

Because he is a spinless libral crybaby...
with a spouse who is even more spinless and libral!!
Heaven Forbid they do something great for the country ...
(too buisy having affairs with woman and making gay rights movements and abortion movments)
why would they want to do something good and wholesome??

Answer 2

I heard in one instance at the last minute photos showed an aircraft from I believe it was the U.A.E. or some other royal
family ( of a country that was supposed to be an ally of the US ) at a camp in Afghanistan that they were just about to unload a bunch of cruise missiles on so they decided to hold off because they didn't want to alienate the "supposed" ally. Another attempt was stopped by White House lawyers because of some god knows what legal problem. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we have painted ourselves into a corner with these insane legal rulings that treat terrorists like
some guys that knocked over a corner convenience store
rather than what they actually are and just example after example of how we just don't really get what the terrorists and
others really represent, so we missed Bin Laden and others.

Answer 3

Last year huh? Gee...I could have sworn that idiot Bush was in office.

Case n point....when Clinton actually did have a chance to get Bin Laden, there was NO proof or material to use against him in a means to apprehend or kill him. In other words there was no legal reason. Even if they did capture him, they would not have been able to hold him.....there was nothing to charge him with.

Now, consider the following FACTS, something your post, as most from the radical right often lack:

In August 1998, President Clinton ordered missile strikes against targets in Afghanistan in an effort to hit Osama bin Laden, who had been linked to the embassy bombings in Africa (and was later connected to the attack on the USS Cole). The missiles reportedly missed bin Laden by a few hours, and Clinton was widely criticized by many who claimed he had ordered the strikes primarily to draw attention away from the Monica Lewinsky scandal. As John F. Harris wrote in The Washington Post:


In August 1998, when [Clinton] ordered missile strikes in an effort to kill Osama bin Laden, there was widespread speculation — from such people as Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) — that he was acting precipitously to draw attention away from the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal, then at full boil. Some said he was mistaken for personalizing the terrorism struggle so much around bin Laden. And when he ordered the closing of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House after domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City, some Republicans accused him of hysteria.

Answer 4

I think the real answer has nothing to do with insidious, behind the scenes, back room politics, but rather bad judgment and not realizing how rare these instances would be.

First of all, I don't think Clinton fully realized how dangerous OBL was. A President makes hundreds of decisions every week, and this matter was probably something that occupied less than 15 minutes of his time in any given week.

Secondly, I think Clinton was afraid of collateral damage. If they blew up a compound where OBL was meeting with other guests, those other people aren't just nameless statistics. They could be important people with high connections, and killing them might lead to even worse events.

In retrospect, I think Clinton just let this matter slide. It was a case of not making a decision, rather than making the wrong one.

Answer 5

the place have you ever been for the final 10 years ? on the grounds that while can one state bypass into yet another united states of america and in basic terms around up people and then transport them to a diverse united states of america and carry them there without struggling with foot right into a courtroom while replaced into that area of world regulation while the Iraq conflict first began the people have been given information that Saddam replaced into having dinner at a eating place in down city Baghdad so as that they dropped 4 X 2000 pound bombs on it, is that not against the Geneva convention to bomb a community you know would be populated by way of civilians, can we see every physique being indited for crimes against humanity is every physique charged with conflict crimes ? Saddam is a Prisoner of conflict held by way of the people, to kill or enable a prisoner to be killed or handy them over to any group or state that could kill them is against the Geneva convention however the people did it and no one protests or condemns them for it, it is how the hot worldwide is people who've might are appropriate in however they do

Answer 6

Well, an even bigger question is why did Bill Clinton order the release of the Arab suspect, after the Oklahoma City Bombing? Why did he seal the scores of surveillance films that should show the parking of the Ryder Truck, as well as its occupants? Bill Clinton, like Bush, is a scumbag.

Answer 7

The families Saud, Bin Laden and Bush have been friends and business partners for decades. Maybe that is why OBL went free.

Answer 8

Why did Reagan help Saddam get into power? Why did daddy Bush also help Saddam and do nothig to get rid of Bin Ladin? How come you don't mention how both Reagan and Bush daddy both armed and equipped Saddam Hussein and none other than Bin Ladin! Want some proof? REAGAN was in office from 1981-89; now, check the following URL and scroll down to see the photo of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with none other than Suddam Hussein in 1983: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran

Why haven't the Bushit Administration claimed catching Bin Ladin? Let's see Reagan had 8 years, Bush daddy had 4 years, Clinton had 8 years (with a mostly Republican Senate and House of Reps), Dubya has thus far had 8... so, the Democrats had 8 years and Republicans had (8 + 4 + 6 = 18) 18 years... (oh, yes, and 3,300 killed in Action, and how many wounded and crippled for life...?)

WHY did Repukes waste millions of dollars and many months on the Whitewater witch-hunt (which turned up NOTHING), and on the lousy b-j he got (Monica didn't even swallow) while Repuke Donald Gingrich WAS ALSO HAVING AN AFFAIR as he investigated Slick Willy.... it was a total waste of valuable time and millions of taxpayers' monies that ended in nothing but a total waste of $50 million; a lot of time was wasted that might've gone into dealing with the terrorist problems... (which the Repukes totally ignored)

Let's see... Clinton's Administration tried on many occasions to give the information on the dangers and threats of the terrorists to Dubya's Administration but they were far too pig-headed and arrogant to listen... and records and paper tails exist to prove this... and they're still trying to twist the truth and twist the facts to blame Slick Willy?)

NOW, that old tired out rag is saying that "Clinton" let Bin Ladin get away... Clinton? When was CLINTON out chasing Bin Ladin OR was it his job to run through the desserts chasing Bin Ladin on a camel? Oh, wait a minute... I get it... he sent CIA (that were in support of the Republicans and did little to cooperate with Clinton...) and THEY failed to kill him on several occasions and it's Clinton's fault that they failed???

OH, you want to talk about ethics and morals and you don't want me to brink up the name of Foley or Haggard? OK, I won't but take a look at this and see WHO your trusted, loving fellow Repukes honored: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCrRduN6osQ&mode=related&search=

PLEASE, give it a rest or get real, or go chase buses or go chase a dream or something! Clinton couldn't even FART without the Republicans coming out of the woorwork to judge the odor and intensity with which it came out! NOT ONE Repuke sees the immensity of the total hypocracy here...? (Are they all brain-dead?)

Answer 9

Because repub ******* said he was trying to "wag the dog" by bringing up bin Laden while the country was obssessing about Monica. That;s the truth, but repubs have a very short memory when it comes to accountability.

Answer 10

clinton didn't care to catch osama bin ladin probably because he was waiting for the 911 attack to occur first before making his moves.But then you should have offered the same proposal Bush who was around to witness what his predecessor missed!