Posted on 11/29/2009 5:54:33 AM PST by CommieCutter
WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force, a Senate report says.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
According to this guy, Clinton missed Bin Laden, the man who declared war on us in 1996.
(I always love how the Lefties hang out at Amazon and 1 star all the books they don’t like).
Nice article. Thanks. Can’t wait to pull this out when the Lefties start using this new report as a talking point. Fu%$ing Robots!
This “report” is a travesty. Right now, my jaws are clamped so tight, I will probably get a migraine.
John Kerry forgot what Bill Clinton said:
Much of the controversy stems from claims that President Clinton made in a February 2002 speech and then retracted in his 2004 testimony to the 9/11 Commission. In the 2002 speech Clinton seems to admit that the Sudanese government offered to turn over bin Laden:
Clinton: So we tried to be quite aggressive with them [al Qaeda]. We got – well, Mr. bin Laden used to live in Sudan. He was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991, then he went to Sudan. And we’d been hearing that the Sudanese wanted America to start dealing with them again. They released him. At the time, 1996, he had committed no crime against America, so I did not bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America. So I pleaded with the Saudis to take him, ‘cause they could have. But they thought it was a hot potato and they didn’t and that’s how he wound up in Afghanistan.
Exactly. obama is too cowardly to commit the troops to Afghanistan without using Bush as the fall guy. He can’t just be a decisive Commander in Chief and define the mission. He has to put on a big show at West Point and make the center of his speech about blaming Bush — as usual. COWARD IN CHIEF OBAMA
I always felt we should have used a tactical nuke on Tora Bora.
That would have put paid to Bin Ladin forever.
Now I will definitely believe it, no agenda (/sarc)
Sounds like more political 20/20 hindsight, reminding us all that EVERYTHING is Bush's fault.
This all just being advanced to boost the truthers. (Aka patholigical liars). The Senate has no idea whether bin Laden was missed or blown into a million pieces. Most in the Senate are lucky if they can find their Depends or their way from the bathroom back to the bar.
EXACTLY!!! But wasn’t it Casey who was in charge there at the time ..?? He’s too wishy-washy for me.
Three times Osama was offered up to Clinton by Monsoor Ijaz (of Pakistan). And .. Clinton’s reluctance was based on many things, some of which were: “We don’t have a warrant to arrest him”; “He hasn’t committed any crime against the USA”; he was busy and out of communication with his staff (and we already know what he was doing).
I totally agree .. Clinton’s inaction was directly responsible for 9/11. Bin Laden viewed America as a paper tiger, and a coward.
And now, we have another wishy-washy-squisy president who is again telling the terrorists (Oooops) the criminals that we no longer have the will to go after them.
I see the possibility of a “perfect storm” coming to NYC - terrorists on trial - a dirty bomb. These people love death and want to die .. sadly they may try to take many Americans with them like they did on 9/11.
If such a thing happens, America will never allow a DEMOCRAT/LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE to run this country ever again. While the dems think this “show trial” will put forth their mantra of America is bad all the time - they could have, one more time, overplayed their hand.
From whom did he take that advice?
HF
When that 48 hour truce was made between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban during the battle at Tora Bora (so everyone could collect their dead iirc), everyone KNEW that they and Binny Baby scooted over to Pakistan during that time period(1).
The RATS are attempting to use this to once again bash Bush. Distract from the Globular Warming fraud scandal and add cover for the Cap & Tax Bill. And cover for Barry's continuing screw ups like 'fixing' the economy.
(1) 'Jerry Rivers' reported live from the top of that mountain in Tora Bora after the truce. He even showed the path they took into Pakistan.
Since it could not be GUARANTEED that no civilians in the convoy would be killed, Franks called off the strike and they did not attack
Probably the fine history-changing work of some brain dead 0-6 military lawyer (and/or the POLAD) who shall remain nameless, since this whole issue now is supposed to be about trashing Rumsfeld (and Bush and Cheney)
Since it could not be GUARANTEED that no civilians in the convoy would be killed, Franks called off the strike and they did not attack
Probably the fine history-changing work of some brain dead 0-6 military lawyer (and/or the POLAD) who shall remain nameless, since this whole issue now is supposed to be about trashing Rumsfeld (and Bush and Cheney)
It's long past time we abandon such ROE, in favor of winning that "necessary war" or was Soetero simply say he felt it necessary to continue having our troops there, so as to manage (slowing the snowball's growth) the American public's backlash ramping up against him?
HF
A good friend of mine who I’ve known since high school Ret. Col. Pete Blaber of Delta Force who now lives out near me in Santa Monica, CA planned Operation Anaconda. He worte a book that came out last Christmas called “The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons From A Former Delta Force Commander.” He told me he knew based on information from his contacts that UBL was most likely in Tora Bora within a week after he and his Hunter/Killer Group arrived in Afghanistan. Delta Force (The Unit) always thinks outside the box. In his book he wrote how he interviewed a former Al Qaeda security guard Ali Mohamed who was in prison since 1998 for the Kenyan and Tanzanian embassy bombings. Mohamed, who trained UBL security guards and also trained with the Marines told him, “Look for his security detail. He trust only a few men, and they are the ones who know where he is. Don’t waste your time trying to find him; because he is too careful. You will increase you odds tenfold if you focus on his ten closest security guards. You must do your ‘Police Work’ and learn where the guards families are and then focus your communication devices and surveillance on key members of those families. Then just wait for them to lead you back to bin Laden.” He said like many who are on the run, UBL is a creature of habit and can only go where he trust the people around him......His comamders decided to take another route.
“Purely political statement designed to allow the Bam to blame Bush. Wouldn’t be surprised if military didn’t go after him as it would have cost the lives of many innocent cililians.”
The Senate report is derived from the US Army official war history, published in 2007.
I read some of it a few days ago, and I recall at that time we had VERY FEW of our own forces in country.
In some cases the Northern Alliance forces would not do what we asked of them, and to send our few forces might be a suicide mission.
So if I recall, our senior military took the decision at the time, to not push the attack.
In retrospect, it is easy to second guess.
I find it morally reprehensible for the democrat majority in the Senate to use this decision, out of context, for partisan political purposes.
Written military history is from the perspective of military science; what happened, in terms of time, place, terrain, weather, resources both human and equipment, strategy, tactics, outcomes, etc. eg. tell it like it is.
I’m more than aware of Clintons failure. I was addressing the article,not the reality
It is not just the UK that reported this; it was our MSM as well. If you study the articles back then they tried to actually cover and spin this happening under Clinton’s watch. Yet I remember it clearly that Clinton missed a chance at bin laden.
I will bet good money it is desperation of talking points for the dems. Obama and his party= instead of taking any action for America in our protection, they will blame Bush.
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