Officials: U.S. Slow on Bin Laden Drones

AP ^ | 6/24/03 | TED BRIDIS and JOHN SOLOMON

[Jewels1091]

WASHINGTON - When President Bush (news - web sites) took office in January 2001, the White House was told that Predator drones had recently spotted Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) as many as three times and officials were urged to arm the unmanned planes with missiles to kill the al-Qaida leader. But the administration failed to get drones back into the Afghan skies until after the Sept. 11 attacks later that year, current and former U.S. officials say.

Top administration officials discussed the mission to kill bin Laden as late as one week before the suicide attacks on New York and Washington, but they had not yet resolved a debate over whether the CIA (news - web sites) or Pentagon (news - web sites) should operate the armed Predators and whether the missiles would be sufficiently lethal, officials told The Associated Press.

In the month before that meeting, the Pentagon and CIA successfully tested an armed Predator on at least three occasions — including once when it destroyed a mock-up home resembling an Afghan structure bin Laden supposedly used, the officials said.

The disappearance in 2001 of U.S. Predators from the skies over Afghanistan (news - web sites) is discussed in classified sections of Congress' report into pre-Sept. 11 intelligence failures and is expected to be examined by an independent commission appointed by the president and Congress, officials said.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the CIA put the armed drones into the sky within days — and they soon played an important role in one of the early successes of the war on terror.

In November 2001, a drone helped confirm a high-level al-Qaida meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, and joined in an attack that killed bin Laden military chief Mohammed Atef, according to officials familiar with the attack.

[Jewels1091]

This looks worse on Clinton....WHO IS giving out classified info????????

[jimbo123]

The Fedayeen Hitlery at work. Trying to deflect attention from Rapist Bill's failure to get Bin Laden.

[God luvs America]

You know the democRATS will jump all over this...I just hope the administration fires back with the obvious, that blow job bill let these guys run around without fear for 8-years.

[WL-law]

the White House was told that Predator drones had recently spotted Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) as many as three times and officials were urged to arm the unmanned planes with missiles to kill the al-Qaida leader,,,

This seems totally illogical. Where would these predators have been launched from? Surely they have a fairly limited range. At that time we had no presence in Afghanistan -- this has GOT to be factually impossible.

[steplock]

Actually, if true this can look GOOD for the White House.

As the NEW president, Bush would not yet have the information that clinton was sitting on for 8 years.

Bush simply did not have the typical liberal "knee-Jerk" reaction to unverified information. ???

[Satadru]

He was too busy praising Kennedy for the education bill, or trying to legalize illegal immigrants. There is only 24 hours in a day, you know.

[q_an_a]

You have good hindsight. I bet there is nothing in your life you wish you could have done different. I'll bet you are active in several campaigns too. Was it Perot or Go Pat Go. Right?

[Satadru]

None of the above. I have given Clinton enough flak too for not arresting Ossama before 9/11. The point is Ossama has been our enemy way before 9/11. The first WTC bombing, Kobar towers, embassy bombings - all had his finger prints all over. If the CIA/Pentagon waited even one opportunity to get him, we should all give every administration equal hard time. But, I am glad that I am alive to criticize the government. I can only imagine the grief the families of the deceased are suffering if it is true. This is truly the case of "Bush was fiddling/..."

[Sacajaweau]

This article befuddles me. It sure raises a lot of questions like: Bush didn't even have his appointments for a while and they had to be approved.

If the drones had been in the sky, why didn't the CLINTON team use them?? Ooops, I forgot, Bubba was too busy doing "undercover" work and Hitlery was no longer advising him because she was "very sad" like Daschle.

[ejdrapes]

Looks like the AP decided to change the headline on their story - to, in a round about way, once again try and blame Bush for 9/11.

Bush Slow on Bin Laden Drones Before 9/11

[Moonman62]

Top administration officials discussed the mission to kill bin Laden as late as one week before the suicide attacks on New York and Washington, but they had not yet resolved a debate over whether the CIA (news - web sites) or Pentagon (news - web sites) should operate the armed Predators and whether the missiles would be sufficiently lethal, officials told The Associated Press.

And if bin Laden would have been injured or killed right before 911, the Leftists would have been jumping up and down screaming that 911 was justified retaliation and it was all Bush's fault.

[Sacajaweau]

Excellent Point: The Muslims would have declared another jihad WITH the possibility of arousing the muslims around the world. The mistake was when Clinton neglected to take up the offer of having Usama AND Clinton even acknowledged on TV that IT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE HE MADE.

I GUESS THAT MAKES THE BLUE DRESS INCIDENT AS THE SECOND!!!