Bush Blundered Chance To Take Out Osama Before 9/11

ABCNEWS.com : White House Missed Chance to Kill Osama

When Bush took office in January 2001, he was given a rock-solid plane to neuter the al-Qaeda network. This plan was devised after the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and reached Bill Clinton's desk in the last weeks of his presidency. But mindful of the Somalia disaster Bush's father had dumped into his lap when he became President, Clinton decided to give this vetted and fully operational plan to Bush to implement.

So when Bush took office, he was told that Predator drones had recently spotted Osama bin Laden three separate times. All it would take was his order to arm those drones and take the terrorist leader responsible for the USS Cole bombing out of the picture. You tell me what would have happened to the 9/11 plans at that point. They would have been history. 9/11 would never have happened.

But Bush couldn't be bothered with Clinton's plan, even though he pledged himself to be a uniter and not a divider. Anything that Clinton could share the credit on, was something Bush wanted no part of. So Clinton's plan sat on the shelf.

And the buildings crashed and burned.

Get this: no further Predator drones flew in the Afghan skies under Bush until after the 9/11 attacks. Do you think al-Qaeda noticed this? Do you think they realized just how swiftly they'd been placed on the back burner by the Bush Administration? Of course they did. What else could they have received but encouragement to do as they would?

The Republicans In Charge™ are unfit to govern.