You are right. I hadn’t thought of that. So he didn’t whack him on the hunting trip to prevent an international incident, not for election purposes. Cool.
I am not a military expert but this is the way I understand it from my readings.
Clinton didn’t have “drone” missiles at the time. There were cruise missiles. The difference is that a drone can reconnoiter for hours over a target gathering information. Then, the operator, who may be in Nebraska, Virginia or anywhere can then order the strike. With a cruise missile the information is programed in. There is the start point and the target. Once launched there is no going back.
Obama has been ordering drone missile strikes but not cruise missile strikes for obvious reasons. Clinton ordered a cruise missile strike on the factory believing that bin Laden was there. By the time the missile struck bin Laden had left but the launch was already in process. Maybe the surveillance satellites knew he was gone but they could not abort. I’m not sure.
Look, it’s not that the US government was indiscriminately ordering strikes on factories. That strike has a purpose. Under the circumstances, when you miss the first time you get reluctant to order subsequent strikes.
That’s my pedestrian take on all of it. Military experts on missile warfare are welcome to step forward and give evidence of why I am FOS but that’s the way I understand it.
Not a likely scenario. Any royal family caught harboring, protecting, or socializing with bin Laden after 9/11 would pretty much be enemy combatants themselves, and fuck any government who has a problem with that.
Alexander Hamilton would argue otherwise, my son.
Alright already. He’s not vice president anymore. He’s out of your life forever. Cheese and rice, are liberals going to complain about him forever?
Amen, please let Cheney speak. If possible, please get him and W. on a stage with Romney as often as possible.
Are they going to let Dubya on stage during the convention? No? Not even to do that trick where he speaks while Cheney drinks water?
Clinton’s efforts were before September 11.
What, they don’t let ex-Presidents order missile strikes? What if they haven’t used all of the five secret murders they’re allowed - do they forfeit those too?
Man, being President doesn’t sound as much fun as it used to.
Gotta make hay while the sun shines. 
Hmmm…big rant about Bush/Cheney, but not a word about how Clinton had bin Laden handed to him on a plate and couldn’t be bothered to do anything about him. Little one-sided there, aren’t we?
Have you even read the fucking thread?
Are you talking about the Sudan thing? I ran across that when trying find a cite on his not whacking Bin Ladin with the hunting party.
The only thing I can pull out of my ass is that if he were arrested, there would be a trial where things could go wrong, and cruise missiles are permanent.
Clinton and or his advisers didn’t want Bin Ladin in jail, they wanted him dead.