The author does a great job in connecting the dots. He does not hold Clinton responsible for the first attack on the WTC but rather holds him responsible for the politically correct, flacid response to a near disaster. The author continues to develop events here and overseas into a pattern where the US response to Bin Laden's ever more aggessive attacks only encouraged further attacks.
The problem is not just Bill Clinton but the rather the team he brought and the culture he initiated in DC. As the author documents, there were multiple opportunites to get inside the 9-11 plot and Bin Laden , but many were overlooked, killed by the Justice Dept under Reno's dictatorship or stalled.
The State Department's opposition to adequate support for the troops in Somalia lead to the disaster. For those who believe the presence of the requested AC-130 gunships would not have altered the battle they might look to see who won the Collier trophy last year - the crew of one gunship which fought off a large force of Taliban/Bin Landen troops to save vastly outnumbered special forces in Afganistan.
Those who doubt the author's conclusions might also look to the written comments of Dick Morris in his columns or Dereliction of Duty which also documents Clinton's lack of focus.
There is also the written documentation from the FBI offices asking only that HQ allow them to follow up on leads and offering the comment that someone will die if they are ignored. The chokepoint was not in the field offices of the CIA/FBI/DOD but rather in DC where Clinton's people ruled.
Finally, in the organized group of negative posters there is a fixation on holding Reagan/Bush responsible for Bin Laden. If this is so ( in the beginning) then they need to give Reagan/ bush credit for the defeat of the Soviet Army in Afganistan, something they have been very reluctant to do. It was this defeat which played a major role in convincing the world that the often proclaimed manifest destiny of Communism was a hollow promise/threat. Furthermore, it ignores the reality that leaders of countries and movements change. Many in the State Department supported Mao but none have stepped forward to accept responsibility for the 30 million or so innocent citizens who died at his hand.
In summary - a very readable book which will help to understand many of the pieces of the puzzle as they unfold.
Highly recommended
Most of the one and two star reviews start off with the premise that the author or publisher is only interested in trashing the Clinton legacy. It is painfully obvious that most of these posters have NOT read the book.
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Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror Paperback – August 15, 2004
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Richard Miniter
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Richard Miniter
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Print length317 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherRegnery Publishing
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Publication dateAugust 15, 2004
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Dimensions6 x 1 x 9 inches
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ISBN-100895260484
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ISBN-13978-0895260482
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Product details
- Publisher : Regnery Publishing; 1st Printing edition (August 15, 2004)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 317 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0895260484
- ISBN-13 : 978-0895260482
- Item Weight : 15.5 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#4,324,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,576 in Political Parties (Books)
- #5,480 in United States Executive Government
- #6,340 in Terrorism (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2003
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21 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2013
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Had to write a paper on this book for my Modern American HIstory class. Vey interesting read. If you're a Bill Clinton fan, you might not like it all too much, but if you're interested in what others have to say about him from a different perspective, you should totally read it. Well written.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2003
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After reading this very well written book, you will realize why all U.S. Presidents must have some form of military or defense training. This is true whether we are at peace or at war. The President of the United States is the commander and chief of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Our federal government's MAIN job is to protect us and our property from harm.
It is clear that many of the mistakes Bill Clinton made, were due to his lack of training in and early disrespect for the U.S. Armed Forces. How can we expect a 60's hippie protester turned lawyer, to recognize the signs of impending danger, and make correct strategic decisions? Bill missed many clues along the way because he simply did not have the required experience with defense related issues, and therefore was unsuitable for the office of President. This is in addition his aledged lack of moral fiber.
This book documents in clear form the many errors in judgement which the Clintons made, and how they affected the events which hurt our country, and caused thousands of Americans to die needlessly.
The book is written in a easy to read style and is interesting all the way thru. Get the truth right here on Amazon.com with Mr Miniters new book.
It is clear that many of the mistakes Bill Clinton made, were due to his lack of training in and early disrespect for the U.S. Armed Forces. How can we expect a 60's hippie protester turned lawyer, to recognize the signs of impending danger, and make correct strategic decisions? Bill missed many clues along the way because he simply did not have the required experience with defense related issues, and therefore was unsuitable for the office of President. This is in addition his aledged lack of moral fiber.
This book documents in clear form the many errors in judgement which the Clintons made, and how they affected the events which hurt our country, and caused thousands of Americans to die needlessly.
The book is written in a easy to read style and is interesting all the way thru. Get the truth right here on Amazon.com with Mr Miniters new book.
13 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2003
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I have been reading many books on Bin Laden, Al Quaida, Muslim extremist and law enforcement as it relates to 9-11. I must say this book, Losing Bin Laden, is one of the best. I see Miniter being attacked in reviews as a right winger but the fact is he is a life long Democrat, who voted for Bill Clinton twice, so he has NO ax to grind against him in that regard. Losing Bin Laden is completely documented and thoroughly sourced. Even President Bill Clinton said himself in a taped speech in February 2002, to a New Your business Group, on why he did not accept Osama Bin Laden's extradition from the Sudan, "I did not bring him hear because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we know he wanted to commit crimes against America." I Guess he and his administration did not consider the 1993 Attack on the WTC as enough to put someone in jail over? And This statement confirms 1 of the 12 chances he and his administration had to get OBL. Losing Bin Laden centers on the History of the raise of Bin Laden in relation to the response of our intelligence agency's, State department, and the Clinton Administration's actions or lack there of. Many may think, why read a book about past failures in not realizing how dangerous Bin laden was before 9-11? Well, because the book is much more then an indictment of Clinton and His administration. It's so much more than an indictment on Clinton's legacy as president. This book documents all of Al Quada's attacks on the US and American citizens all over the world; Documents the History of this declared war (Jihod) on us the US; and How each attack was handled my the FBI, CIA, And by the administration. Miniter shows us how and why the dots weren't connected before 9-11. And how 12 opportunities were missed to get Bin Laden and Stop his organization long before 9-11. Yes, the Book is critical of President Clinton and his administration; BUT I would ask everyone to look at that and make a judgment, but also to move on beyond the question of Clinton's legacy and LOOK TO learning from our past mistake's. Also there is a good Appendices hear explaining Al Quada's connection the Sadam and Iraqi Intelligence, which is now buttressed by the recent leak Pentagon memo that documents 35 meetings between The BASE and Iraqi Intelligence from 1993 to 2001. This book is a must read if you want to know the truth.
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Top reviews from other countries
Ross
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best accounts of pre 9/11 Osama Bin Laden
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2009Verified Purchase
For a history of what Bin Laden was up to in the 1990s this is hard to beat. It begins with a brief outline of Bin Laden's background and his role in the Afghan resistance to the USSR (Contary to popular myth he was not funded by the CIA who primarily funded Afghans not Arabs), where he used his family wealth to become a kind of quartermaster for the jihadis heading to Afghanistan. There is little evidence that he actually did any fighting himself but the role gave him a vast array of contacts that enabled him to become the head of a global Islamist movement.
In the 1990s he launched an ever larger series of attacks against the USA, Miniter's case is that the inadequacy of President Clinton's response enabled Bin Laden's murderous campaign to continue unabated until the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He makes with a strong command of the facts and an impressive array of interviews with key players.
As Clinton's record on terrorism was so abysmal any fair minded appraisal of his record will be beset by accusations of partisanship by Clinton supporters, but can anyone really defend his response to the first World Trade Center bombing, treating it purely as a criminal matter so that counter intelligence agencies couldn't share information? Or his refusal to even meet James Woolsey, directer of the CIA more than twice in his two year term? Clinton treated terrorism and foreign affairs as an afterthought at best a distraction at worst.
Miniter actually specifically defends Clinton against partisan accusations without basis- like the claim he did nothing, or that he only bombed Sudan and Afghanistan because of the impeachment hearings. He is also highly sympathetic to Richard Clarke, the Clinton era counter terrorism 'Czar' whose hostility to the Bush administration is well publicised.
Even so it is hard to arge that the response of his administration to the attacks that ran from late 1992 onwards was anything short of negligent.
The book is well written and each part of the story is told in an engaging manner and could probably stand alone as particularly good magazine articles.
The one criticism I would make is that Miniter should really have continued the story up to 9/11 rather than the end of Clinton's term, as that is a somewhat articial stopping point.
In the 1990s he launched an ever larger series of attacks against the USA, Miniter's case is that the inadequacy of President Clinton's response enabled Bin Laden's murderous campaign to continue unabated until the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He makes with a strong command of the facts and an impressive array of interviews with key players.
As Clinton's record on terrorism was so abysmal any fair minded appraisal of his record will be beset by accusations of partisanship by Clinton supporters, but can anyone really defend his response to the first World Trade Center bombing, treating it purely as a criminal matter so that counter intelligence agencies couldn't share information? Or his refusal to even meet James Woolsey, directer of the CIA more than twice in his two year term? Clinton treated terrorism and foreign affairs as an afterthought at best a distraction at worst.
Miniter actually specifically defends Clinton against partisan accusations without basis- like the claim he did nothing, or that he only bombed Sudan and Afghanistan because of the impeachment hearings. He is also highly sympathetic to Richard Clarke, the Clinton era counter terrorism 'Czar' whose hostility to the Bush administration is well publicised.
Even so it is hard to arge that the response of his administration to the attacks that ran from late 1992 onwards was anything short of negligent.
The book is well written and each part of the story is told in an engaging manner and could probably stand alone as particularly good magazine articles.
The one criticism I would make is that Miniter should really have continued the story up to 9/11 rather than the end of Clinton's term, as that is a somewhat articial stopping point.

