Ship of fools, part 1

This morning’s Washington Times runs the first of four excerpts from Richard Miniter’s new book on the Clinton administration’s nonfeasance with respect to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda: “Bill Clinton’s failure on terrorism.” This excerpt is based largely on the recollections of Clinton counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke regarding a key meeting to discuss striking al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan in response to the bombing of the USS Cole. State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Michael Sheehan also served as a source.
Administration officials quoted in the excerpt — Madeline Albright, Bill Cohen, George Tenet, and the unspeakable Janet Reno — have apparently engaged in the time honored dodge of knaves and fools. They could not be reached for comment.