"The Path to 9/11"

The distribution of preview copies of ABC's "The Path to 9/11" has produced a buzz in the blogosphere, with the film getting pretty good reviews from conservative blogs.

One aspect of the film came as a shock to me--an account of Sandy Berger pulling the plug on a potential Osama bin Ladin hit. I'd heard in Clinton's own words his statement that he could have had bin Ladin turned over to U.S. custody, but this account was entirely new to me.

Dean Barnett, posting at Hugh Hewitt's townhall.com blog, makes a good point about this segment of the movie (read the whole thing).

THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT “The Path to 9/11” centers on one scene where CIA operatives and Northern Alliance irregulars under the leadership of the awe-inspiring Ahmed Shah Massoud have the opportunity to kill bin Laden. They phone NSA chief Sandy Berger for authorization to make the hit. Berger refuses to make the decision and in the scene actually hangs up on the operatives.

I’ve done a lot of reading and research regarding 9/11, and I have to admit that this story is new to me. The closest parallel I can think of is Tenet’s, Berger’s and Clinton’s irresolute follow-through on the Predator program which had the very real likelihood of knocking off bin Laden assuming the administration was willing to risk the death of innocents. Given the fact that Clinton was willing to take such a risk when the Lewinsky scandal reached its most fevered pitch, the fact that he wasn’t as bold without the looming specter of political calamity is damning. What’s more, the Clinton administration’s lethargic and chronically dilatory efforts to deal with bin Laden are an irrefutable part of the historical record.
(hughhewitt@townhall.com)

If the account is true, it is a sensational bit of news.
I'm no Clinton fan by any stretch of the imagination, but on the face of it this account is incredible. I look forward to seeing the sifting of the supporting evidences.