The editorial writers at The Wall Street Journal unearthed this revelation from the 9/11 Commission’s recently released report:
We can’t help but note page 134 of the Commission report, which documents a proposal early in 1999 to send a U-2 mission over Afghanistan to gather intelligence on where bin Laden was hiding out. (Richard) Clarke objected on the grounds that Pakistani intelligence would tip bin Laden off that the U.S. was planning a bombing mission. “Armed with this knowledge,” the Commission quotes Mr. Clarke as saying, “old wily Usama will likely boogie to Baghdad.” Is that the same secular Baghdad that we are told would never cooperate with Islamist al Qaeda?