It isn't exactly a fair match. Hidden in a network of caves, bin Laden has an army of nearly two thousand. A mile below, mixed in with a ragtag group of local armies, are approximately three dozen U.S. Special Forces troops. They're the only ground forces that President Bush has sent.
Brig. Gen. James N. Mattis, commanding 4,000 marines nearby, asks the Bush administration if his men can help. CIA Director George Tenet and Gen. Tommy Franks ask Bush to send additional troops. All these requests are turned down, and bin Laden gets away.
2004. Defending the decision not to send additional forces, the Bush administration insists that nobody really knows if bin Laden was there or not.
2005. The Pentagon admits he was there.
2011. In his new book Known and Unknown, Bush's Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld convincingly frees the Bush administration from any blame. See, he says he sent a memo to CIA Director Tenet that apparently went a little something like this:
Dear George,
I was just thinking about Tora Bora. There sure aren't many Americans there! We might be missing a great opportunity. Do you think we should send more troops? Some people might claim later that they asked for more troops and we turned them down, but nobody's asked me for anything. I'm really surprised they haven't, in fact, considering we all think bin Laden is there. Because really, there's no way we'd turn you down if you did.
My best to the wife and kids,
Don
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