“The broad dimensions of bin Laden’s establishment on the ground were known to U.S. intelligence by late 2000, but nothing could be done to address it owing to [President Bill] Clinton’s reluctance to use force. The onus was on U.S. law enforcement to prevent an attack, which was an impossible task. At the joint congressional inquiry in December [12] 2002, an FBI agent said it was ‘like telling the FBI after Pearl Harbor, *Go to Tokyo and arrest the emperor.* ‘ Nothing other than a military solution could resolve the issue, and the U.S. attorney’s office in ‘the Southern District [of New York] doesn’t have any cruise missiles.’ “
– Roy Gutman, How We Missed the Story, Page 205