“In February 1999, [President Bill] Clinton authorized [CIA Director George] Tenet to enlist [Northern Alliance leader Ahmed Shah] Massoud as a ‘partner’ in the attempt to capture–but not kill–bin Laden. Considering that his front lines on the Shamali plains were hundreds of miles from Kandahar [Afghanistan], where bin Laden spent much of his time, the idea was bizarre. CIA officers who went to see Massoud said he visibly winced at the offer. ‘You guys are crazy,’ he responded. ‘You haven’t changed a bit.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Roy Gutman, How We Missed the Story, Page 170