Last Friday, Karl Rove appeared at Regent University to defend the Bush administration's record in fighting terrorism. The Washington Post reports:
An interesting moment came when Cleland accused President Bush of not capturing Osama bin Laden because he was distracted by Iraq. "We let him go up in the Tora Bora mountains. We blew it," Cleland said, directing his remark to Rove.
"The U.S. military and U.S. intelligence agencies made every effort possible to get Osama bin Laden," an irked Rove responded. "I don't think it reflects well on our intelligence and military services to suggest they didn't."
Rove, of course, is absolutely wrong in his defense of the administration's disastrous blundering at Tora Bora. (See Peter Bergen's recent cover story if you want some detailis on just how badly they screwed up.) But of all the defenses of the administration's failure, hiding behind the military is surely the most craven.
--Jonathan Chait