George W. Bush To January 20, 2001

Clinton DID TRY to take down Bin Laden in retaliation for the U.S. Embassy attacks in East Africa: Operation Infinite Reach.


Photo: 1998 satellite image released by the U.S. Government of an Al-Qaeda training camp at Zhawar Kili, Afghanistan that was later bombed during Operation Infinite Reach. This release, was the first official release of previously classified satellite imagery by the U.S. government.

Statement on Military Strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan (1998)



Unfortunately, his administration failed to nip Bin Laden. As stated by the 9/11 Commission Report Report, all the U.S. Navy did was lob multimillion dollar Tomahawk missiles at a group of tents and pharmaceutical factory. Though it did kill a handful of AQ fighters, the fact that Bin Laden was not in those targeted locations in Sudan and Afghanistan made it an AQ propaganda victory.

Meanwhile, the other plan you mentioned is Operation Bojinka or the Manila Air Plot, which was the prelude to 9/11. The terrorists planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II when he visited Manila during World Youth Day 1995 along with simulatenous hijackings of commercial airliners from Asia to America and crashing them at various targets. Of course, one of the perpetuators of the 1993 World Trade Center and Philippine Airlines Flight 434 was arrested by the Philippine National Police after an accidental fire. This was credited to have save countless lives including the Pope.

Here is The National Geographic's take of PAL 434:

Aircrash Investigation | Bomb on Board - Part 1