An emailer reminds me that bin Laden escaped a hit on one occasion because he had several members of the UAE royal family with him.

Here is the url: http://www.rediff.com//news/2004/mar/25osama.htm.

"The Central Intelligence Agency did not target Al Qaeda chief Osama bin laden once as he had the royal family of the United Arab Emirates with him in Afghanistan, the agency's director, George Tenet, told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States on Thursday.

Had the CIA targeted bin Laden, half the royal family would have been wiped out as well, he said."

This nation will have effective "counterterrorism" only when its movers and shakers admit that well-placed individuals in nations around the world bear their share of responsibility for the bloodshed. Osama bin Laden, his tribal allies, and his tribal enemies and rivals, have all been pushed around and manipulated and have had ties and support from high places.

Any large-scale operation takes money and power.