'Targeting Bin Laden' Documentary: There Were Last-Minute Doubts On Bin Laden Raid

NEW YORK — A new documentary reveals that a last-minute double-check of intelligence before the raid that killed Osama bin Laden last spring cast fresh doubt on whether the al Qaida leader was really in the Pakistani compound where he was found.

The History network, in its "Targeting Bin Laden" special that airs next Tuesday, said President Barack Obama convened a special "red team" of terrorism experts to take a fresh look at the evidence. That team had greater doubt that bin Laden was in the Abbottobad, Pakistan home primarily because they didn't believe he would take the risk of having as many visitors as he did.

Despite the new assessment, Obama ordered the mission to proceed. Four days later on May 2, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs successfully located and killed the terrorist leader behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Obama was interviewed two weeks ago for the special, which provides a tick-tock account of what went into the planning and execution of the raid. Other people interviewed for the special include national security adviser Tom Donilon, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan and former CIA officials.

The special "red team" had not been involved in the intelligence operation that searched for bin Laden or planned the raid. It was reviewing the evidence for the first time, History says in the special. Their assessment initially deflated policy makers, and only half of those planning the raid advised Obama to proceed after hearing their report.

"At the end of the day only the president can weigh those risks," Donilon told interviewers. "Only the president can ask, `What's in the nation's interest? What are the risks worth running here? What will we accomplish if this works? How will I deal with it if it doesn't work?' It was a quintessential presidential decision."

"Targeting Bin Laden" was made for the cable network by the same production company that made "America The Story of Us." It airs at 8 p.m. EST on Sept. 6.

Comments

[gonealreb]

11:36 PM on 09/04/2011

Been looking at the Fan count on the conspiracy TPubs posting here, seems the count and the sentiment are related.

[Bud Budha]

11:32 PM on 09/04/2011

Bin Laden'sbeard is fierce!

[rseas]

10:21 PM on 09/04/2011

Remember, Clinton had Osama in his sights and said NO! And who says Bin Laden is dead. The Seals could have just have well taken him alive! I WANT PROOF!. Not some lying politico.

[tdsding]

09:50 PM on 09/04/2011

So is the hupo a joke, why do you have a site where you filter all of the anti-hussein poste?

[tdsding]

09:46 PM on 09/04/2011

hussein will do anything to keep his name in the news, from his picture on the Astrology page to renewing old stories, even some of little credible proof! How many times are we going to hear different versions of the BS laden story?

[garyk491]

09:01 PM on 09/04/2011

I want to see the photos. Nothing the government states is the whole truth. Show me the proof....

[cliff53]

08:13 PM on 09/04/2011

The government knows the American people are suspicious about cover ups, like the assignation of JFK, what really happened on 911, and the reason for going to war in Iraq, so I cannot understand to quite down any doubt about the killing of bin laden that some proof would have been shown, something other than the results of a DNA test. something like a photograph. There should never be any doubt when something like these above things happening that would give the American people any reason to doubt the actions of our government.

[gonealreb]

10:27 PM on 09/04/2011

We've got a guy running for President who regularly puts people to death based only on DNA evidence... You can demand ice water in hades too, but until you get it, there probably won't be a better identification method than DNA.

[tnbarrister1960]

07:54 PM on 09/04/2011

The only reason this is in the news is because this is the only positive thing that has happened under obama's watch. The country/economy has tanked and he is doing a documentary. Brilliant!

[willowowl22]

09:36 PM on 09/04/2011

Is his movie coming out before or after elections?

[Bud Budha]

11:33 PM on 09/04/2011

its politics bro, its coming out in October right before da elections.

[tdsding]

09:49 PM on 09/04/2011

He is truly taking credit for something he had little to do with, this investigation has been going on into the Clinton administration. hussein is a joke!

[BeatlesPrudence]

07:36 PM on 09/04/2011

Boy, this guy relly is pulling out all his aces to try to hang on to his deflated presidency.

[jtsmadnow]

08:59 PM on 09/04/2011

beatles 70% of americans know it was a election promoting lie about bin ladin . this is why they said they dumped him at sea . i mean come ooooon man . and then the seal team accident a few weeks later ....hhhhhhmmm . they have videos of the people who lived around the compound . listen to their veiw of the account . all i,m gonna say .

[markinmissouri]

09:16 PM on 09/04/2011

the word is REALLY. cant you spell? why cant repubs spell?

[willowowl22]

09:37 PM on 09/04/2011

Used to dealing with disgust!

[rseas]

10:04 PM on 09/04/2011

I really can't stand the "spelling police". We know what he meant. Get a life! By the way, whats a "repubs".

[outgrowingfear1]

07:23 PM on 09/04/2011

His body had served as dinner for Moby Dick and the great white has already moved on. We should do the same.

[cblogical]

07:19 PM on 09/04/2011

you know when your at the check out at the supermarket and there is all those rags that seem to scream written by brown nosed bottom feeders, this is that check out stand

[patlukes]

07:17 PM on 09/04/2011

Please stop posting Bin Laden's picture everywhere. He's dead and let's forget the monster he was.

[CherMoe]

07:38 PM on 09/04/2011

It's the live ones that bother me.

[bmitche]

07:06 PM on 09/04/2011

I thought that case was closed !!

[JamesJ1953]

06:57 PM on 09/04/2011

While they are at it, maybe they will investigate the real story..the one about Obama and Valerie Jarret stalling the operation for 7 months and Leon Panetta, Hillary Clinton, and John Brennan, commencing the operation without Obamas knowledge while he was on the golf course...

[AlyceMD3]

08:14 PM on 09/04/2011

Got any proof? I didn't think so.

[wdc39]

08:34 PM on 09/04/2011

It's only a theory right now. But if he knew about it going down, why would he have to be dragged in off the golf course?

[lawrencefishberg]

06:43 PM on 09/04/2011

I can't wait for the republicannots to say that Obama is hiding bin laden in the White House basement and is making the whole thing up about his "death".

[JamesJ1953]

06:58 PM on 09/04/2011

No, That is what the Libs said about Bush on 9/11...

[LNCraig]

07:05 PM on 09/04/2011

The "republicannots"? How sophomoric!

At any rate, Obama would NEVER 'hide' bin Laden - I suggest Obama would openly embrace bin Laden, allowing him free rein at the White House!

[CherMoe]

07:42 PM on 09/04/2011

You're confused. That was Bush who was always photographed holding hands with the Arabs visiting the White House. He was great friends with the Bin Laden family, as was his father, and they had many investments with them. That's why the Bin Laden family members were flown out of the U.S. secretly and protected by our military while all the other planes were ordered not to fly.

[wdc39]

08:37 PM on 09/04/2011

And don't forget the full presidential pardon. Oh! Sorry!! The "muslim sympathizer" pardon.