The fact of the matter is what while Clinton falling short in catching Bin Laden or Al Qaeda, at least they took an interest. Bush told Bob Woodward in "Bush at war" that Bin Laden wasn't central focus of the administration. Then he said the famous, dead or alive thing and then he came full circle and said, ""I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
Which is not really a stupid statement or anything like that given the changed circumstances.
AlQuaida is close to being dismantled and binLaden has been holed up in some rats nest in in the mountains for the last four or five years where he's going to die eventually due to the efforts we've exerted after 9/11.
Similarly Chengis Khan's top military commander Subudai failed to capture the padishah of Khwarism under similar circumstances. It didn't matter then for the same sort of reason it doesn't matter now, the guy was holed up on some miserable island in the Caspian with just the shirt on his back and he died there.
