I'm much better informed than Mr. Clarke ever was about the nature of the intelligence that was available again Osama bin Laden and which was consistently denigrated by himself and Mr. Tenet.

Michael Scheuer’s quote, "I'm much better informed than Mr. Clarke ever was about the nature of the intelligence that was available against Osama bin Laden and which was consistently denigrated by himself and Mr. Tenet," reflects Scheuer’s frustration with the handling of intelligence related to Osama bin Laden prior to the 9/11 attacks. Scheuer, who was the head of the CIA’s Bin Laden Unit, is asserting that he had a more accurate understanding of the intelligence available to prevent the attacks than Richard Clarke (a former counterterrorism advisor) and George Tenet (then CIA Director). He accuses both of downplaying or failing to act on critical information about bin Laden and his terrorist activities.

The origin of this quote lies in the post-9/11 debates surrounding the intelligence failures leading up to the attacks. Scheuer, who had intimate knowledge of the intelligence operations targeting bin Laden, felt that his warnings and the intelligence available were not given the attention they deserved by key figures in the U.S. government. His comment refers to his belief that both Clarke and Tenet were either unaware or dismissive of the intelligence that pointed to bin Laden as a major threat to national security.

Scheuer’s words also suggest a disagreement about the interpretation and handling of intelligence in the lead-up to 9/11. He believed that despite having sufficient information to act, government leaders did not take appropriate steps to address the terrorist threat posed by bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The mention of both Clarke and Tenet implies that he saw their leadership as either ineffective or dismissive, leading to missed opportunities for preventing the attacks.

Ultimately, this quote highlights the tension between those directly involved in intelligence operations and high-ranking officials who are responsible for decision-making. Scheuer’s statement underscores the complexities of intelligence analysis and the challenges in translating that information into actionable policy, particularly when there are disagreements over the importance or urgency of the information at hand.