The single most important duty of the federal government is to secure the nation against its enemies, foreign and domestic.
The Chief Executive has always been assumed to be the leader of the government in implementing that duty. When a threat emerges the nation can ill afford to have a man in that office who goes all wobbly. In such a situation, the president should act decisively. If a Ben Laden is offered to him on a silver platter by a foreign government the appropriate course of action should be a no-brainer.
Likewise, the president does not allow the CIA or the military to dictate policy or second guess decisions necessary to protect U.S. citizens. He gives the orders...period. He accepts no ifs, ands, or buts. He sets a course of action and insists on it being followed.
Thus, Clinton's assertion that he couldn't persuade the CIA or the military to take out a dangerous enemy is an enormously f-e-c-k-less statement.
Ole Slick is the polar opposite of the ideal ruler envisioned by Machiavelli's "The Prince."