The need to investigate 9/11.
There is more delay in setting up a special commission to investigate what went wrong with national defense and security on 9/11. Some members of Congress are accusing the Bush Administration of secretly nixing any deal to create the commission. The Bush Administration denies obstructionism. Some consider it possible that the Bush Administration is attempting to fend off any blame that might attach to it, but the commission should not be set up to blame anyone. It should be designed to plug the holes and fix the problem. (*) All the while politicians squabble, the day when new attacks are set to strike the US and our allies draws nearer. For many years now, the bipartisan approach to basic foreign policy and national security decisions has been undermined. Highlights have included accusations by many, including myself, that Bill Clinton was “wagging the dog” when he fired missiles at the Sudan and Afghanistan during a tense moment in the Lewinsky scandal. As we now know, those missiles were meant for Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. Had they successfully struck their targets, we might not have had 9/11 in the first place, and we could continue our pointless partisan bickering in peace. It is not only stupid political fights that have undermined our nation’s defense against external threats, however. It is also neglect. Our defense and security infrastructure is in desperate need of attention, repair, and refurbishment.
No one really knows what we could have done to prevent 9/11, and that is the problem. Without that information, we are in a poor position to stop the next attack. Considering the current level of Al Qaeda chatter and broadcasted threats, that next attack may already be very near. (†)
So can we hurry up and create an investigative commission and get back to the business of fighting the War on Terrorism, please?