The Unheeded Warnings of 9/11

As a criminal investigator and a security professional, I am appalled by the most recent revelations from the 9/11 commission. It is now abundantly clear that 9/11 could have and should have been prevented. This was not a failure of intelligence or a failure to communicate. It was a failure to act. And the responsibility for this inaction rests squarely on the shoulders of George W. Bush and his administration. Furthermore, as a citizen, I am outraged by the Bush administration's blatant abuse of power in classifying this information before the election. Withholding the 9/11 commission's complete report has in itself risked national security, while the only thing at risk from the full release of the information was President Bush's re-election. Perhaps as Americans celebrate the potential birth of democracy in Iraq, we should pause to mourn the loss of our own. [more]

• Boo! Like a ghost, terrorists are the invisible threat. FBI Director Robert Mueller said he worries about a true sleeper operative whom he contended has been in place for years to launch an attack inside the United States. "I remain very concerned about what we are not seeing," he said in his prepared remarks. [more]