Comment Re:Let's apply a little critical thinking here (Score 1) 3201
According to the "9/11 Commission Report" (see http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1 1.htm), "...the 9/11 attacks revealed four kinds of failures: in imagination, policy, capabilities, and management." The US government had "tended to underestimate a threat that grew ever greater...Insight for the future is thus not easy to apply in practice. It is hardest to mount a major effort while a problem still seems minor. Once the danger has fully materialized, evident to all, mobilizing action is easier-but it then may be too late."
Just as the media blasted the Administration for failing to detect and prevent 9/11, folks are now complaining this same administration was too trusting of limited intelligence, which led them to war with Iraq. Given a post-9/11 world, intelligence on possible threats was taken more seriously, because THE RISK OF MISSING A KEY THREAT INDICATOR WAS UNACCEPTABLE!
Place yourself in this situation: someone breaks into your house and steals all your computers (gasp). When the police investigator asks you if you've seen anyone suspicious in the neighborhood, you admit you haven't been watching that closely. The next day, you see an unfamiliar driving in your neighborhood. Honestly, what do you think? Is someone casing your house? Is the driver more a threat now that you've been robbed? You don't know who broke into your house, but I bet you're more aware of the possible dangers!
Now back to the real issue...the US was attacked! After 9/11, lots of critics asked "why didn't you see all the warnings?" Every piece of intelligence was then looked at with a new perspective. Even if the Administration was looking at just shadows and ghosts, their best information they had showed that Iraq was a threat. The "Neighborhood Watch" signs weren't working anymore. The added security patrols weren't working anymore. The perceived threats still existed, and the President AND CONGRESS took the actions they thought were proper!
It seems like everyone is blaming the President for using a level of imagination the 9/11 Commission accused them of not using prior to the attacks in 2001!
Just as the media blasted the Administration for failing to detect and prevent 9/11, folks are now complaining this same administration was too trusting of limited intelligence, which led them to war with Iraq. Given a post-9/11 world, intelligence on possible threats was taken more seriously, because THE RISK OF MISSING A KEY THREAT INDICATOR WAS UNACCEPTABLE!
Place yourself in this situation: someone breaks into your house and steals all your computers (gasp). When the police investigator asks you if you've seen anyone suspicious in the neighborhood, you admit you haven't been watching that closely. The next day, you see an unfamiliar driving in your neighborhood. Honestly, what do you think? Is someone casing your house? Is the driver more a threat now that you've been robbed? You don't know who broke into your house, but I bet you're more aware of the possible dangers!
Now back to the real issue...the US was attacked! After 9/11, lots of critics asked "why didn't you see all the warnings?" Every piece of intelligence was then looked at with a new perspective. Even if the Administration was looking at just shadows and ghosts, their best information they had showed that Iraq was a threat. The "Neighborhood Watch" signs weren't working anymore. The added security patrols weren't working anymore. The perceived threats still existed, and the President AND CONGRESS took the actions they thought were proper!
It seems like everyone is blaming the President for using a level of imagination the 9/11 Commission accused them of not using prior to the attacks in 2001!
