The Report

The 567 page 9-11 commission report is completed and is now available for folks to read.

To look for specific items in the 9-11 report, go here (hat tip Lucianne).

The basic conclusion of the report was the terrorist attack took place because the government at all levels failed to anticipate this type of attack and the barriers that prevented the FBI and CIA and others from bringing all their intelligence together and figuring out the puzzle.  Many had pieces but they were not allowed to work together to put them all together.

But the blame must also be put on us, the citizens of this nation.  We had not thought of this type of attack either (other then reading it in a Tom Clancy type book) as a serious possibility.  So if Clinton or Bush had proposed the measures that have been enacted since 9-11 (the Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, the rule of "enemy combatant"), the public would not have agreed to it as it seemed not necessary.

That is the real reason the attack succeeded.  We were not prepared for this type of attack as a real possibility.  Airline crews were told to co-operate with hijackers and not fight back.  Passengers were taught to meekly comply with the hijackers and so not endanger themselves and others.  Today, no one will act that way.  Pilots want to be armed so they can fight back.  Passengers will gang up on any terrorists and most likely will not bother to read them their rights.  If the terrorists are lucky they will be alive to be turned over to the police when the plane lands. 

So we are all to blame for the success of the 9-11 attacks.  Now we need to be aware so no such attack will have the chance to happen again.