http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/02/politics/main610068.shtml<snip>Nevertheless, prior to Sept. 11, 2001, a CBS News review of speeches and public remarks by President Bush suggests he did not mention al Qaeda once, although he did send a letter to Congress extending Clinton-era sanctions against the Taliban for harboring Osama bin Laden.
As O'Hanlon put it, the question is not one of prevention of the Sept. 11 attacks but whether the Bush administration had prioritized the threat posed by al Qaeda above that of states viewed as rogues, like Iran, and major powers, like China – and whether greater vigilance might have meant a greater likelihood of thwarting the attacks.
"It is an argument that is suggestive, not conclusive, but it is still moderately persuasive and I've heard some Clinton people make the argument in off-the-record internal discussions here at Brookings and elsewhere," O'Hanlon said. "We do know now that it was knowable. That there were certain people on the terrorist watch list that were in the country, that there were certain tactics for using airplanes that had been discussed before and not given sufficient attention."
Clarke's book argues that President Bush and Wolfowitz on the day of Sept. 11, and the week following, had a preoccupation with Iraq as the culprit in spite of top terrorism officials reporting that al Qaeda was responsible.
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