"We Have Some Planes"

It's the title of the first chapter of the 9/11 Commission Report, released today, as well as a quote from the terrorists who hijacked American Airlines flight 11 and, after struggling with some brave passengers, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania instead of the White House:

The Commission says it is not attempting to assess blame and is "looking backwards to look forward." I sure wish someone would try and assess blame. The reality that a bunch of two-bit, box-cutter armed idealogs could bring this country to its knees, without a real defense -- and without the scrambled jet fighter pilots even receiving the President's orders to shoot down hostile civilian aircraft used as weapons -- is absurd.

Yes, al Qaeda was ingenious, and as the Commission concluded there was a "failure of imagination," but the dots were there and had been connected by the analysts. The lack of responsibility, and revulsion, about this horrific failure of the country's vital national defense system is just shocking.

 Posted by glenn