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What dots, exactly, did you want Rice to connect?

The CIA had info, the FBI had info - at least two dots to connect.

BTW - prior to 9/11 the government was on a heighted alert because of significant threats, nobody bothered to ensure the airlines were increasing security.

The CIA had info, the FBI had info - at least two dots to connect.

You mean the agencies that Frank Church and his fellow Democrats hamstrung so that they could not co-operate with each other?

BTW - prior to 9/11 the government was on a heighted alert because of significant threats, nobody bothered to ensure the airlines were increasing security.

What extra security did you want the airlines to put in place so that that particular incident could have been prevented?

Profile Middle Easterners? You and your fellow Democrats would have yelled "Racism"!

Fire poor-quality airport security personnel? You and your fellow Democrats would have yelled "Racism" and "Union Busting"!

The only problem with your "connect the dots idea" is

1) The information provided to the National Security Advisor is a summary and is more strategic / less tactical in nature.

2) The CIA and FBI both did not find the information valuable enough to send up the chain as anything more than a general threat.

3) The National Security Advisor has no authority to alter the operations of either the FBI or the CIA.

4) The person who is charged with the responsibility for the collection of these types of threats is the DCI - Director for Central Intelligence. And further, in that specific role, is a statutory member of the National Security Council and is the intelligence advisor to the council

I conclude from your comments that you have little to no experience with either the National Security Council or any of the intelligence agencies, their roles or their capabilities. I recommend that you read up on the NSC at www.whitehouse.gov/nsc it is a good starting point so you can come up to speed.

The CIA had info, the FBI had info - at least two dots to connect.

Condi is not some mid-level data analyst. The role of the National Security Advisor or Cabinet Level Department Heads is to build an organization capable of connecting the millions of dots that need connecting. Clinton emasculated these organizations. Republicans (I hope) will rebuild them. I look to the Executive to have and follow principle that will rebuild these organizations. I will give them time before I call for their heads.