You can deny it all you want, but 9/11 was a seminal event and a qualitative difference between the AQ terrorist attacks before that and what happened on our own soil in NYC, the Pentagon, and PA.
Meaning Bush gets all the blame that should be shared by former Presidents?
You seem more hung up on this blame game than our national security. After 9/11 Bush assumes all responsibility for what has happened on his watch since then. AQ aside, I blame Clinton for what happened on 9/11. He failed to act after WTC I, Khobar Towers, the bombings of our embassies in East Africa, the USS Cole and failed attempts including the millenium bomber. Bin Laden declared war against the US in his 1996 fatwa.
The question is whether Bush has learned any lessons from 9/11. I support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Bush Doctrine. However, it is incongruous for us to leave our borders open despite knowing that terrorists are coming across. Do you know why Bush is derelict in this area?
Yep. And people overstayed their visas under former presidents as well.
You still don't get it. 9/11 changed all of that. Why do you allow the same system to remain in place without doing something about it. The US Visit Program was passed in 1996 and it still has yet to be fully implemented? Why?
By the way, your comment implies that the other hijackers were legal immigrants. So what is your proposal there - stop all legal immigration as well?
No, they weren't legal immigrants. They were here legally on visitor visas, student and tourist. We need to do a better job of screening those who apply for visas. The Visa Express for Saudis was stopped and the intelligence agencies are now sharing their info and making it available to consular personnel in their visa lookout data. We still have a partially open door in the form of the Visa Wavier Program, which allows residents of 27 countries to come here without visas. That is the reason we need a tracking system for all visitors who come here so we know when they come and when they leave.
Please copy and paste where I ever denied it. Oh, that's right, you can't. I never said it wasn't.
and a qualitative difference between the AQ terrorist attacks before that and what happened on our own soil in NYC, the Pentagon, and PA.
Emboldened by lack of action by previous Presidents.
You seem more hung up on this blame game than our national security.
Nope, just tired of everyone claiming it's "Bush's fault" when the blame is shared by former Presidents (and lets face it, by Congress as well).
After 9/11 Bush assumes all responsibility for what has happened on his watch since then.
Never said otherwise. But Bush is not responsible for all the illegals here. Many of them have been here for years and years (before Bush took office) and others were emboldened to come due to the action or inaction of previous Presidents.
However, it is incongruous for us to leave our borders open despite knowing that terrorists are coming across.
I agree, we should put pressure on Bush and on Congress to seal the borders and deport all illegals.
Do you know why Bush is derelict in this area?
For the same reason previous Presidents were. They didn't want to deal with it in the way it should be dealt with.
You still don't get it. 9/11 changed all of that.
It should have been changed prior to 9/11, because, as I said, we had terrorist attacks before then. I hold Bush responsible for not fixing it, but I hold the previous Presidents responsible for not fixing it as well.
They were here legally on visitor visas, student and tourist.
Yep, they were legal.
We need to do a better job of screening those who apply for visas.
I agree. As you mention in your post, we've stopped the visa 'express' for Saudis, so we've made some progress. We need to keep that progress moving forward.