Probes, preparation are mutually productive

Enough time has elapsed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks without another major blow that critics are becoming bolder. In some cases, these questioners are raising serious issues that need the fullest attention at every level of government. In other cases, the rant boils down to unproductive finger-pointing.

It is clear, in the near-perfect vision of hindsight, that mistakes were made and information was bungled prior to Sept. 11.

The FBI and CIA, for both reasons of interagency jealousy and law, did not -- and could not -- share vital information.

Nor did either agency piece together the bits they each had. If they had, we would like to believe some preventative measures could have been taken.

But there is nothing that suggests specific information ever reached the highest levels of our federal government -- including the White House -- or that it was flat-out ignored.

But other critics who say there are lessons to be learned from what various security-related government agencies did or failed to do are absolutely correct.

As Congress delves into a full-scale inquiry, President Bush is calling for congressional authority to create a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security. These two activities are not on opposite ends of the anti-terrorism chart. They are mutually beneficial actions that will lay the foundation for preparation and defense against a repeat of Sept. 11.

As President Bush said in his televised address to the nation Thursday night, the congressional probe is not about placing blame but, rather, "to make sure we correct any problems and prevent them from happening again."

All of this, of course, is happening against a backdrop of national anxiety. Terrorists do not acknowledge any rules of war. They do not seek the justice of the Geneva Convention. They are not interested in the peacemaking of the United Nations. They do not care a whit about the fine points of diplomacy.

It is this unseen enemy that taunts national leaders as they strive to unravel the weaknesses in the ability of a free and democratic society to defend itself against terrorism.

Let's hope that whatever we learn or whatever systems we create will all be focused on the goal of maintaining our American way, not tearing it down.