| Besides, we are operating in a context where terrorism is at the top of the agenda. We know that terrorist seek to expand their murderous toolkit, and it is fair to say that a group willing to execute the 9/11 plan would take out a good chunk of New York or Washington if it had the means. Meanwhile, the Arab street, much of it, cheered them on, Saddam had promised to unleash a wave of terrorism against us. True, he had been stymied, but there was no reason to believe he was reconciled, and every reason to believe that he had contact throughout the shadowy network of terror organizations. It seemed, therefore, less a matter of "whether" and more a matter of "when", unless we acted........ |
