The Real Offense

Ever since former anti-terrorism specialist Richard Clarke publicly apologized, on behalf of himself and the U.S. government, for the security lapses that let 9/11 happen, debate has raged over whether a government apology is appropriate. It certainly seems that the multibillion-dollar"security" apparatus we are forced to pay for failed us—and not one head has rolled. Heck, no one has even been denied a promotion on account of the blunders. But an important point is being overlooked. There is one switch at which the government was not asleep: the foreign-intervention switch. The terrorist crimes of 9/11 were purely a consequence of years of U.S. meddling in the Middle East and elsewhere. Focusing only on the acts of omission will cause us to ignore the much longer chain of acts of commission.