Franklin Foer

About the author: Franklin Foer is an associate editor of the New Republic, a weekly journal of political analysis and opinion.

Many of the actions the U.S. government has taken following the September 11, 2001, attacks had been previously recommended by various blue-ribbon commissions on terrorism. One of the most publicized and prescient reports on terrorism was issued in 2000 by the National Commission on Terrorism (NCT). The NCT was commissioned by Congress to analyze American counterterrorism policy. However, its recommendations on reducing U.S. vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks were not enacted, in part because of opposition of civil liberties groups and in part because of resistance by government agencies that opposed changes in their powers and operations. America's lack of preparedness may be partially responsible for the...