by Bruce Berkowitz

About the author: Bruce Berkowitz is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, a public policy research center devoted to advanced study in domestic public policy and international affairs.

Nine days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist strikes on New York and Washington [DC], George W. Bush explained to the country how the government planned to respond. Speaking on prime-time television before a joint session of Congress, he described the coming war: “Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success.”

President Bush was almost certainly speaking from a text scrutinized by...