Thomas Houlahan

About the author: Thomas Houlahan is director of the Military Assessment Program of the William R. Nelson Institute at James Madison University.

The CIA is not at fault for the intelligence failure that led to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. Rather, the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are to blame. These administrations set intelligence priorities for the CIA, and both told the agency to focus its attention on China, which they considered the most serious threat to the United States. By focusing on China, however, the CIA ignored Islamic terrorists such as Osama bin Laden, who has been named as the man behind the September 11 attacks.

Almost as soon as the shock of the [September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America] wore...