Quote from james_bond_3rd:
So the excuse for doing nothing is that it would not have prevented the attacks anyway.
First of all, that is a questionable excuse. The lower parts of the government were actually doing their jobs. We had Moussaui in custody a month before the attack. Tenet was warning everyone that he could get a hold of that the threat was a "10." The very top of the government, Bush, Rice, Ashcroft, dropped the ball. They did nothing. We cannot say whether there would have been a difference if they did something, for example, forming a task force to study the threat. If such a task force were formed, and didn't find the connection between Moussaui and the WTC plot, then the blame goes to the task force. But the fact is, Bush, Rice, and Ashcroft did nothing. So they should shoulder the blame.
Even if they reacted immediately, but due to the human's inability to see beyond past experiences and focused on (for example) international flights, and failed to prevent the attacks, at least they could claim that they tried. But they didn't even try.
Trying does not require hindsight. Not trying is unforgivable.
Great post.