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How does a civil servant who has launched a major attack on the Bush presidency protect himself from what he has unleashed? Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush--who saw al-Qaeda expand under his watch, attack U.S. interests abroad and produce the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history--knew he couldn't pin the blame on his bosses if he didn't start by apologizing himself. Clarke, who quit his job at the National Security Council a year ago, would not have survived Washington's brutal ways in the service of three Presidents if he had not been a good politician. And last week he needed all the political skills he could muster for what he was about to do--direct a missile at the very fortress that so far has protected Bush's presidential advantage in this campaign season: the perception that, for all his faults, Bush has done everything he could to keep the country safe and managed the war on terrorism well. With all the dust flying around Clarke last week, the question ofwhether Washington appropriately handled the terrorist threat tended to get lost. That question is of course the one of greatest interest to the public in the wake of 9/11. In his strongest public statement, to 60 Minutes, Clarke said Bush "ignored" the terrorist threat before 9/11. To the commission he testified, more soberly, that, for the Administration, it was an "important issue but not an urgent issue." the end, the drama produced by Clarke in Washington was not about the last terrorist attack against the U.S. but about the next one. Since it began its work in early 2003, the commission has uncovered huge failings in the national-security system, including how even a presidential order can be misunderstood down the chain of command. But these dangers got lost in a high-stakes political showdown. Unless Washington can focus on them, someone may risk having to ask forgiveness again.

Discusses the role of United States Vice President Dick Cheney in military campaigns since the September 11 terrorist attacks, including the recent war on Iraq. Views of Cheney on terrorist threats by Al Qaeda and the threats of the Saddam Hussein regime; Political background of Dick Cheney, including his relations with Iraq in the early 1990's before he was vice president; Accusations by Cheney of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction; Role of Cheney as an intelligence adviser to President George W. Bush.

The article presents a chronicle of the war in Iraq. The blame for Iraq does not end with the Dick Cheney, President Bush, or even Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon. Al Qaeda attacked on September 11. Pentagon's Defense Policy Board, chaired by Richard Perle and featuring Henry Kissinger and Newt Gingrich, declared that Iraq should be invaded after Afghanistan. Largest demonstrations in history happened in 600 cities worldwide where millions protested war.

Reflects on the conclusion of the 9/11 commission that there is no credible evidence of a cooperative relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda on the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Effect of the findings as a challenge to President George W. Bush's central justification for invading Iraq; Results of polls; Continuation of discussions with the C.I.A. regarding Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Presents an opinion piece regarding the skepticism surrounding the relationship between al Qaeda and Iraq in the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. Belief that we are not going to find answers to such questions via the 9/11 commission; Focus on Vice President Dick Cheney; Argument from Cheney that invading Iraq was the right thing to do; Argument from Senator John Kerry that the administration was deliberately misleading the American people.

Discusses the information that was used to make controversial comments regarding the link between Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, and the September 11th terrorist attacks. Description of a slide show presented by an obscure Pentagon policy unit that focused entirely on possible links between Saddam's regime and Al Qaeda; Reaction from CIA officials to the presentation; Lack of evidence to support Saddam's training of Arab terrorists.

Discusses the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Quotes from Osama Bin Laden, General Margarethe Cammermeyer, and others; Discussion of what needs to be done in Iraq and Afghanistan; Discussion of the potential link between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.

The article analyzes the connections between al-Qaeda and Iran in the wake the report of the bipartisan commission on the origins of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The report suggests that while targeting on Iraq, the U.S. may have focused its energy on the wrong country. The commission investigators found that Iran has allowed al-Qaeda members to enter and exit the country across the Afghan border since October 2000.