Councils of War.

The article discusses the American reaction to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Widespread comparisons to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are noted, and the question of the utility of historical analogies is addressed. United States President George W. Bush's public statements and the counsels of his cabinet are discussed. The debate over whether the American response ought to be tightly focused on Osama bin Laden or broad enough to include Saddam Hussein's Iraq is analyzed.