It was mistake from the previous administration to take down the interceptor flights (no Cold War you know..bad PR to have fighters ready to go) and create confusing rules of engagement for the pilots.
Thank you very much for documenting these facts. My point was not whose fault it was, although I am more than willing to believe that it was entirely the fault of the Clinton administration. The point was that while we were busy engaging in quarrels all over the world, our actual defense of our own country was sorely lacking, as was proven in a time of need. Your information confirms that we had been gutting our actual defense at the same time that we were spreading our forces more and more thinly around the world. Do you disagree with that assessment?
I absolutly agree that, under Clinton, the defense of the contenental USA, and our overall defense ability (from civilian defense capability to miitary) was gutted to the point we could not function. This, combined with our lack of decisive response to multiple terrorist attacks during the same administration and several other cultural and societal factors lead to the US becomming an underdefended target as well as a high visibility one.
I will say there have been vast improvements in the past couple of years. Unfortunatly, it usually takes a 9-11 or Pearl Harbor type event to wake people up to the fact the world has evil people in it. We have made great strides with little negative impact to the economy and civilian life in the US. In WWII, we had to impose rationing and force ourselves to improve our industry and infrastructure quickly. We now have several layers of defensive preparations in place. Are they inpregnable? Absolutly not. We have to be right 100% of the time, but the terrorists only have to be right once. But we are doing everything we can, under the law, to prevent them from being right that one time. Is there more work to be done? Absolutly! And we have to keep improving, but that improvment becomes unfeasable when it starts encroaching on American civilians. The goal then becomes how to improve our defense without upsetting the American People. Unfortunatly, this will probably only effectivly happen when a hole in our defenses in exploited.