9/11, Six Years Later

by David R. Henderson

It has been six years since the horrid attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Throughout that time, George W. Bush has been president of the United States and, especially given the emphasis he has put on 9/11, it's fair to judge him on how well he's done on policies aimed at responding to 9/11. I will leave out, except tangentially, a judgment on his policies on civil liberties, not because I don't have one, but because I want to focus on foreign policy.

So, how has George W. Bush done? In a word, badly. I'm not challenging his intentions. I believe Bush thought, like almost all Americans and, indeed, like a supermajority of the world's population, that the attacks were horrific and unjustified. I also believe that he wanted to respond appropriately to the attacks. But I'm judging his responses. As one of my mentors, the late Milton Friedman, loved to say, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." George W. Bush has provided, and is providing, much of that pavement.

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