This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Friday, September 9, 2011. I'm Caleb Brown. The response

to September 11, 2001 within the United States hinged on a false insight, according

to Cato Institute Senior Fellow Doug Bandau.

He argues that President Bush and others were flat wrong to claim that the United States

was attacked for its freedoms.

He argues the overreaction carried out by the federal government was costly

in terms of civil liberties, blood, and treasure.

The error was to assume that we were attacked because we were so free.

And I think the problem there is,

terrorism is not new, that President Bush

seemed to think that this was a unique experience.

What we know is terrorism, though awful,

though immoral, though terrible, is a tool that has been

used throughout history.

Zars were murdered by terrorists, World War I was triggered by a terrorist who killed

the Archduke, the heir apparent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Terrorists have been active against Russia, against Israel, Sri Lanka, India.

So this is not a new experience.

We have to recognize we were attacked because of specific policies that the U.S. government was active

in that created a counter reaction. It didn't justify it. But he seemed to, he responded in a very different

way not recognizing that. And I think that left us in their very ill served the

served the last decade.

...