INTELLIGENCE-GATHERING NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE

The U.S. government and FBI have been known to blast Canada for letting
high-grade marijuana, criminal gangs and terrorists penetrate their border.

While we on this side of the 49th parallel have taken shots at America for
sending us their refugees, their cocaine and deadly weapons.

We've also taken a fair share of hits over our ability to carry out
intelligence-gathering operations and guard against terrorism.

Now, a Province investigation by veteran reporter Salim Jiwa shows that the
Sept. 11 bombings might have been avoided had U.S. agents not dismissed
several key warnings.

Namely, Millennium bomb maker Ahmed Ressam warned the FBI three months
before Sept. 11 that Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant Zainul Abu Zubayda --
arrested last week in Pakistan -- was planning a series of terrorist
attacks on several U.S. cities.

And a Chicago-area flight school warned the FBI last summer that a student
enrolled at the facility had indicated an interest in learning to fly a
plane but not land it.

The knowledge and acumen that is applied to organizing terrorists attacks
has to be outpaced by the knowledge and acumen that goes into organizing
their failure.That means law-enforcement agencies around the globe must
connect the dots as bits and pieces of information are received.

Hindsight is always easy, but we can't help but wonder why the FBI and CIA
- -- billed as the world's top intelligence-gathering forces -- failed to act
on information that was right under their noses.

Indeed, it's a fair question at a time when the FBI, the CIA and U.S.
Customs are deploying their agents to Canada, on the grounds we need help
with our efforts at counter-terrorism. With their track record, we're
wondering what they think they have to offer.