The British busted up of a terrorist plot - one that was within days of blowing up as many as 10 U.S. airliners somewhere over the Atlantic - demonstrates once again that we have two enemies in the War on Terror. These enemies are the terrorists themselves and our own complacency.
It’s almost five years since 9/11; the sad reality is that the "Long War" against terrorism sure looks to be far from over. In fact, the British investigation is still ongoing, along with our own investigation and that means we’re not out of the woods on even this plot yet.
But this latest terrorist conspiracy, described by British authorities as an act to commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale," screams at us to pay attention to some new - and enduring - lessons as we continue fighting terrorism both at home and abroad.
The Bottom line is? Complacency about terrorism can’t be allowed because it is deadly. We’re still squarely in the terrorists’ cross-hairs. Hopes and wishes that terrorism is something that happens overseas, or was limited to the horrors of 9/11, is clearly very wrong.
And we have to be more imaginative and innovative in our defense than the terrorists are on their offense. For instance, we need new security procedures, education is so important and technologies that can detect and prevent terrorist attacks.
Of course, being on the offense against the terrorists - using all the "hard" and "soft" instruments of national power, and in
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