At a National Security Council meeting in mid-July, the principals discussed the actions the U.S. should take in the event of a domestic terrorist attack this summer.

At a National Security Council meeting in mid-July, the principals discussed the actions the U.S. should take in the event of a domestic terrorist attack this summer, the possibility of which is highlighted in the classified version of the just published National Intelligence Estimate. The president and the vice president agreed to retaliate with military strikes. The main targets would likely be al-Qaeda training camps inside the Waziristan area of Pakistan, where the hostility of Pashtun tribes in the area, as well as the inhospitable mountainous terrain, eliminate the possibility for ground attacks. It was also decided that the intelligence would have to be specific and reliable, something that has been often lacking in the past. Unfortunately, recent intelligence about the al-Qaeda leadership has not provided real-time information on the whereabouts of Ayman al Zawahiri or Osama bin Laden, and bombing strikes would probably have little or no effect on future terrorist operations unless al-Qaeda senior leadership is present and killed. Also, strikes that are conducted without Pakistani collaboration would have a negative effect on President Pervez Musharraf, whose political control is weakening. The NSC principals also discussed a strike against Iran in the event of a terrorist operation in the United States. Cheney was the primary voice arguing for such a retaliatory strike, a proposal not supported by the Department of State and the Department of Defense. President Bush reserved judgment.

Philip Giraldi, a former CIA Officer, is a partner in Cannistraro Associates, an international security consultancy.