EDITORIAL TIME FOR CANDOR STRAIGHT-TALKING FROM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WOULD HELP RESTORE NATIONAL UNITY.

TO any objective observer - Republican or Democrat, pro-war or con - it's plain as day that the government made critical errors in the years prior to 9-11 and more recently in the invasion of Iraq.

President George W. Bush and his administration ought to just admit that obvious point. It would boost both his public standing and America's prospects in the War on Terror.

Prior to 9-11, a policy of what can fairly be described as excessive prudence ruled Washington in the Clinton and Bush administrations alike. That's why, despite ample signs that al-Qaida was planning to strike on American soil, neither president took decisive, pre-emptive actions to combat the terrorist threat.

When asked why they didn't act, officials note that the evidence of terrorist activity was less than ironclad. It came from suspicious sources. It was uncorroborated. It was inconclusive.

The Bush administration spent the better part of a year devising a plan for toppling al-Qaida, going to great lengths to anticipate every eventuality, to get the full support of the international community, to make sure Pakistan was on board.

But the problem with excessive prudence was made glaringly obvious on 9-11. Three hijacked planes. Nearly 3,000 dead. A nation permanently scarred and forever changed.

The lesson: Terrorists don't rest while governments tend to diplomatic and strategic details.

But Bush, for short-sighted political reasons, is unwilling to own up to the simple truth that America was, through its own wishful thinking, unprepared for a mounting threat.

He's wrong to be so guarded. Now more than ever, America craves the honesty of its leaders.

Besides, it's not as though the blame belongs to Bush alone. If it weren't for the quick wits of a single American agent working the Canadian border, America would have experienced its 9-11 some 21 months earlier in the millennium attack on Los Angeles International Airport. Yet not even that was enough to awaken the nation - the government, the media or the public at large - to the reality that terrorists were plotting a major domestic attack.

Were Bush to have stepped forward at his recent press conference and said, yes, we dropped the ball before 9-11, few would fault him. Most Americans would appreciate his candor. They would see his regret as a sign that he's in touch with their sensibilities, whereas his aloofness makes him seem utterly disconnected from public perceptions.

A little more candor on Iraq would be appreciated, too.

The White House took to heart the lessons of 9-11 in the run-up to the war in Iraq. This time, it didn't matter that the evidence was less than ironclad, that it came from suspicious sources and was uncorroborated. This time, no one looked for conclusive proof. Officials devised their war plan hastily, neglecting to anticipate all the eventualities. And after failing to get the quick support of the full international community, they decided to it largely alone.

But if excessive prudence has its dangers, so, too, does aggressive pre- emption.

The weapons of mass destruction never materialized. Nor did the crowds of jubilant Iraqis celebrating their liberation. And resistance has been more extensive - and bloody - than anyone expected.

This much is obvious to anyone who so much as sees the nightly news. Yet Bush seems unwilling to publicly own up to the reality.

It needn't be this way. What Bush could - and should - say, is: Of course we've made mistakes. War is no simple matter, and imperfect policies are the price we pay for slapping down threats before they can hurt us. We are trying to reshape an entire region of the world while repelling fanatics who will stop at nothing to slaughter us. No, it won't be easy, but there's no alternative.

That's an explanation most Americans would accept. For America, 9-11 was the end of our national innocence. Straight-talking now would recognize the maturing of our nation to deal with the truth and yet remain resolute in the commitment to our ideals.

But Bush, adamant to show no sign of personal weakness, declines to say as much. Instead he maintains that operations in Iraq are proceeding just fine, a claim that rings hollow.

Meanwhile, Democrats who complain about America's responding too slow before 9-11, and too quickly in Iraq, disingenuously pretend that we can have it both ways - a foreign policy that's swift but also immune to error and setback. They, too, are less than candid in their assessment of the country's security. Rather than contribute intelligently to a crucial national debate, they take partisan potshots against Bush.

The sad reality is that the War on Terror has become appallingly politicized. The common resolve that united us all in the wake of 9-11 has evaporated. In its place we have a president who accepts no responsibility and his critics, who want only to assign blame.

The politicization is destructive. It makes us weak in the eyes of our opponents, and dampens the morale of the courageous soldiers serving us overseas.

Bush, as commander-in-chief, must take the first step in reuniting America. And nothing could do that more quickly than for him to start dealing with the public frankly and honestly about the challenges we all must face - together.