If I remember correctly...After the first Twin Tower bombing (below in parking lot)the Clinton administration decided that it was just a criminal act and the perpetrators would be brought to justice in our courts of law. In the meantime, the masterminds behind the bombing went back to the drawing boards to find a better way to bring the towers down. Since it was determined that it was just another criminal act instead of an act of war...they had all the time in the world to plan without any agency tracking them down.
If future acts of violence in the USA are treated as a national crime instead of an international crime....does that not encourage terrorist acts against us?
I could be off-base here...but are we going back to the pre-911 mindset?