Ross Douthat's column...

...in the Times today, "Islam in Two Americas," is one of the best I've read so far on the controversy surrounding the mosque at ground zero.

But near the end of the piece, Douthat refers to 9/11 as "a mass murder committed in the name of Islam." And my response is, Really? Is that what happened?

And the reason I ask is that not only has the most important question about 9/11 never been answered, it's never even been asked. And it's a simple one: Why did the terrorists attack us on 9/11?

That should have been the first question anyone -- particularly President Bush -- should have asked. (If someone walked up to you and punched you in the face, wouldn't you ask yourself -- at some point -- why did he do that?)

The question as to why we were attacked on 9/11 could have initiated a nationwide discussion and its answer could have served as a guide for our actions going forward. But Bush -- as was his wont -- flubbed it and I think it was at that point that I gave up on him as a serious leader; he never recovered in my eyes.

9/11 and its aftermath could have been George Bush's one chance at Greatness. (And most presidents never get that opportunity.) Picture the president standing in the end zone -- all alone -- and having a pass hit him in the numbers and dropping it. That's about what happened -- only worse, much worse.

Until we can come to grips with the question of why we were attacked, we'll never get past 9/11. We'll just continue to flail about in places like Iraq and Afghanistan -- and be unable to deal with things like a mosque at ground zero.

Oh, and my answer to The Question? It's complicated; more complicated than "a mass murder committed in the name of Islam." Sorry if it sounds like I'm punting, but it's the subject of another post -- a much longer post. But I'll give you a hint: it's not "They hate us for our freedoms."