Examination of the U.S. intelligence system shouldn’t be exploited for political purposes.

Politics is a rough and tumble, no-holds-barred game. President Bush should have known what he was getting into when he moved into the White House in January 2001, but it is highly unlikely he had any idea what would take place in the first two years of his presidency.

In the last week, the heat was turned up on Bush by many who asked what he knew, when he knew it and what he did about the information he received. It all revolves around the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Information has surfaced that Bush or top officials in his administration had been warned before the Sept. 11 attack about situations that concerned some in the intelligence community. Some warnings were issued while Clinton still was in office, and others were issued within months or weeks of the deadly New York and Washington attacks.

Apparently, there were a number of separate events that raised questions in the minds of intelligence or security people, but it looks as if no one was able to connect the dots to get a clear picture of the situation.

Nevertheless, the heat is on Bush and his team. Democrats have jumped on this issue as part of the 2002 political campaigns for seats in the U.S. House and Senate. There haven’t been many meaty issues for Democrats to use in hammering Bush, but the idea or suggestions that Bush knew about the strong possibility of an attack but did nothing is enough to bring a smile to Democratic strategists.

Fortunately for Bush, his reputation as a person of high integrity has kept his public popularity from plummeting even in the face of tough attacks by his political rivals. These critics don’t come out and accuse Bush of being responsible for approximately 3,000 deaths at the trade centers and several hundred deaths at the Pentagon, but they certainly place this suggestion in the minds of voters.

As soon as information leaked about intelligence warnings supposedly going unheeded by Bush and his people, followed almost instantly by questions or suspicions raised by Democrats, GOP operatives started to dig into records. They learned Clinton had an offer from Sudanese officials to turn over Osama bin Laden to U.S. officials. This supposedly took place in 1999, but Clinton or others declined the offer.

The same Republican or Bush supporters also pointed out it was Democratic senators who killed efforts by U.S. intelligence agencies to use foreign nationals to help this country in its spy network.

Charges and counter-charges are bound to fly in the weeks to come, but that isn’t going to eliminate the terrorist problem. Various officials have made it clear they believe we all live in a new environment and that Americans must realize terrorist attacks are likely to be a way of life here. Incidents we have read about taking place in foreign countries, such as suicide attacks in Israel, are likely to take place within the United States.

People who supposedly know what they are talking about claim that FBI and CIA officials do not get along with each other and are reluctant to share information. This is said to be the case in both Democratic and Republican administrations. If this is true, Bush must put a stop to it. There is no room for egos or jealousy when it comes to the security of this nation.

No one can believe Bush or Clinton knew about the specific 9-11 attacks ahead of time and did nothing. There should be a thorough, non-partisan investigation of this nation’s intelligence community and changes made where necessary. But finger-pointing with the idea of trying to pick up votes in the November elections does no good. Bush and Clinton may operate in different ways, have different moral standards and have different ways of achieving their personal goals, but neither man would knowingly do anything that would make terrorist attacks on the United States easier or more deadly.

Partisan Democrats are sure to try to keep the fires burning as brightly and as long as possible, but it is hoped the general public understands the political motivations for these attacks. The challenge for this country is to develop an efficient intelligence-gathering capability the best in the world and to have people who can piece together the intelligence, connect the dots.

What was good enough in the past is not good enough today. This is not a partisan political matter, nor a George Bush, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton or Dick Cheney campaign issue. It’s an all-American issue.