Keith, it is completely inappropriate and stupid to respond to a criminal act by a small, clandestine group of terrorists as if it were an open, official act of war by the armed forces of another sovereign nation. And that is why drawing parallels with Pearl Harbour is completely irrelevent.

But...if you simply want to use such an incident as a provocation in order to panic your own public into supporting a series of foreign wars (and occupations) on other sovereign nations, and a reduction in their own civil liberties at home, and a boost to military spending...then Bob's your uncle! It works like a charm. And that's exactly what was done.

I doubt that Bin Laden had anything to do with planning 911. He has said himself (in tapes he submitted to the Middle East media) that he had nothing to do with 911. If he had planned it, I think he'd have been boasting to the skies about it.