Warrantless surveillance has as much to do with 9/11 as Saddam Hussein did.

Joseph P. Nacchio, former CEO of Qwest, the telecommunications company that refused to participate in the NSA's warrantless surveillance program, said that the NSA first approached him six months before 9/11, according to a recent WaPo article. Not only does this discredit the Bush administration's claim that 9/11 was "the main impetus for" implementing the surveillance program, but also the fact that the warrantless surveillance prevents terrorist attacks. If other telecom companies were contacted when Qwest was, then the program failed to prevent 9/11.