Immediately following the tragedy on September 11, 2001, U.S. citizens and lawmakers demanded to know why the government did not uncover the terrorists' plot, and how America might prevent future attacks. The 9/11 Commission answered the first question. The USA Patriot Act-which answered the second question-was passed in an effort to prevent future attacks. This compelling book details the planning of the attacks, identifies areas of inadequacy in intelligence, and introduces key provisions of the Patriot Act. It also looks at the controversy surrounding it, and examines the future of the act, which has portions set to expire on December 31, 2005.