in investigating the september 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the commission led by tom kean and lee hamiltoncovered vital information scattered throughout the government, confined by agency silos that might have prevented the deaths and destruction of that terrible day. if only the dots had been connected. in the wake of the mass murder at fort hood, we once again must confront a troubling question. was this another failure to connect the dots? much has been done since 9-11-2001 attacks. we have additional task forces and fusion centers. we revised information-sharing policies and promoted greater cooperation among intelligence agencies and law enforcement. and the results have been significant. terrorist plots, both at home and abroad have been thwarted. the recent arrest of zazi demonstrates the benefits, the tremendous benefits of information-sharing and joint efforts by the nctc and other intelligence agencies as well as federal, state and local law enforcement. but the shootings at fort hood may indicate that communications failures and poor judgment calls can defeat the systems intende