Rice: "Do as I say, not as I do."

Two disturbing stories that disturb more together. As Condoleezza Rice heads off to Europe to criticize their leaders for not following our lead in the 'War on Terror,' and to defend our policies of renditioning and torture, the 9/11 Commission points out that the administration still isn't doing much of anything to prevent terrorist attacks here at home.

Story One: Condi talks to Europeans like the naive children they are.

"The United States, and those countries that share the commitment to defend their citizens, will use every lawful weapon to defeat these terrorists. Protecting citizens is the first and oldest duty of any government. Sometimes these efforts are misunderstood. I want to help all of you understand the hard choices involved, and some of the responsibilities that go with them.

One of the difficult issues in this new kind of conflict is what to do with captured individuals who we know or believe to be terrorists. The individuals come from many countries and are often captured far from their original homes. Among them are those who are effectively stateless, owing allegiance only to the extremist cause of transnational terrorism. Many are extremely dangerous. And some have information that may save lives, perhaps even thousands of lives."

Story Two: What else saves lives? Preventing attacks!

In its final act before formally disbanding as a private group, the former Sept. 11 commission gave the federal government failing or mediocre grades today for not enacting numerous reforms aimed at protecting the country from terrorist attacks.

The 10-member bipartisan panel, whose investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks resulted in a book-length report that stormed the bestseller lists in the summer of 2004, issued a final report card that included "F" grades in categories ranging from airline passenger screening to universal radio spectrums for first responders.