Time to put those coffee cups down again, sports fans, because Sweetness & Light has discovered an editorial humorously published by none other than The New York Times back on September 24, 2001, strongly advocating the Bush administration, as a result of the attacks just thirteen days prior, impose a variety of new procedures to track down and shut off the funding for terrorists (hat tip to Clarice Feldman at American Thinker).

The editorial entitled “Finances of Terror” began:

“Organizing the hijacking of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took significant sums of money. The cost of these plots suggests that putting Osama bin Laden and other international terrorists out of business will require more than diplomatic coalitions and military action. Washington and its allies must also disable the financial networks used by terrorists.”

Now that sounds like a great idea. The article wisely continued:

“The Bush administration is preparing new laws to help track terrorists through their money-laundering activity and is readying an executive order freezing the assets of known terrorists. Much more is needed, including stricter regulations, the recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities. There must also must be closer coordination among America's law enforcement, national security and financial regulatory agencies.”

Interesting isn’t it? The article strongly but accurately concluded:

“If America is going to wage a new kind of war against terrorism, it must act on all fronts, including the financial one.”

Hmmm. So, what we have here is a news organization that thirteen days after the country was attacked made a variety of wise and insightful suggestions for programs the White House should impose concerning international banking activities to try to prevent further attacks. Yet, roughly four years and nine months after making such a recommendation, which it appears the White House took quite seriously, the same news organization felt that it was in the public’s interest – as well as the terrorists’ – to know the details of said program.

Now that’s entertainment!

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.