The seventh 9/11 is upon us, following the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. How are things different?

It would be nice to think that if President Bush read another memorandum from the intelligence community with the heading, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US," he would pay attention this time.

Even though 9/11 occurred on his administration's watch and Osama bin Laden remains free, the Republican mantra at last week's convention was that Mr. Bush has kept us safe. Well, maybe afterwards.

The bottom line is that the United States is not and cannot be a hermetically sealed society that can be fully safeguarded from attack, from the inside or the outside. See, for example, the horrendous mass killings at universities, churches and other public places by armed, disturbed people.

Measures have been taken to tighten some potential points of entry or to improve America's intelligence capacity to catch early warning signs. The question there is the usual one, at the gate of the stadium or the airport check-in line: How much of our freedom are we giving up for how much additional security?

The Bush administration, partly in good faith for security reasons but also partly driven by a desire to increase government authority and control, has chopped up Americans' civil liberties considerably since 9/11. Phones are bugged, e-mails are read and people are scanned on the way into city halls. Foreigners are discouraged from visiting the United States, all of this in the name of "national security." Mr. Bush's attorneys general -- John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and now Bernard Mukasey -- have acted at times as if they have not read the Constitution.

Are we safer? If motive is an important part of any crime, probably not, given the number of potential enemies of the United States who have been tormented by Mr. Bush's misbegotten war in Iraq and the unsuccessful, neglected war in Afghanistan, where al-Qaida really does hang out.

Those who feel deeply sickened by what happened to America on 9/11 are now weary of tawdry, sterile politicians who use the tragedy as a meal ticket, either to seek election or to rake in big speaker fees.

As far as the United States' ability to protect itself is concerned, the long war in Iraq, with more than 140,000 American troops there, many repeatedly, means this country has little or no military reserve to use if needed.

To make America truly secure and able to rebuild itself at home, a president will need to bring the war in Iraq to an end. Mr. Bush's promise Tuesday to withdraw 8,000 troops by February, would be laughable -- like lowering the price of gas by a dime a gallon -- if it weren't so pathetic a response to the heartfelt needs of the country, on this anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.