As someone who was almost crushed like a bug by debris from the second plane on 9/11, I feel no reticence in putting blame for the attack where it should properly sit. I have no patience for people who say it was an inside job done by the CIA, but I equally have no patience for those who say George W. Bush was blameless. And so, apparently, does Donald Trump:

“When you talk about George Bush, I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time,” Mr. Trump said.

“He was president, O.K.?,” Mr. Trump said. “The World Trade Center came down during his reign.”

Bush has been warned that Bin Laden was planning to attack the US

On Aug. 6, 2001, President George W. Bush received a classified review of the threats posed by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaeda. That morning’s “presidential daily brief” — the top-secret document prepared by America’s intelligence agencies — featured the now-infamous heading: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” A few weeks later, on 9/11, Al Qaeda accomplished that goal.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Bush officials attempted to deflect criticismthat they had ignored C.I.A. warnings by saying they had not been told when and where the attack would occur. That is true, as far as it goes, but it misses the point. Throughout that summer, there were events that might have exposed the plans, had the government been on high alert. Indeed, even as the Aug. 6 brief was being prepared, Mohamed al-Kahtani, a Saudi believed to have been assigned a role in the 9/11 attacks, was stopped at an airport in Orlando, Fla., by a suspicious customs agent and sent back overseas on Aug. 4. Two weeks later, another co-conspirator, Zacarias Moussaoui, was arrested on immigration charges in Minnesota after arousing suspicions at a flight school. But the dots were not connected, and Washington did not react.

If Bush had really been so concerned about our security, he would have ordered the State Department and related agencies to check up on the activities of recent Muslim visitors from suspect Middle Eastern nations.

According to the article quoted above, the warnings actually had started coming as early as May 1st, so Bush had time to react. Furthermore:

The political journal National Review obtained the visa applications for 15 of the 19 hijackers — and evidence that all of them should have been denied entry to the country.

Almost all of the hijackers' visas were issued in Saudi Arabia, at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh or the U.S. Consulate in Jedda. Terrorist ties aside, the applications themselves should have raised red flags, say experts. The forms are incomplete and often incomprehensible — yet that didn't stop any of the 15 terrorists for whom the visa applications were obtained from coming to the United States.

Brothers Wail and Waleed al Shehri applied together in October 2000. Under "occupation" Wail wrote "teater;" brother Waleed claimed "student." The name and address of alleged employer and school was listed as "South City," and the questionable U.S. destination named as "Wasantwn."

Visas approved.

Abdulaziz Alomari claimed to be a student but didn't name a school; claimed to be married but didn't name a spouse; under nationality and gender, he didn't list anything.

Visa approved.

The article didn't make it clear whether Bush was President when the visas were approved. Regardless, he should have directed the State Department to review any visas granted based on suspicious or incomplete information from Muslim countries. He didn't.

Even worse, 7 of the 9/11 hijackers had overstayed their visas. Given the warnings Bush had received, and given the countries they came from, they should have been rounded up immediately. Bush did nothing.

This was Jeb Bush's response to Trump on Twitter:

How pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe.

After 9/11 George W. let Muslims into the country like never before, some of whom perpetrated terrible attacks. Have you ever heard of the Boston Marathon bombers? George W. Bush let these fine Muslims into the country in 2002, the year after 9/11. If he had stopped Muslim immigration, all the people killed and maimed in Boston would be alive and well right now.

George W. Bush didn't cause 9/11, but if he had been attentive, he might have been able to prevent it. He certainly did nothing to improve our security after it, refusing to secure our bordres or curtail the importation of Muslim immigrants.

This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.