Dean's World

The 911 Commission Report is now out and here are a few random thoughts:

(1)Every American needs to read it for himself/herself then make his/her own judgement. We're in a political season and everyone has their spin. You can download copies. Click here for Wizbang's great collection of links that let you read it for yourself.

(2)Take the book version of the Commission report with you if you want and read it slowly. I'm going on a major trip Wednesday (three connecting flights) and will read it on my trip — but once I get to the destination (I somehow think reading it as I approach the baggage checkpoint might somehow delay my boarding the plane). It is not an expensive book to buy and reportedly reads like a thriller novel.

(3) With all the fuss about creating the Commission and its hearings, etc. the final report is a credit to the democratic process. From all reports, commission members stood back and wrote a report that reflects unanimity. So those on the left who call it a whitewash on Bush and those on the right who call it a whitewash on Clinton and criticize one president to the exclusion of the other are ignoring what this report represents. And partisans who claim its a politically biased document written by the other party are full of something Dick Cheney can say far better than we can (in writing, at least).

(4) It clearly portrays two differing presidential styles. In a story titled "Contrasting Approaches To Terrorism," The Washington Post reports:
President

Bill Clinton preferred reading detailed intelligence memos, which he marked up with notes and comments in order to receive written responses. President Bush sought early-morning, face-to-face briefings from CIA Director George J. Tenet.

Clinton tried to draw attention to the threat of terrorism by frequently mentioning it in speeches, but top aides would spend weeks or months arguing over the fine points in action memorandums — which Clinton would tinker with before signing them. Bush was tired of "swatting flies" and wanted dramatic results, bristling at the tedium of interagency coordination. He saw little need for formal meetings, instead communicating with top officials via national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.

The two presidents — and their contrasting management styles and personalities — loom large in the report released Thursday by the Sept. 11 commission. Although the bipartisan report assigns equal blame to both administrations for failing to prevent the terrorist attacks — and draws no conclusions on either president's abilities in dealing with the threat — the 567-page narrative for the first time places their actions and decisions in context, drawing often upon their own recollections and words.

So even though it is tempting (and standard operating procedure) for people on the right and left to start with a preconceived idea and select facts that support their case, this time they want to read the report for themselves, read news stories such as the one linked above for themselves, think about what they read — and THEN decide.

In other words, read, think, mentally sift on what happened (and what the commission UNANIMOUSLY recommends we do about it), then conclude — just as the commission did in writing its the report.

Because this time the stakes are too high for using it as just one more screeching partisan campaign issue.

UPDATE:
And what is at stake? This:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Security experts all believe al Qaeda is determined to launch an attack on the United States and if it can will try to use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, the chairman of the Sept. 11 commission said on Friday.

"Every single one of them expects an attack," Thomas Kean told reporters, referring to experts who had spoken to his bipartisan commission.

The only issue the experts argued about was whether al Qaeda was still capable of an operation like the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks or worse, or whether efforts to disrupt the group had reduced its ability to cause mayhem.

"But everybody feels that they are trying to mount another attack, and everybody feels that given their ideology, that they're doing their best to make it chemical, biological and nuclear because it kills more people and that's their goal," said Kean, a Republican.

UPDATE II: And how did 911 Victim's Families react to the report. For a TRULY "fair and balanced" report read this from the San Diego Union-Tribune. They clearly pulled out all stops to talk to people with differing views. This is an extremely well-written and well-reported piece that fleshes the whole issue out.