"While faulting institutional shortcomings, the bipartisan report does not blame President Bush or former President Clinton for mistakes contributing to the 2001 terrorist attack, Bush administration officials familiar with the findings said."

Then they didn't do their job.  They didn't get to the truth.  This is a "political" judgment designed to help the Dems in the election.  What about blatant failures that are known in the public record, such as Gore's trading airport security for campaign contributions from the airlines?  What about Jamie Goerelich who personally authored and implemented the so-called "wall?"  So we now have to go outside the 911 Commission to get to the truth? Is the 911 Commission inventing the truth for political purposes?  I didn't know that is what they were charged with doing.

"Richard Clarke, former counterterrorism czar in the Clinton and Bush administrations and now an ABC consultant, said on the network's ''Good Morning America'' the commission avoided controversy. ''To get unanimity they didn't talk about a number of things, like what effect is the war in Iraq having on our battle against terrorism. Did the president pay any attention to terrorism during the first nine months of his administration? The controversial things, the controversial criticisms of the Clinton administration as well as the Bush administration just aren't there.''

Seems like Clarke and Joe Wilson are on the same team, not understanding pre-emption and that Iraq was on the list of "axis of evil" nations.  Seems they didn't buy that stuff.  And now he's an ABC consultant probably getting paid for his lies.  So much for the quality of the news we get.

"There was a ''failure of imagination'' to provide either Bush or Clinton with new options - particularly military approaches - to deal with al-Qaida, the official said. There also was a failure to adapt to the post-Cold War era, and people just kept trying the same kinds of things that didn't work, the official said."

Again painting with a broad brush.  Who is "people?"  Bush or Clinton.  The implication is that it was both, but Bush specifically asked for options and a more comprehensive approach, not just to fight Al Queda but to make it go away.  How can they say the above if it isn't true of both parties? Now the Dems are free to apply this criticism of the Commission only to Bush and state that Bush did not have any imagination in fighting terrorism and we should fire him and hire Kerry - who will all of a sudden have lots of "imagination."

"Commissioners have said the report also will fault Congress for poor oversight of intelligence gathering and criticize government agencies for their emergency responses to the attacks. The harshest criticism will be leveled at the FBI and CIA."

That includes Kerry doesn't it?  How can he now say that he will bring a better policy?  It only means he will bring his previous distrust of the intelligence agencies and make things even harder for them since he has the commission report in order to discredit them totally. The FBI and CIA are at fault, but their management was set by the precedent of a President, Clinton, who was asleep on the job, more concerned about the campaign contribution than the well-being of the country.  The Commission refuses to say the truth because the commission is part of the problem, part of the establishment that created the missteps of the FBI and CIA...they are the ones who did not do their job in securing our safety and they added to it by not doing their job in the 911 Commission.