The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation

by Philip Shenon

Book Overview

New York Times reporter Shenon probes the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and uncovers startling new information about the inner workings of the 9/11 commission and its relationship with the Bush White House.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446580759
• ISBN13: 9780446580755
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Twelve
• Length: 457 Pages
• Weight: 1.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Entitled to a Pulitzer

In the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, 2,750 persons were murdered and, of these, only 292 whole bodies were found. A fierce inquiry into the cause of the horrific slaughter was expected, but the dead had died eight months into the presidency of George W. Bush. Where widows saw lost husbands, Karl Rove saw the loss of Bush's presidency. When the widows and others clamored for an inquiry, Bush, Vice-President Richard Cheney, and Speaker Dennis Hastert, strongly fought to block it, but their supporters in Congress, whose political necks were on the line, could not risk the opposition of the widows. In November, 2002, Public Law 107-306 established, and poorly funded, the 9/11 Commission, five Republicans and five Democrats, to inquire into the causes of the attacks. In July, 2004, the Commission released its report. Philip Shenon of The New York Times covered the Commission's work. His Pulitzer worthy book, The Commission, written in crisp, swift moving prose, is the result. It should be given to high school students in order that they may watch truth struggle with political hypocrisy even on the graves of the 9/11 dead. They might be surprised by what they see. They will see a report that was based only on facts and opinions unanimously found and held, encouraging trades between Commissioners, which actually occurred, and effectively inhibiting dissents. They will see a report that holds no one personally accountable, in short, a lockstep report shaped by politicians and handed down during an intense presidential pre-election period. They will see a Commission that compromised its duty to state the evidence that 9/11 was caused by America's identification with Israel. Too controversial, said the Commissioners off stage. (Ernst R. May [noted historian and Senior Adviser to the commission] When Government Writes History, A Memoir of the 9/11 Commission, May 23, 2005, The New Republic 33-34.). Surely, in the absence of a supervening cause, it is the duty of this nation to protect the lives of its people by refraining from its identification with any nation that will cause terrorist attacks on it. Such an issue was before the Commission. It hardly lay in anyone's mouth to claim that because it would generate controversy the issue should not be laid before the people. An archery award should be given to Shenon for his descriptions, among others, of the mind-boggling failures of President Bush, the incompetent Condoleezza Rice, the CIA and FBI, to track and keep under surveillance the 9/11 hijackers, some of whom were seeking big craft flying lessons in the United States. With an equal eye for telling details, Shenon describes counter terrorism Richard Clarke's now historic memorandum of September 4, 2001 that virtually shouted to Rice that a 9/11 type attack was actually imminent. One reads with fixed attention the Department of Transportation's ignorance of terrorist warnings, the FAA's ignorance that the State Depa

How Washington really works.

I found it interesting that this book has no blurbs on the cover. No forward or prologue. It just gets right down to business. It's fascinating reading. The author creates a compelling narrative. There is alot that is very damaging to certain players, but the author does not turn them into cartoon cutouts. He makes an effort to show things as they may have seen them, but doesn't let himself become ensnared in their own self-serving narratives (I'm looking at you Bob Woodward). I think the book ends up providing a great deal of insight into how Washington really works. This is how investigative political reporting should be done.

An important work offering much food for thought

Discussions of 9/11 often have an unfortunate tendency to generate more heat than light. On one side are those who condemn any challenge to the Bush administration's "excellence" as traitorous and the other those who imagine that the events of that awful day resulted from some fantastic, Byzantine, and wholly unbelievable conspiracy. As with many such polarizing debates, the vast majority is left in the ignoble middle, unable to gain insight above the din, often looking to the 9/11 Commission report. Yet, that report has taken on a status of near holy writ among near-everyone not on either of the two vocal extremes, leaving most people without perspective on its contents. That vast middle owes reporter Philip Shenon a great debt for providing a great deal much needed light. With thoroughness and precision, Shenon tracks down source after source, revealing the Commission's inner workings and structure. Even more important, Shenon knows how to tell a good story. Particularly amusing is his anecdote of 9/11 widows meeting with the Bush administration's choice to chair the commission, Henry Kissinger. These women, demonstrating a skill sorely lacking in the media after 9/11, ask Kissinger if he has any clients named "Bin Laden." First Kissinger spills his coffee, than he calls the White House and resigns. If there is a flaw in this important book, it is Shenon's use of Philip Zelikow as the story's villain. While Mr. Zelikow gives plenty to work with to fit the bill - indeed everything but a black hat and twisted mustache - ranging from his continued contacts with the White House to asking his Secretary to stop logging his calls after he'd spoken regularly with Karl Rove, this focus overshadows many other important elements of the book. Of particular interest is the Bush administration's crass, craven efforts to disrupt the Commission's work, deny them access to important people and documents, and demonize those who told truths which they found politically dangerous. Where Shenon shines is his consideration of Commission chair's Kean and Hamilton's early decision not to "point fingers." This troubling choice to lay blame on systemic factors rather than holding individuals to account for their often shocking negligence created an environment of non-responsibility which persists to this day. After Pearl Harbor, FDR showed the courage to hold the admirals responsible, creating a culture of accountability which aided the Allies through the war. Perhaps Iraq and Afganistan might have proceeded better had the 9/11 Commission taken a similar tack. Of one thing I am certain, members of all future "blue ribbon commissions" will begin their efforts with a copy of the 9/11 Report in one hand and Shenon's book in the other, and the country will better of for the insights they thus gain.

Absolutely riveting

Others will give their opinions on this book based on their political leanings or previously held opinions about 9/11. I would urge you to buy and read this book with an open mind. And I would tell you that it is absolutely impossible to put down. This is not a dry recitation of facts and dates, this is a well told, engrossing story that will raise your eyebrows and yes, anger you at points. It may also bring you close to tears as you read about what was known and not acted on up through and even after 9-11. Highly recommended.

The Dysfunctions of Democracy

In this well-crafted, important new study, the perfect companion to Griffin's magisterial The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, we get to see from a very human perspective why the 9/11 Commission did not finally produce the truth. Most fascinating to me (and the book is tough to put down), the 9/11 Commission stands as a paradigm case for analysis of the inherent problem plaguing our democracy - that the critical decisions are made by extremely small groups of decision-makers, selected with specific implications of partisan conflict, more than the more generalized public good, in mind. These groups are thus necessarily politicized, representing the interests - not of the whole of society - but of only the most powerful oligarchs. Such a group made the decision the drop the bomb on Hiroshima, and again such a group essentially closed the door to further publicly sanctioned investigation of the signal event of our young century. The prospective reader must note that, evidently due to his extensive investigation, Shenon writes from a definite standpoint on the events 9/11. He believes that the Bush Administration is guilty of criminal negligence (not conspiracy) - allowing, either by incompetence or some other motive, a security breakdown - and that its representatives, when they found they could no longer avert a public investigation (they managed to delay it for over 400 days - it took only 4 to start investigating Pearl Harbor), made every move possible to promote and maintain damage control, from the selection of key members of the Commission and its staff (he draws out a fantastic array of bit players, a number of whom I was wholly unfamiliar with, who distinctly influenced the course of the investigation), to what was discussed in the actual hearings, to what lines of questioning were pursued, and what paths of inquiry were not. "Rove began rewriting the strategy for Bush's 2004 reelection campaign literally the day after 9/11. He knew that Bush's reelection effort centered on his performance on terrorism; almost nothing else would matter to the voters. If the commission did anything to undermine Bush's anti-terrorism credentials - worst of all, if it is claimed that Bush had somehow bungled intelligence in 2001 that might of prevented the attacks - his reelection might well be sunk." Shenon deftly traces the political lineages as the intertwine with the crucial testimony given and not given. By discussing the character, motives, and felt obligations of the main figures involved, we get a much deeper perspective on where the Commission went astray and why. Much of the discussion centers of the role of Phillip Zelikow, whose extensive ties to central members of the Bush Administration, might give rise to a further investigative Commission. All in all, a notably balanced rendering of a topic that will surely be discussed for decades to come. For those with an interest in the future of democracy, without questi