[Dryerase] 9/11 Probe: Bush Gets His Way Again

[annie v]

9/11 Probe: Bush Gets His Way Again 
by Mike Wu 

The question “How did this happen?” still lingers.
Many relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks
and politicians have been asking this. They have been
pressing the government for a broad inquiry, but
thanks to an obstinate White House, the investigation
will not be as far-reaching or as unbiased as they
would have liked. 

Various groups of relatives and congressmen had been
at loggerheads with the White House for months over
the details. Bush and company won two major
concessions: the ability to appoint a chairman, and
raising the number of votes required for a subpoena to
be issued from five to six out of the 11 commission
members. The proposal passed the House and Senate as
an attachment to the Intelligence Authorization Bill. 

“They kept saying ‘We just have this little thing to
fix.’ So we fixed that, and they would come up with
three other things,” says Stephen Push, whose wife,
Lisa J. Raines, died in the plane that crashed into
the Pentagon. “We’re not crazy about the president
appointing the chairman, but our greatest concern was
the subpoena power.” 

The time frame of the investigation and the various
topics it will be investigating were two issues the
relatives of victims fought for and won. The time span
is limited to two years, with the committee having the
ability to turn in its findings earlier. Also key to
the agreement was the role that Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.) would play. One of the Republican appointees
must meet his approval. The proposal would not have
been approved otherwise. 

“As long as Sen. McCain has one of the picks, and the
others are people of integrity, then we’re guardedly
optimistic about this investigation,” Push said. 

The battle was intense. The White House wanted a
chairperson of its choice, and it wanted the
Republicans to be able to block subpoenas. Acceptance
of those proposals would have prevented the commission
from being bipartisan and from investigating whatever
and whomever it wished. The Bush administration also
wanted the commission to wrap up its findings within a
year. 

Senators from both parties believed they would need at
least 18 months to two years to complete the probe.
That length of time would have meant the report (and
any embarrassing findings) would come out in the
middle of President George W. Bush’s re-election
campaign. 

Bush and company also called for sharp limits on the
scope of the investigation. Rather than focusing on
intelligence, the White House wanted the independent
commission to investigate other areas, including
aviation security, border control, immigration policy,
and the response of the North American Aerospace
Defense Command. 

The demand for limits on the scope of the
investigation was especially stinging for those who
lost loved ones. “More than half an hour after the
second Trade Tower attack, the Pentagon was attacked.
Why weren’t jets scrambled to intercept that
airliner?” Push asked. 

The actions of the White House caused many to question
the administration’s real intentions. Sen. Joseph I.
Lieberman (D-Conn) asked the White House, “Do you
really want to allow this commission to be created?
And if you don’t, why not?” 

A coalition of four groups of families issued a
statement saying they could not understand why the
administration declared it supported an investigation
“while apparently doing everything in its power to
prevent the commission from being established.” 

Leaders of family groups promised a high-pressure
campaign against the Bush administration if the
commission proposal was rejected. Not long after that,
an agreement was reached. Commission members may be
appointed as soon as Dec. 15.


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