I’ve been meaning to write about the 9\/11 commission report, and how the Bush administration has been dragging its feat and undermining what should be a thorough investigation of the worst attack on America in our history.<\/p>\n
There’s a lot going on with this, more than I could cover in a post (or two). But there’s one interesting angle that’s popped up that I thought I could quickly share.<\/p>\n
You might recall before we invaded Iraq, Hussein’s government allowed U.N. inspectors to speak to whomever they pleased — as long as they agreed to have a Hussein representative present during the questioning. The administration argued — and I agreed — that this use of “minders” ruined any chance at gathering reliable information. It’s a Stalin-like tactic, obviously used by a paranoid dictator to intimidate those who may share sensitive information that the government would prefer to keep secret.<\/p>\n
Well, guess who’s suddenly discovered their own love for “minders”?
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\nIt turns out that the independent 9\/11 commission, which has been frustrated by the administration’s stonewalling tactics<\/a> for months, was able to interview key government officials about what happened on that fateful day. There was, however, a catch. The administration insisted that hand-picked “monitors”<\/a> by permitted to attend the interviews.<\/p>\n