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Searching For Answers After 9/11

Could the September 11 terrorist attacks have been avoided? Last week, a panel formed to address that issue held hearings in Washington, D.C. "We keep wrestling with the question, What should have been done over the past eight years to prevent 9/11?" said Thomas Kean, the chairman of the 9/11 commission.

The commission is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats and 80 full-time staff members. So far, the panel has interviewed 1,000 people in 10 countries. Last week, top U.S. officials testified.

Richard A. Clarke, who served as a senior White House terrorism adviser for the past three Presidents, offered dramatic testimony. "Your government failed you, and I failed you," Clarke said to victims' families. "We tried hard, but that doesn't matter, because we failed." Clarke contends that the Bush White House ignored his warnings about a growing terrorist threat.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld also testified before the commission, arguing that Bush led the nation firmly and that the government's response to the tragedy was swift and strong. The 9/11 commission will submit its report by July 26.

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