Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission

by Lee H. Hamilton and Thomas H. Kean

Book Overview

The untold story of how the 9/11 Commission overcame partisanship and bureaucracy to produce its acclaimed report. From the beginning, the 9/11 Commission found itself facing obstacles -- the Bush... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307263770
• ISBN13: 9780307263773
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 370 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Report on How Our Government 'Sort Of' Works

We have established a whole industry in this country of refusing to believe anything the government says about Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy conspiracy, UFO's, and it was inevitable that the same would be applied to the 9/11 commission report. In fact, it was predictable that whatever they found, whatever they published it was going to be immediately considered a whitewash, cover-up, fraud. The scream louder people in the media, the books written by 'independent investigators,' the movies that will be produced will all point to some unknown direction. They will all be different directions than the official report, and different directions than each other. This book is not about what happened on 9/11, instead it is on how the 9/11 commission worked. It's a story of how our government works. The commission was put together with both democrats and republicans (the Bush administration had the power to only put republicans on the commission but didn't). The next election was approaching. Government agencies were seeking to cover their own blame. The media was eager to report on stumbles and mistakes. On the whole, they seem to have done pretty good. It isn't pretty, but this is the way our government works. It's an excellent and most interesting book.

A rare inside look at Washington political process

I found this book fascinating. There are rarely Washington insiders with the narrative talent and an appreciation for process, and in this case, we have a book that provides both. The careful negotiations, resistance and calculations by federal agencies, the push and pull of partisan politics and the unique friendly-adversarial role of the 911 families provide for absorbing reading. If nothing else, the use of careful diplomacy by the authors in knowing when to wheedle and when to subpoena is a lesson unto itself. The delicacy of diplomacy and the ham-handedness of security considerations provide a rare insight into the difficulties of maneuvering inside the beltway, and the differences amongst and amidst the commission itself are more than simple sniping -- they are in many ways a laboratory for American political struggles. Recommended for policy wonks and aspiring diplomats, and for those, like me, who'd rather get the inside scoop on the White House than Hollywood.

An Important Dimension is added

In all honesty, the book is a little dull, especially when compared with The Looming Tower, just published. There isn't a whole lot more revealed about the 9/11 coverup than what is in the official report. However, one very striking detail is highlighted and ought to be taken seriously by the lemmings who live below the 49th parallel and above the Mexican Border: Alberto Gonzales is the man who stood between the 9/11 Commission and what the Bush administration did, failed to do, and then covered up. The US version of the Spanish Inquisitor is the architectural genius behind the current administration's efforts to dismantle the separation of powers encoded in the US Constitution, behind the US refusal to be held to the Geneva Convention in the detainment and treatment of prisoners, the chief interrogator in the gulag of secret prisons in Eastern European and Western Asian countries used by the CIA to torture Al-Qayeda suspects, and the one who has changed the make-up of the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department from a wing that essentially hired on merit attorneys with a proven track record enforcing civil rights, to politically appointing attorneys who worked in the private sector defending or attacking civil rights and affirmative action standards. In other words, kangaroo courts. Through the course of Kean and Hamilton's book, you are confronted with repeated efforts by Gonzales to stonewall the 911 Commission from completeing its publicly stated and Congressionally mandated mission. Gonzales acts on "behalf of his client." Excuse me?!?! Kean and Hamilton stop short of accusing Gonzales of obstruction, but it's quite clear that every effort is being made to ensure that the "client" never testifies or is interviewed on his own. Meanwhile, scores of Muslims are tortured and interrogated whether or not they had any active role in any Islamist organization. Kean and Hamilton allow the reader to draw their own conclusions, but it is clear that Kean is disgusted with the subterfuge of the W administration, appalled at the way the US Constitution is consistently undermined, infuriated that this government will not acknowledge how it has failed its citizenry, and determined to be part of that movement within his party to reclaim the integrity of Linclon's party. Good luck, Tom. You have an uphill battle against an entrenched mentality that harkens back to McCarthy and even to 1930's Germany. For the rest of us, what this book portends is the awakening of an electorate to their own self-deception at the hands of those who would cry wolf. The wolf in fact is already here. You all elected him President. Twice.

The Politics Of The 9-11 Commission

Two years ago, "The 9-11 Commission Report" was released and discussed the events leading up to and following the 9-11 attacks. This new book by the co-chairs of the 9-11 Commission is the story of their struggle to overcome bureaucratic obstacles and White House resistance (in the guise of White House counsel Alberto Gonzales). This account is a political one, not a fact-finding story of the actual attacks. Republican Thomas Kean and Democrat Lee Hamilton paint a damning picture of resistance at every corner and their use of PR to overcome many (but not all) of the obstacles. For those interested in the workings of Washington politics, this is an excellent read.

Outstanding Leadership!

Kean and Hamilton's invaluable leadership skills in the 9/11 Commission come through naturally, quite clearly, and throughout "Without Precedent." The effort easily could have foundered through political squabbling - either among commission members themselves, or with information sources that had various reasons to without cooperation. Fortunately, Kean and Hamilton learned from prior commissions (eg. those investigating Pearl Harbor and President Kennedy's assassination) and emphasized bi-partisanship in staffing selections, seating, public interviews, and formulating the final report - and thereby provided an excellent product. The idea of forming an independent commission to look into 9/11 was first voiced 10/01, but it took over a year before it was created. Part of the reason was a joint House/Senate Intelligence Committee investigation that had already started - however, it lacked the time etc. to go into sufficient detail, and was hampered by White House refusal to submit various documents or personnel for review. Similarly, the White House opposed the creation of the commission - "would distract from waging the ongoing war on terrorism." Fortunately, pressure from the 9/11 families got the idea enacted. Then the real struggles began. Security clearances took about two months despite many of the members having already served in high positions, and then there was the funding issue. Congress had provided only $3 million - Kean requested a staff determination of a more realistic amount ($14 million), and with Senators Lieberman and McCain (and the 9/11 families) was able to get it approved. (The Challenger Space Shuttle Commission used about $40 million; Republicans, however, were leery of the whole idea of a commission. The next problem was over-coming resistance to allowing commission members to see the House/Senate inquiry conclusions, then several battles with the White House, FAA, and NORAD for access to materials. Thanks to Kean and Hamilton's patience, however, almost all these barriers were overcome. Then it was on to NYC. Earlier, the Bloomberg administration had indicated that its cooperation would be limited, at best - despite having not even been involved. Again, however, the 9/11 Commission, building upon the credibility it had established in the prior months, overcame the resistance. Finally, it was time for the commission report. Kean and Hamilton decided to word it in a manner that garnered unanimous support from the commissioners - thus, ensuring credibility. This too was accomplished. If only all government was this effective!