Response builds over 9/11 report

In a Tuesday campaign stop in Norfolk, Virginia, Senator Kerry called for the commission to report every six months on whether federal agencies were moving rapidly enough on carrying out needed reforms. "We cannot let politics get in the way of protecting people," he said.

Some of the commission's harshest criticism was reserved for the Congress. Oversight is still so dispersed on Capitol Hill that dozens of committee chairmen can claim some piece of the security brief. What's needed is a single point of oversight on Capitol Hill, where a relatively small group of members have the time to master the subject and agencies and "be clearly accountable for their work," the commission says. Such a move would involve a major turf battle.

"History teachers us that those in positions of authority rarely seek to cede that authority easily, so I think the recommendations regarding congressional oversight will be among the most difficult to achieve," says commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste. He adds that the commission's proposals are highly interrelated. Without congressional reform, the other elements will not be as effective.

In the first wave of reform after 9/11, Congress was also urged to centralize its oversight. In response, the House established a Select Committee on Homeland Security, comprised of other committee chairmen. But it has not prevented turf battles breaking out over how to spend homeland security dollars.

A key challenge in making America more safe is overcoming what the commission calls a failure "in imagination." For Congress and the White House, that involves asking the right questions, and knowing when the answers are accurate.

"What's needed is competent and very forceful leadership in the administration," says Aaron Gellman, an expert in aviation security at Northwestern University. "Things happen so fast....Congress can ask the right questions and demand responsive answers, either publicly or in private."

A central concern is the pace of change. While the new momentum behind the 9/11 report may keep the focus on reform, it could also be a distraction in an ongoing war, says former FBI and CIA director William Webster, now vice chair of the advisory council on homeland security.

"There are also concerns that I have when people are in a hurry to do things," he says. "Demands and the magnification of intelligence of failures over intelligence successes ... could create fixes that are not needed."

The Senate Government Operations Committee opens hearings on the implementation of the 9/11 commission recommendations with chairman Thomas Kean and vice chair Hamilton on Friday. In the House, hearings begins with the Government Reform Committee Tuesday. "We don't pretend ours is the only way to do it," says Hamilton. "But we do think there has to be movement across the board, including ... intelligence."

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