Skip to main content
CNN.com International
The Web    CNN.com      Powered by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON TV
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inside Politics

9/11 report stirring political waters

Candidates looking for upper hand

From Judy Woodruff
CNN Washington Bureau

more videoVIDEO
CNN's Dana Bash looks at changes President Bush and challenger John Kerry would adopt from the 9/11 commission.
SPECIAL REPORT
• The Candidates: Bush | Kerry
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
George W. Bush
John F. Kerry
George E. Pataki
Howard Dean

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When the 9/11 commission released its final report in July, the commissioners were quick to note that their report does not politicize the security failings that enabled the attacks to occur.

The commissioners were conscious to not place blame on any particular administration in its 567 pages and 116 pages of footnotes. But in an election year, the report has become anything but apolitical.

Both Sen. John Kerry and President Bush appear to be looking for the upper hand in a battle to convince voters each is better able to protect the homeland.

Bush -- who has been under Democratic pressure fire to act swiftly --announced Monday that he will enact some of the commissioners' recommendations, including the appointment of a national director of intelligence.

Bush said he will also sign off on the creation of a new National Counterterrorism Center, one that would integrate foreign and domestic intelligence.

The president's announcement came as the government issued a new warning about possible attacks in the New York City area and the nation's capitol.

"The elevation of the threat level in New York and New Jersey and Washington, D.C. is a serious reminder, a solemn reminder of the threat we continue to face," Bush said.

But some observers -- namely Democrats -- saw other forces at work, as well.

"I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for President Bush, he plays this trump card -- which is terrorism," said Howard Dean, a former Vermont governor and vanquished Democratic presidential hopeful. "His whole campaign is based on the notion that 'I can keep you safe, therefore at times of difficulty for America stick with me,' and then out comes Tom Ridge."

It is not the first time Dean has made similar comments, but now he is acting as a surrogate for the Kerry campaign, and this remark caused speculation it was said by design.

Sen. John Kerry distanced himself from Dean's controversial comments, but Kerry's advisors went on record attacking the Bush administration's national security policies.

When I spoke Monday with Jamie Rubin, a Kerry advisor and former State Department spokesman, he blamed Bush for fostering terrorism by mishandling the war on Iraq.

"We're not as safe as we should be because President Bush went to war the wrong way in Iraq, alienated allies and has created in Iraq now a recruitment device for al Qaeda because of the chaos and vacuum we have there because the administration didn't have enough troops to win the peace," Rubin said.

New York Gov. George Pataki belittled this idea. "This has nothing to do with politics," Governor Pataki told me. "It has to do with protecting the homeland to defeat terrorism."

But when I asked Pataki if he thought terrorism has become a political tool this election year, he said, "One of the reasons I think Senator Kerry didn't get the bounce, as you were just talking about, from the Democratic convention: He didn't reassure the American people on terror, that he understands the war."

More politics.

The 9/11 commissioners maintain that the primary political focus should be on preventing another terrorist attack. CNN Correspondent Ed Henry reported that even before the threat level was raised, 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean spoke of imminent danger at a rare summer hearing on Capitol Hill on Friday.

"It is an emergency. There's an enemy out there who is planning, as we meet here, to attack us," Kean said.

Perhaps there is one real benefit to voters. There is political pressure on both Bush and Kerry to demonstrate strength when it comes to national security, and that lead to genuine intelligence reform.


Judy Woodruff is CNN's prime anchor and senior correspondent. She also anchors "Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics," weekdays at 3:30 pm ET.

Story Tools
Click Here to try 4 Free Trial Issues of Time! cover
Top Stories
Panel: Spy agencies in dark about threats
Top Stories
EU 'crisis' after summit failure

CNN US
On CNN TV E-mail Services CNN Mobile CNN AvantGo CNNtext Ad info Preferences
SEARCH
   The Web    CNN.com     
Powered by
© 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
 Premium content icon Denotes premium content.