John Kerry's position on

The 9/11 Commission Report &endash; An independent government commission released its' final report on the events and implications of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, Washington D.C., and the failed attempt that resulted in a plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As a result of the report, the 9/11 Commission made 41 recommendations for improvements in homeland security to prevent further terrorist attacks (link).

Description of Candidate's Position: In a statement made on July 27, 2004 to a Norfolk, Virginia crowd, Kerry said that all of the recommendations set forth by the 9/11 Commission need to be implemented as soon as possible. He also stated that the commission needs to be kept at work for another 18 months and issue reports every six months updating the President on the progress of implementing these recommendations. link

Quotation from the Candidate: "Astonishingly, in the face of heightened terror alerts and nearly 3 years after 9/11, we still have no clear picture of what the Bush Administration's game plan is for reforming and strengthening our intelligence community. When will President Bush get the message? What more will it take for him to act to make real intelligence reforms. "Time is not on our side. We do not have time for delay, and we cannot afford half measures. President Bush must now work with the Congress to carry out the necessary reforms to make our nation safe." Chad Clanton, Kerry campaign spokesman.

Assessment of the Proposal:

Positive: Kerry's proposals entail a greater diplomatic approach to homeland security than a military one. Additionally, according to an interview done on the Lehrer Newshour on July 23, 2004, Phillip Zelikow, the executive director of the 9/11 Commission, suggested that the "If Congress takes the shell of this idea and then dilutes the powers so that it looks like they've done it but they haven't really done it, then you will have another bureaucratic layer, and I'll just say here, if that's the way it ends up, they might as well not do anything at all because they'll make us more worse off than we were before."

Negative: According to Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Whip, suggests that Kerry's recommendations are somewhat radical and are done in haste in order to gain a political edge. McConnell said that the commission's term does not need to be extended for another 18 months (as Kerry has suggested) and said that Kerry will "use the 9/11 report in whatever way he thinks benefits him politically."

Comparison: Bush's effort to rally intelligence efforts centers around the creation of a national counter-terrorism center along with the position of National Intelligence Director. Additionally, Bush states that the mission of the FBI is now centered on terrorism prevention and that intelligence is now integrating. Bush does not advocate all of the Commission's recommendations, while Kerry does.

Link to Bush's issue page