BuzzMachine

The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.

The 9/11 Commission report

14 comments on The 9/11 Commission report

The 9/11 Commission report

: A few early reactions to the 9/11 Commission report; more to follow…

: The report’s summary focuses far too much (though not exclusively) on Al Qaeda as the enemy. Just as the report complains about a lack of imagination (read: vision) among governments current and past, the commission lacks the imagination to see that this is a much bigger issue and enemy than one group of terorist nutjobs.

This is about democracy and civilization and the Middle East. It is about religious fanaticism. To focus just on Al Qaeda is to be just as shortsighted as the commission believes recent administrations have been.

: It is good to see that the Commission’s recommendations talk about the need to reform the Middle East but it does not go nearly far enough, for it is scared to think that perhaps invading and democratizing Iraq could be a legitimate means of combatting terrorism in the future.

The language of the report is far too mushy: We must provide an “agenda of opportunity” to people in the Middle East. What is that? A UN report? Or regime changes?

: A key assumption of the report and the commission is that (as I say below but will repeat here) the government coulda, shoulda, woulda protected us against this attack and so this is governments’ failure and thus government’s fault. The truth is that we can’t fully protect ourselves against the insane acts of evil fanatics and we must remember to blame them.

To assume that we could anticipate and thus protect ourselves against the acts of madmen is mad itself. It deludes us into a feloniously false sense of security; it only builds up a blame game for the future after the next attack no reasonable person could anticipate occurs. So much of the commission’s work is built upon this foundation and that foundation is a crumble of wishes and blame.

: The commission remains downright disrespectful to New York’s finest and bravest. I dare any of these suits put on the uniform of those men and women.

: It says we should “attack terrorists and their organizations.” Well, yes. But do they have the stomach for literal military attacks in more countries in the Middle East? That what it will take.

: Based solely on the executive summary, the report itself lacks the vision to recognize how America and the world have changed because of terrorism and 9/11 and how the changes needed in the world are greater than any intelligence organization chart can prescribe.

This is bigger, so much bigger than a Warren Commission report. It’s not about one nut — Oswald or bin Laden — changing the world with one act. This is, instead, about more change that is still needed in the world. And the report does not seem to step up to that plate.

14 responses to “The 9/11 Commission report”

  1. Chris Pierson Avatar
    Chris Pierson

    “This is bigger, so much bigger than a Warren Commission report. It’s not about one nut — Oswald or bin Laden — changing the world with one act. This is, instead, about more change that is still needed in the world. And the report does not seem to step up to that plate.”
    What did you expect? This report was yanked out the government’s mouth against its will. It’s in the form it’s in because if it hjadn’t been it wouldn’t have come into existence at all.

  2. Pat M. Avatar
    Pat M.

    Jeff,
    I couldn’t agree with you more. The war on terrorism is a clash of civilizations. One wants to live in peace and the other will settle for nothing short of world domination in their intolerant image.
    The real question for me is why does this report fail to hit the mark?
    Could it be because the only way to get the required consensus is to so dilute the scope of the report – to ensure no one is offended???

  3. Chris Pierson Avatar
    Chris Pierson

    Wait… which one wants to dominate the world? ;-)

  4. ray_g Avatar
    ray_g

    My reaction after reading the executive summary:”The mountains have labored and brought forth a mouse.”

  5. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    Chris, do you honestly think that GWB wants to dominate the world? Or is that just your oh so clever wit? How dare you compare our country to some radical fundamental religious movement. Good thing we don’t have people like you in control of our country’s actions.

  6. Oliver Avatar
    Oliver

    Yeah, at least we don’t have a president who thinks that the Lord speaks through him! Oh, wait.

  7. John Avatar
    John

    The report basically reads as if both sides on the committee reached a truce — We won’t harshly criticize your guy in the final draft, and you won’t harshly criticize our guy.
    Not the best way to produce a report that contains truly meaningful recommendations for change, but fine if both sides are trying to make sure the report doesn’t become a campaign issue.

  8. Yehudit Avatar
    Yehudit

    Jeff, I agree completely with you what the issues are. So why are you voting for Kerry? Your description is much closer to Bush and the neo-cons than Kerry’s play-it-safe suck-up-to-the-UN “stability.” You can say whatever you want about execution (which I think there is evidence for that it is more competent than you think), but at least Bush has the vision and a senior team with foreign-policy experience, and there is no evidence the lightweight Kerry-Edwards admin would be even competent.

  9. anne.elk Avatar
    anne.elk

    “You can say whatever you want about execution”?
    What sort of wing nuttery is that statement?
    Bad planning, bad intelligence, bad execution, worsened outlooks, more danger, breeding ground for terrorists, squandered sympathy for America, bogged the armies down, ignored north korea, lost billions of dollars, killed US lives and those of our coalition and those of Iraqi citizens, hopes for democratic iraq squandered, ….
    Praise Jebus Judith, I wish we were married!

  10. Mork Avatar
    Mork

    The report’s summary focuses far too much (though not exclusively) on Al Qaeda as the enemy. Just as the report complains about a lack of imagination (read: vision) among governments current and past, the commission lacks the imagination to see that this is a much bigger issue and enemy than one group of terorist nutjobs.
    Jeff, it seems to me that the message in the report is pretty clear – as clear as it can be without condeming the Administration outright – that they haven’t “missed” the connection you’re talking about, but they simply do not agree that taking out random miidle east regimes is an effective way to fight terrorism.
    They didn’t “lack the imagination” to see things your way. They just think it’s wrong.

  11. Chris Pierson Avatar
    Chris Pierson

    Mike, it wasn’t I who made the comparison. But if you think global capitalism *isn’t* about dominating the world, what do you think it *is* about?

  12. Yehudit Avatar
    Yehudit

    “Mike, it wasn’t I who made the comparison. But if you think global capitalism *isn’t* about dominating the world, what do you think it *is* about?”
    Freedom, prosperity. Read Hernando de Soto.
    anne.elk: obviously I disagree with your assessment of the Bush admin’s accomplishments. I think Jeff does too, although maybe not as much as me. My question to Jeff is why he thinks Kerry is going to do a better job.

  13. gringoman Avatar
    gringoman

    Re “domination,” could we cut the crap and the cant and the American dopey-dopey, for a minute or so? Of course both sides want to dominate. That’s in the nature of things, no matter what your “sensitive” profs taught. If you and descendants are lucky, the side that finally conquers will be the one that advances (yes, Western) civilization and keeps prayer rugs and burquas strictly optional. Look, somebody has to say it.

  14. Gary Farber Avatar
    Gary Farber

    “Our enemy is twofold: al Qaeda, a stateless network of terrorists that struck
    us on 9/11; and a radical ideological movement in the Islamic world, inspired
    in part by al Qaeda, which has spawned terrorist groups and violence across
    the globe. The first enemy is weakened, but continues to pose a grave threat.
    The second enemy is gathering, and will menace Americans and American
    interests long after Usama Bin Ladin and his cohorts are killed or captured.Thus
    our strategy must match our means to two ends: dismantling the al Qaeda net-work
    and prevailing in the longer term over the ideology that gives rise to
    Islamist terrorism.

    […]

    The present transnational danger is Islamist terrorism.What is needed is a
    broad political-military strategy that rests on a firm tripod of policies to
     attack terrorists and their organizations;
     prevent the continued growth of Islamist terrorism; and
     protect against and prepare for terrorist attacks.”
    Have you read Chapter 12? It seems that when you wrote this you were “Based solely on the executive summary.” Which is remarkable, to criticize something you haven’t read.