9/11 REPORT CARD

The final report from the 9/11 Commission is a series of mediocre or failing grades that, if accurate, should cause deep concern in Washington. But unlike the bipartisan commission, Congress, the White House and various agencies all have political constituencies that raise complications about the recommended reforms demanding that the commission be continued in some form to keep an eye on progress.

The 9/11 Commission should not be mistaken for the final word on increasing homeland security. When it assesses progress, it is measuring how well Washington has followed the commission’s original report in areas such as emergency preparedness, transportation and reforming the intelligence community. The commission produced a highly informed and thoughtful report, but that never meant Congress was bound to follow it to the letter.

For instance, the question of whether to declassify the overall intelligence budget was a sticking point between the House and Senate last year as Congress reformed the nation’s intelligence-gathering agencies. Eventually, the budget number remained buried in the Defense appropriation, a result perhaps influenced by the staff from the 9/11 commission, which told the Senate that a compromise with the House was acceptable. That’s what happened, but this week’s report card awards a grade of F on the issue.

Rather than focusing on individual grades, the nation should be more concerned about overall progress and, on this, the commission makes some important points: Even if some of its many recommendations require refinement, much more progress in more than 40 broad areas could be made by federal agencies, the White House and Congress. Indeed, the Bush administration has pointed out where it has made progress in several areas recently.

But who will keep an eye on this now that the commission has completed its work? The Government Accountability Office is one possibility. An independent auditor, appointed by Congress on a regular schedule, is another.

Understandable differences in interpretation and goals for improving security suggest that Washington will never receive straight As on its report card, but the Ds and Fs throughout the commission’s final report are unacceptable.