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9/11 Commission Report's Findings; Interview With Relatives Of 9/11 Victims; 9/11 Commission Report's Impact On Upcoming Elections

Aired July 22, 2004 - 11:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(LIVE NEWS EVENT)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry in the Motor City before the National Urban League convention, proposing his plans to help level the playing field for everyone when it comes to education, healthcare, and employment.

Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, President Bush will be presenting his plans and addressing the National Urban League during that convention. And we'll be carrying that live for you right here on CNN.

We're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we'll talk more about the 9/11 Commission report expected out -- to be made available to the public in less than 15 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, now to the 9/11 Commission's final report. It comes almost three years after the terrorist attacks on the U.S. that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Members of the commission hold a news conference at 11:30 Eastern, in just about 15 minutes from now, to publicly release the report. And we'll bring that to you live.

After the report is officially released, it will be available in bookstores and on the commission's Web site.

And on the eve of the report's release, chilling new surveillance video surfaces. It shows hijackers going through security at Washington-Dulles International Airport before boarding the plane they would crash into the Pentagon last September -- September of 2000.

The report by the 9/11 Commission is the culmination of a 20- month investigation into the terrorist plot. It is 575 pages long. It contains 1,500 footnotes.

The report says U.S. intelligence should not have been surprised by the attacks and that the main failure was one of imagination, and it recommends a sweeping overhaul of intelligence services.

We have detailed coverage of the reports release beginning with CNN Justice correspondent Kelli Arena in Washington.

Kelli, you got your hands on this nearly 600-page report. And what stands out to you...

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Sure did.

WHITFIELD: ... as you peruse that Bible.

ARENA: Well, we got through a little bit of it, Fred. And I can tell you that the bottom line here is that the commission says the 9/11 attack was definitely a shock, but should not have come as a surprise, that there were a series of warnings that Islamic extremists intended to do harm to Americans.

They say that domestic intelligence agencies never mobilized in response to those threats. For example, U.S. Intelligence officials never analyzed the possibility of using aircraft as weapons.

One phrase that we saw repeatedly throughout this report was that the commissioners criticized the intelligence community for a lack of imagination. There were also some missed opportunities that were outlines in the report.

First among them, the CIA's failure to watch-list two al Qaeda terrorists, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, who were the -- turns out were the first two al Qaeda members to be drafted for the September 11th plot. The CIA followed them for a bit, lost them but never notified the FBI or watch-listed them. The aviation community was never aware. And so, they very easily got on that plane that fateful day.

The level of detail in this book, Fred, is astounding -- 116 pages of footnotes. And -- for example, in one part of it, the commissioners suggest that the president-elect -- when you're having a transfer of power, if President Bush were to lose this election, for example, and John Kerry were to be elected -- the president-elect, they say, should submit a list of candidates for national security jobs before even being sworn in, to speed up the clearance process, and that he should name and nominate his security team no later than January 20th. That is the day, as you know, that the president takes office.

So, they're saying, look, we need to move these things along quickly. We need to be very organized so that we don't have any disruption in terms of protecting the homeland.

WHITFIELD: And Kelli, you mention -- or spell out -- at least one of their recommendations. However, we've heard from some of the members of the commission who say that any number of these recommendations couldn't possibly take place before next year -- you giving that inaugural date as one of the reasons why.

Is there likely to be a little bit of political infighting here on the expediency in which to put some of these recommendations into place, leaving the country that much more vulnerable, perhaps?

ARENA: Many of the recommendations that the commission has put forth have to go through Congressional approval. And as you know, there's very little time left in this Congressional session before the end of the year to do that.

So, the expectation is that that won't happen until next year, at least some serious discussion. And you're talking about, you know, budget and appropriations. And when it comes down to money and politics, that's where it can get ugly.

Among the major recommendations put forth, the creation of a national intelligence director with three deputies, the creation a national counter terrorism center, and some changes for Congress and Congressional committees and oversight -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Kelli Arena, thanks very much for that report in Washington.

And about 90 minutes ago, President Bush spoke briefly about the final report from the 9/11 Commission. He was joined at the White House by the commission chairs, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, who presented the president with a copy of the report.

CNN's senior White House correspondent John King has more on the administration's reaction to the commission's findings -- John?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning to you.

This is the report in public that any citizen of the United States can pick up at a bookstore beginning today. As you noted, it was presented to the president a bit earlier this morning at the White House.

Two debates right now in Washington: what went wrong -- could the government have done more to stop 9/11; and what should be done looking forward?

The report is quite fascinating. It talks of that summer, August 2001. The CIA and other agencies warning they thought an attack was coming. They thought, though, it was would be overseas.

But there also is, in this narrative, indications that some in the government didn't take the threat so seriously. In one page in this report it says George Tenet, the CIA director, was sounding alarms, but some officials at the Pentagon were saying they didn't quite believe it. So that will be one of the subjects debated.

Another will be what to do now. As Kelli Arena just noted, one of the key recommendations is to rip up the way the United States coordinates intelligence gathering and create a new position, a senior position, a national director of intelligence.

As the commission puts it -- and you see Chairman Kean to the president's right, the left of your TV screen; Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton to the right there, the president's left -- they recommend a cabinet level official who would work in the executive office of the president, much like Tom Ridge, when he was the homeland security advisor in the White House, or like the national security advisor, with muscle power, if you will, to tell the FBI, tell the CIA, tell the Pentagon how to direct their intelligence resources.

The president has not accepted that recommendation, but he did say he liked the report very much and he would look closely at the recommendations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to studying their recommendations and look forward to working with responsible parties within my administration to move forward on those recommendations.

As well, we look forward to working with the Congress on the implementation of ways to do our duty. And the most important duty we have is the security of our fellow countryman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, senior officials at the White House say one concern is if you create this new director of national intelligence and you make him or her a member of the president's staff, will that person have the autonomy, the independence to stand up to the administration if they see something that they think is wrong?

That is one of the debates going on at the White House right now. And Fredricka, as you were discussing with Kelli, the president has some recommendations to digest and to decide whether to embrace. And the Congress has some recommendations to digest. And as all that plays out, there is a question as to whether any action will come this year because Congress is close to going home in this election year.

And there also is a debate on the campaign trail, President Bush and President Kerry -- Presidential Candidate Kerry -- having a large debate about whether this incumbent president is the right man to implement these recommendations and his overall leadership in the war on terrorism -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And John, you have to wonder if a new director position would, in some way, obviate the need for the homeland security position of Tom Ridge.

KING: Well, they have tried within the Department of Homeland Security to create something like the commission recommends -- not quite the authority the commission thinks this position should have, but an intelligence clearing house within the Department of Homeland Security.

What administration officials say now is that the momentum for this new position, a director of national intelligence is pretty strong. You have both Democrats and Republicans in Congress saying you should do it. You now have this commission saying you should do it.

So, at the White House they understand this ball, if you will, is rolling pretty quickly down the hill. They say to stop it, they would have to come up with a pretty compelling alternative. WHITFIELD: John King, from Washington. Thanks very much.

KING: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Relatives of those who died on 9/11 were hoping for answers from the commission report. Earlier this morning, I talked with three women who lost loved ones on September 11th.

They are Mary Fetchet, Carol Ashley, and Monica Gabrielle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONICA GABRIELLE, LOST HUSBAND ON 9/11: We had massive failures on 9/11. And certainly we should not shy away from the word accountability. And we should hold people accountable for failures. However, this commission's job was not to do that.

To follow up with that, I urge every citizen and elected official to get a copy of this report, read it and come to their own conclusions as to where blame or accountability should be placed.

WHITFIELD: Mary, you being among those who, during the testimonies really had to reveal some very, and re-live some heart- wrenching moments -- the recording of your son's telephone call while he was in one of the World Trade Center buildings.

BRAD FETCHET, LOST LIFE ON 9/11 (audio clip): Hey mom, it's Brad. Just wanted to call and let you know. I'm sure that you've heard, or maybe you haven't heard that a plane crashed into World Trade Center One.

We're fine. We're in World Trade Center 2. I'm obviously alive and well over here. But obviously, a pretty scary experience. I saw a guy fall out of probably the 91st story, all the way down, so...

You're welcome to give me a call here. I think we'll be here all day. I'm not sure if the firm is going to shut down for the day or what. But give me a call back later. I called dad to let him know. Love you.

WHITFIELD: Did you feel that it would take moments like that in order to get the attention of the members on the 9/11 Commission?

MARY FETCHET, LOST SON ON 9/11: Well, yes. It's very painful to listen to that tape. It's sort of a double-edged sword because I love hearing Brad's voice, but certainly I hate hearing the message.

And as Monica and Carol have alluded to, there were systemic problem, breakdowns in communication, you know, on the local, state and federal level.

We're really looking forward to the recommendations today and appreciate so much the work that the commissioners and the staff have done moving this forward.

WHITFIELD: Carol, Mary talks about moving forward. What are your thoughts and what are your hopes on moving forward at this point?

Who polices or authorizes these recommended changes? What are you hoping for?

CAROL ASHLEY, LOST DAUGHTER ON 9/11: Well, as I mentioned before, I'm hoping that Congress and the president, either through executive order by the president or a legislative action by the Congress, that they will quickly put in recommendations that will make our nation more secure.

I'm absolutely hoping for that as quickly as possible. That's the way we can move forward. That's the way we can honor the people who died, to make everyone in America safe.

WHITFIELD: Carol Ashley, Mary Fetchet, and Monica Gabrielle, thanks very much, ladies, for joining us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Although the 9/11 Commission took great pains to be non-partisan in its final report, it comes just three months before the presidential election.

CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider has that angle from Boston, site of next week's Democratic national convention.

Good to see you, Bill.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, all sides have signed off, so to speak, on this report. But do you think it's inevitable that it will become a political issue?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it will because, after all, this is an election year. And both sides are eagerly combing and apprehensively combing the pages of that 547 report trying to find ammunition, charges that they can lob at their opponents.

Did Clinton take warnings seriously enough -- for instance, a CIA briefing in December 1998 about possible hijackings?

What about the CIA briefing of President Bush just 36 days before the attacks? Did he take the warning seriously enough?

The commission was scrupulously even-handed in saying there's plenty of blame to go around. And most Americans believe, in the end, these attacks were so unimaginable that no one should really take the blame.

And you probably heard a bit of my report -- or our report with John King...

SCHNEIDER: Yes. WHITFIELD: ... and Kelli Arena, a bit earlier talking about the potential delays to try to get any of these recommendations into place, mainly because Congress will be taking some time off, and then with the election. You know, there are a lot of delays.

But there is some express concern that these delays leave the country more vulnerable.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. And let me tell you one thing about this report. The political force behind this report -- and they are to be complimented on their role in this -- is the families you just spoke to, all the families of the 9/11 victims.

They made this report happen. They're the ones who put the political pressure on the White House and the Clinton White House before it, to cooperate, to have an unprecedented level of cooperation producing the documents, producing the records.

And their role could still be important in making sure that this report doesn't just sit on the shelf and gather dust, as so many commission reports have in the past.

They have to continue to lobby. They have a tremendous moral standing. They are the ones beyond partisanship who have to say, "We want to make sure that nothing like this happens again in the future."

And if they keep up the pressure, they can be just as successful in having this report's recommendations implemented as they have in getting the report produced and getting the level of cooperation that we've seen.

WHITFIELD: And to expound on that a little bit more, Bill. When, at first, many of those family members of the victims of the tragic day really didn't feel like they had much of a voice then come to find out they were able to mobilize and get the attention they need and consequently now have this report.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. They did something really unbelievable. They became a powerful political force that the White House, the Democrats, the Congress, even now the intelligence communities have been fearful of standing in their way because they have so much moral standing. And they have been careful to avoid partisanship.

So, I think hats off to them, because they have a -- they're the force that's produced this. And they are still going to be very important in trying to make sure that these recommendations just don't just fall by the wayside.

WHITFIELD: Do you then see that the White House will be gauging the response from these family members, from the release -- the public release -- now of this report before, perhaps, the Bush Administration decides to actively verbalize what their feelings are on these recommendations?

SCHNEIDER: That's right, they do not want to be criticized by these families in the next three months when the president is standing for re-election. After all, he's the incumbent. He has the most at stake in this.

And the one thing President Bush does not want is for family members to come on your show and other shows and say, the administration, the Bush and Cheney administration, is impeding the implementation of this report. The White House cannot afford that.

WHITFIELD: While it seems the report seems to equally place blame on the Clinton administration, as well as the Bush administration, it isn't so gentle about pointing the finger on various intelligence agencies and the reported failings, does it?

SCHNEIDER: That's right. The intelligence agencies and the Congress are the brunt of -- take the brunt of most of these criticisms.

They talk about unheeded warnings, about uncooperative agencies without any collaboration between them. They talk about ineffective oversight by Congress. So, it's the process of the intelligence system that comes in for most of the criticism, and they want action.

There are huge bureaucratic forces, inertia, in Washington that want to block any action, so they have a lot of work in front of them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bill, thanks very much. We'll get back to you.

Right now, we're going to go straight to the commission there where you are seeing Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton addressing the audience there.

(LIVE NEWS EVENT)

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Aired July 22, 2004 - 11:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(LIVE NEWS EVENT)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry in the Motor City before the National Urban League convention, proposing his plans to help level the playing field for everyone when it comes to education, healthcare, and employment.

Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, President Bush will be presenting his plans and addressing the National Urban League during that convention. And we'll be carrying that live for you right here on CNN.

We're going to take a short break, and when we come back, we'll talk more about the 9/11 Commission report expected out -- to be made available to the public in less than 15 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, now to the 9/11 Commission's final report. It comes almost three years after the terrorist attacks on the U.S. that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Members of the commission hold a news conference at 11:30 Eastern, in just about 15 minutes from now, to publicly release the report. And we'll bring that to you live.

After the report is officially released, it will be available in bookstores and on the commission's Web site.

And on the eve of the report's release, chilling new surveillance video surfaces. It shows hijackers going through security at Washington-Dulles International Airport before boarding the plane they would crash into the Pentagon last September -- September of 2000.

The report by the 9/11 Commission is the culmination of a 20- month investigation into the terrorist plot. It is 575 pages long. It contains 1,500 footnotes.

The report says U.S. intelligence should not have been surprised by the attacks and that the main failure was one of imagination, and it recommends a sweeping overhaul of intelligence services.

We have detailed coverage of the reports release beginning with CNN Justice correspondent Kelli Arena in Washington.

Kelli, you got your hands on this nearly 600-page report. And what stands out to you...

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Sure did.

WHITFIELD: ... as you peruse that Bible.

ARENA: Well, we got through a little bit of it, Fred. And I can tell you that the bottom line here is that the commission says the 9/11 attack was definitely a shock, but should not have come as a surprise, that there were a series of warnings that Islamic extremists intended to do harm to Americans.

They say that domestic intelligence agencies never mobilized in response to those threats. For example, U.S. Intelligence officials never analyzed the possibility of using aircraft as weapons.

One phrase that we saw repeatedly throughout this report was that the commissioners criticized the intelligence community for a lack of imagination. There were also some missed opportunities that were outlines in the report.

First among them, the CIA's failure to watch-list two al Qaeda terrorists, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, who were the -- turns out were the first two al Qaeda members to be drafted for the September 11th plot. The CIA followed them for a bit, lost them but never notified the FBI or watch-listed them. The aviation community was never aware. And so, they very easily got on that plane that fateful day.

The level of detail in this book, Fred, is astounding -- 116 pages of footnotes. And -- for example, in one part of it, the commissioners suggest that the president-elect -- when you're having a transfer of power, if President Bush were to lose this election, for example, and John Kerry were to be elected -- the president-elect, they say, should submit a list of candidates for national security jobs before even being sworn in, to speed up the clearance process, and that he should name and nominate his security team no later than January 20th. That is the day, as you know, that the president takes office.

So, they're saying, look, we need to move these things along quickly. We need to be very organized so that we don't have any disruption in terms of protecting the homeland.

WHITFIELD: And Kelli, you mention -- or spell out -- at least one of their recommendations. However, we've heard from some of the members of the commission who say that any number of these recommendations couldn't possibly take place before next year -- you giving that inaugural date as one of the reasons why.

Is there likely to be a little bit of political infighting here on the expediency in which to put some of these recommendations into place, leaving the country that much more vulnerable, perhaps?

ARENA: Many of the recommendations that the commission has put forth have to go through Congressional approval. And as you know, there's very little time left in this Congressional session before the end of the year to do that.

So, the expectation is that that won't happen until next year, at least some serious discussion. And you're talking about, you know, budget and appropriations. And when it comes down to money and politics, that's where it can get ugly.

Among the major recommendations put forth, the creation of a national intelligence director with three deputies, the creation a national counter terrorism center, and some changes for Congress and Congressional committees and oversight -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Kelli Arena, thanks very much for that report in Washington.

And about 90 minutes ago, President Bush spoke briefly about the final report from the 9/11 Commission. He was joined at the White House by the commission chairs, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, who presented the president with a copy of the report.

CNN's senior White House correspondent John King has more on the administration's reaction to the commission's findings -- John?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, good morning to you.

This is the report in public that any citizen of the United States can pick up at a bookstore beginning today. As you noted, it was presented to the president a bit earlier this morning at the White House.

Two debates right now in Washington: what went wrong -- could the government have done more to stop 9/11; and what should be done looking forward?

The report is quite fascinating. It talks of that summer, August 2001. The CIA and other agencies warning they thought an attack was coming. They thought, though, it was would be overseas.

But there also is, in this narrative, indications that some in the government didn't take the threat so seriously. In one page in this report it says George Tenet, the CIA director, was sounding alarms, but some officials at the Pentagon were saying they didn't quite believe it. So that will be one of the subjects debated.

Another will be what to do now. As Kelli Arena just noted, one of the key recommendations is to rip up the way the United States coordinates intelligence gathering and create a new position, a senior position, a national director of intelligence.

As the commission puts it -- and you see Chairman Kean to the president's right, the left of your TV screen; Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton to the right there, the president's left -- they recommend a cabinet level official who would work in the executive office of the president, much like Tom Ridge, when he was the homeland security advisor in the White House, or like the national security advisor, with muscle power, if you will, to tell the FBI, tell the CIA, tell the Pentagon how to direct their intelligence resources.

The president has not accepted that recommendation, but he did say he liked the report very much and he would look closely at the recommendations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to studying their recommendations and look forward to working with responsible parties within my administration to move forward on those recommendations.

As well, we look forward to working with the Congress on the implementation of ways to do our duty. And the most important duty we have is the security of our fellow countryman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, senior officials at the White House say one concern is if you create this new director of national intelligence and you make him or her a member of the president's staff, will that person have the autonomy, the independence to stand up to the administration if they see something that they think is wrong?

That is one of the debates going on at the White House right now. And Fredricka, as you were discussing with Kelli, the president has some recommendations to digest and to decide whether to embrace. And the Congress has some recommendations to digest. And as all that plays out, there is a question as to whether any action will come this year because Congress is close to going home in this election year.

And there also is a debate on the campaign trail, President Bush and President Kerry -- Presidential Candidate Kerry -- having a large debate about whether this incumbent president is the right man to implement these recommendations and his overall leadership in the war on terrorism -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And John, you have to wonder if a new director position would, in some way, obviate the need for the homeland security position of Tom Ridge.

KING: Well, they have tried within the Department of Homeland Security to create something like the commission recommends -- not quite the authority the commission thinks this position should have, but an intelligence clearing house within the Department of Homeland Security.

What administration officials say now is that the momentum for this new position, a director of national intelligence is pretty strong. You have both Democrats and Republicans in Congress saying you should do it. You now have this commission saying you should do it.

So, at the White House they understand this ball, if you will, is rolling pretty quickly down the hill. They say to stop it, they would have to come up with a pretty compelling alternative. WHITFIELD: John King, from Washington. Thanks very much.

KING: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Relatives of those who died on 9/11 were hoping for answers from the commission report. Earlier this morning, I talked with three women who lost loved ones on September 11th.

They are Mary Fetchet, Carol Ashley, and Monica Gabrielle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONICA GABRIELLE, LOST HUSBAND ON 9/11: We had massive failures on 9/11. And certainly we should not shy away from the word accountability. And we should hold people accountable for failures. However, this commission's job was not to do that.

To follow up with that, I urge every citizen and elected official to get a copy of this report, read it and come to their own conclusions as to where blame or accountability should be placed.

WHITFIELD: Mary, you being among those who, during the testimonies really had to reveal some very, and re-live some heart- wrenching moments -- the recording of your son's telephone call while he was in one of the World Trade Center buildings.

BRAD FETCHET, LOST LIFE ON 9/11 (audio clip): Hey mom, it's Brad. Just wanted to call and let you know. I'm sure that you've heard, or maybe you haven't heard that a plane crashed into World Trade Center One.

We're fine. We're in World Trade Center 2. I'm obviously alive and well over here. But obviously, a pretty scary experience. I saw a guy fall out of probably the 91st story, all the way down, so...

You're welcome to give me a call here. I think we'll be here all day. I'm not sure if the firm is going to shut down for the day or what. But give me a call back later. I called dad to let him know. Love you.

WHITFIELD: Did you feel that it would take moments like that in order to get the attention of the members on the 9/11 Commission?

MARY FETCHET, LOST SON ON 9/11: Well, yes. It's very painful to listen to that tape. It's sort of a double-edged sword because I love hearing Brad's voice, but certainly I hate hearing the message.

And as Monica and Carol have alluded to, there were systemic problem, breakdowns in communication, you know, on the local, state and federal level.

We're really looking forward to the recommendations today and appreciate so much the work that the commissioners and the staff have done moving this forward.

WHITFIELD: Carol, Mary talks about moving forward. What are your thoughts and what are your hopes on moving forward at this point?

Who polices or authorizes these recommended changes? What are you hoping for?

CAROL ASHLEY, LOST DAUGHTER ON 9/11: Well, as I mentioned before, I'm hoping that Congress and the president, either through executive order by the president or a legislative action by the Congress, that they will quickly put in recommendations that will make our nation more secure.

I'm absolutely hoping for that as quickly as possible. That's the way we can move forward. That's the way we can honor the people who died, to make everyone in America safe.

WHITFIELD: Carol Ashley, Mary Fetchet, and Monica Gabrielle, thanks very much, ladies, for joining us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Although the 9/11 Commission took great pains to be non-partisan in its final report, it comes just three months before the presidential election.

CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider has that angle from Boston, site of next week's Democratic national convention.

Good to see you, Bill.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, all sides have signed off, so to speak, on this report. But do you think it's inevitable that it will become a political issue?

SCHNEIDER: Well, it will because, after all, this is an election year. And both sides are eagerly combing and apprehensively combing the pages of that 547 report trying to find ammunition, charges that they can lob at their opponents.

Did Clinton take warnings seriously enough -- for instance, a CIA briefing in December 1998 about possible hijackings?

What about the CIA briefing of President Bush just 36 days before the attacks? Did he take the warning seriously enough?

The commission was scrupulously even-handed in saying there's plenty of blame to go around. And most Americans believe, in the end, these attacks were so unimaginable that no one should really take the blame.

And you probably heard a bit of my report -- or our report with John King...

SCHNEIDER: Yes. WHITFIELD: ... and Kelli Arena, a bit earlier talking about the potential delays to try to get any of these recommendations into place, mainly because Congress will be taking some time off, and then with the election. You know, there are a lot of delays.

But there is some express concern that these delays leave the country more vulnerable.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. And let me tell you one thing about this report. The political force behind this report -- and they are to be complimented on their role in this -- is the families you just spoke to, all the families of the 9/11 victims.

They made this report happen. They're the ones who put the political pressure on the White House and the Clinton White House before it, to cooperate, to have an unprecedented level of cooperation producing the documents, producing the records.

And their role could still be important in making sure that this report doesn't just sit on the shelf and gather dust, as so many commission reports have in the past.

They have to continue to lobby. They have a tremendous moral standing. They are the ones beyond partisanship who have to say, "We want to make sure that nothing like this happens again in the future."

And if they keep up the pressure, they can be just as successful in having this report's recommendations implemented as they have in getting the report produced and getting the level of cooperation that we've seen.

WHITFIELD: And to expound on that a little bit more, Bill. When, at first, many of those family members of the victims of the tragic day really didn't feel like they had much of a voice then come to find out they were able to mobilize and get the attention they need and consequently now have this report.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. They did something really unbelievable. They became a powerful political force that the White House, the Democrats, the Congress, even now the intelligence communities have been fearful of standing in their way because they have so much moral standing. And they have been careful to avoid partisanship.

So, I think hats off to them, because they have a -- they're the force that's produced this. And they are still going to be very important in trying to make sure that these recommendations just don't just fall by the wayside.

WHITFIELD: Do you then see that the White House will be gauging the response from these family members, from the release -- the public release -- now of this report before, perhaps, the Bush Administration decides to actively verbalize what their feelings are on these recommendations?

SCHNEIDER: That's right, they do not want to be criticized by these families in the next three months when the president is standing for re-election. After all, he's the incumbent. He has the most at stake in this.

And the one thing President Bush does not want is for family members to come on your show and other shows and say, the administration, the Bush and Cheney administration, is impeding the implementation of this report. The White House cannot afford that.

WHITFIELD: While it seems the report seems to equally place blame on the Clinton administration, as well as the Bush administration, it isn't so gentle about pointing the finger on various intelligence agencies and the reported failings, does it?

SCHNEIDER: That's right. The intelligence agencies and the Congress are the brunt of -- take the brunt of most of these criticisms.

They talk about unheeded warnings, about uncooperative agencies without any collaboration between them. They talk about ineffective oversight by Congress. So, it's the process of the intelligence system that comes in for most of the criticism, and they want action.

There are huge bureaucratic forces, inertia, in Washington that want to block any action, so they have a lot of work in front of them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Bill, thanks very much. We'll get back to you.

Right now, we're going to go straight to the commission there where you are seeing Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton addressing the audience there.

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