October 7, 2004

Panel on 9/11 commission report; ‘We are safer but we are not safe’

By Stephen Anzaldi

Northwestern and Newsweek magazine last month presented a panel discussion on The 9/11 Commission Report.

Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson discussed the 9/11 Commission’s report and impact on the United States.

photo by Stephen Anzaldi

“Perspectives on National Security: The 9/11 Commission Report and Its Impact on The Nation” featured a panel of four participants uniquely qualified to comment on the state of U.S. intelligence, the relationship between the intelligence and law enforcement institutions, and adjustments being made by public safety agencies.

Daniel Klaidman, Newsweek Washington Bureau chief, moderated the panel, which included former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson, a commission member; Director of Northwestern’s Center for Public Safety Alexander Weiss; Gregory Treverton, Rand Corporation senior policy analyst; and Michael Isikoff, Newsweek investigative correspondent.

Thompson shared what he said had become a truism for members of the commission. “We are safer today than we were on September 11, but we are not safe,” he said. “As we travel around the country speaking in support of our efforts, that conclusion chills our audiences.”

Using his opening remarks to address the commission’s recommendations, Treverton pointed out one it had not made, which was the creation of a separate domestic intelligence service. He suggested one of the reasons for the decision is that the FBI leadership has impressed many with its determination to make a fundamental change in reshaping the bureau from its law enforcement emphasis to one driven more by intelligence and prevention.

Weiss noted the improvement most public safety agencies have made since September 11 in planning for and preventing critical incidents. “Almost no scenario is rejected,” he said. “No one will ever say anymore ‘that can never happen.’”

Isikoff, who covered the commission for Newsweek, warned that much of the public is not publicly addressing several key issues raised in the text, perhaps because there is no national consensus on them. He asked how the United States fights the war on terror and roots out Islamic fundamentalists who are our enemies without alienating the Islamic world and creating more terrorists. Isikoff also called for more discussion of how to strike a balance between prosecuting terrorists at home and protecting civil liberties, as well as determining how much information the government should share with the public.