Bush Opposes 9/11 Commission Plan

Donald Rumsfeld is the latest Bush administration official to hedge very strongly on central elements of the 9/11 commission's recommendations. Since Bush has supported a weakened, almost useless head of intelligence with no budgetary power and therefore no real authority, Rummy supports that too. But he says we should be very wary of even half-implementing other recommendations and opposes having paramilitary operations move from the CIA to the Pentagon.

Okay, the changes in our gov't structure are sweeping and far-reaching. And the 9/11 commission is not God and we don't have to accept its recommendations as the Ten Commandments.

But don't let Bush play it both ways. He wants to pretend he supports its results and wants to implement its recommendations all while opposing the substance of most of the major changes.

Bush opposed the 9/11 commission being formed, against the wishes of the victims' families.

Bush dragged his feet repeatedly, refusing to cooperate for months at a time.

Bush tried to insist the 9/11 commission wrap up its work early even though it had been so slow in responding to requests for info that the commission would have been unable to do its job properly.

Bush administration officials balked at appearing before the 9/11 commission. Bush himself was too afraid to appear in front of them on his own.

Bush pretended to embrace the final report but has clearly and consistently fought against all the major recommendations it proposed. Bush administration officials have come out in oppposition to many of those changes. Bush himself wants to castrate the central idea of creating a head of intelligence that has real authority.

And it goes on. So every time Bush tries to say he supports the commission and its findings, the media must and should say, "You're kidding, right?"