Posner on 9/11 Report

September 1, 2004

In the NY Times Book Review, Judge Richard Posner reviews the 9/11 Commission Report: The 9/11 Report: A Dissent

The prose is free from bureaucratese and, for a consensus statement, the report is remarkably forthright. Though there could not have been a single author, the style is uniform. The document is an improbable literary triumph.

However, the commission's analysis and recommendations are unimpressive. The delay in the commission's getting up to speed was not its fault but that of the administration, which dragged its heels in turning over documents; yet with completion of its investigation deferred to the presidential election campaign season, the commission should have waited until after the election to release its report. That would have given it time to hone its analysis and advice.

See also Judge Posner blogging.