Washington, D.C.
President Bush dropped his opposition to an independent investigation of last year’s terrorist attacks to avoid a showdown with a formidable foe—angry relatives of 9/11 victims, Newsweek reported this week. Bush had argued that probing government failures would divert resources from the war on terrorism. But recent revelations of unheeded intelligence warnings brought renewed demands for a full accounting. In secret White House meetings, family members demanded a thorough investigation, and they threatened to publicly embarrass the administration if it refused. “There was a freight train coming down the tracks,” a White House official said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
