In case you were wondering why the 9/11 Report is being sold in bookstores, the first paragraph of the first chapter is a good indication of how this thing reads :

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, dawned temperate and nearly cloudless in the eastern United States. Millions of men and women readied themselves for work. Some made their way to the Twin Towers, the signature structures of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Others went to Arlington,Virginia, to the Pentagon. Across the Potomac River, the United States Congress was back in session. At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, people began to line up for a White House tour. In Sarasota, Florida, President George W. Bush went for an early morning run.

After reading that, I couldn’t help but think “I wonder if this report has any sex scenes or car chases?” Or maybe an old detective character who’s been an alcoholic ever since his brother/partner was killed while on a case. Having skipped to the end, I see that the hero wasn’t able to get there in time to save the day.

From what I’ve read of the report so far, the examination of what went wrong can pretty much be summed up by this paragraph from the chapter “The System Was Blinking Red” :

In sum, the domestic agencies never mobilized in response to the threat. They did not have direction, and did not have a plan to institute.The borders were not hardened.Transportation systems were not fortified. Electronic surveillance was not targeted against a domestic threat.54 State and local law enforcement were not marshaled to augment the FBI?s efforts.The public was not warned.

I sure am glad the President “looks forward” to “studying” this report. Maybe later we can quiz him on it.