Nightline Tue - 9-11 Widows from New Jersey and 9-11 Testimony

[RamboLiberal]

From Nightline email:

TONIGHT'S FOCUS: It is a question that haunts all Americans, could anything have been done to prevent that awful event from happening? Did we drop the ball? Did we not connect the dots? Did the government fail to protect us?

At first blush another Washington hearing might not grab your interest. But you need to pay attention to this one. The 9/11 Commission was formed to try to get some answers as to what happened that led to the events of September 11th and how do we stop it from ever happening again. It may seem dry and academic, but what you need to understand is that the commission came about, in part, because of agitation by family members who wanted some answers. Tonight you will meet some of them. A group of widows from suburban New Jersey has been part of this process from the very beginning, demanding that their government thoroughly investigate the event, putting politics aside to get some answers. They are four housewives who now have an influence in the future of our nation's security. It is an inspiring story of how people can be galvanized into action in the face of an awful tragedy. How has the commission been doing? You'll hear from the women who helped create it.

You'll also hear about today's hearing, at which current and former administration officials are being drilled about how they dealt with the Al Qaeda threat. On the witness list today - current and former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeline Albright and current and former Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and William Cohen. This, of course, comes in the wake of the publication of a book by former Counter Terrorism Czar Richard Clarke, who left the current Bush administration a year ago (after serving under Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton), claiming that the Bush administration was not interested in the threat of terrorism and Al Qaeda and was focused on Iraq. There just might be some fireworks in light of that claim by Clarke. Nightline correspondent Michel Martin will provide full coverage of today's events.

Anchor Chris Bury will also talk with the Chairmen of the 9/11 Commission on what they've achieved so far and how much more needs to be done before they submit their final report on July 26. We hope you'll join us.