The commission to investigate intelligence and security failures that led to Sept. 11 got a high-profile if controversial leader when Henry Kissinger, 79, accepted the White House call to head the panel. The former Secretary of State was Bush's first choice, with a strong push from Vice President Cheney. Sources tell TIME that others considered were Robert Gates, CIA director during the first Bush's Administration, and Leslie Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Critics jumped on the appointment, citing the Nixon-era diplomat's penchant for secrecy. Kissinger quickly went to work to counter that impression. He had dinner with the...
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