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Salon.com News | What did Bush know and when did he know it?

Surprising, get-tough comments this week by the Republican chairman of the independent commission investigating 9/11, suggesting the World Trade Center terrorist attacks could have been prevented had it not been for administration failures, mark a significant change in the committee's public persona. The comments by former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean could spell trouble for the Bush White House, which for the past two years has insisted it was powerless to stop the deadly al-Qaida strike. The commission, combing through millions of 9/11-related documents, has scheduled several public hearings for early next year that will put the White House's claims to the test.

This, coupled with the lack of WMDs in Iraq and the Yellowcake incident (in the context of an occupation going badly), could have a big impact on the administration. Also watch for survivor protests of the Republican convention in New York in late summer.