On Novermber 27, 2002, President Bush appointed former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to be chairman of a commission to investigate the government's failures to detect and prevent the September 11 terrorist attacks.

This appointment of Kissinger, who opponents accused of being a war criminal, has caused much controversy. Critics cite Kissinger's connection with the United States continued involvement in the Vietnam War, the overseeing of a secret bombing campaign in Cambodia, the backing of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and the overthrow of the government of Salvador Allende,...