Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-185) and index.
Presidents and the blue ribbon option -- The politics of infamy : the Roberts Commission and Pearl Harbor -- The politics of spying : the Rockefeller Commission and the CIA -- The politics of Armaggedon : the Scowcroft Commission and the MX missile -- The politics of scandal : the Tower Commission and Iran-Contra -- The politics of terror : Tom Kean and the 9/11 Commission -- Conclusion : the politics of damage control