Bush finally listens to Kerry (sort of)

Bush is finally heeding Kerry's call and moving forward on some of the 9/11 comission's reccomendations:

President Bush endorsed on Monday two of the main recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, including naming a national intelligence director and creating a National Counterterrorism Center.

Kerry remains on the offensive:

"I'm pleased the president has adopted some of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

"But we are at war, and when we are at war, we need to do things rapidly," he told reporters in Michigan, one of the key states in November 2 balloting for president.

(snip)

"I regret it has taken almost three years," Kerry said.

"I regret the president seems to have no sense of urgency" in making this decision, he said.

"The time is to act now, not later," Kerry said. "That means a special session (of Congress) now."

The post of a national intelligence director, which Bush has promised, must be created by Congress, which is in recess until September.

If Congress is to be reconvened, Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts, said he would suspend his campaign long enough to be counted as present in Washington.

"My interest is to protect the United States more effectively," Kerry said.

"When it's necessary to vote, I will."

Republicans will no doubt admit the President Bush flip-flopped on this one:

Bush, who had been cool to the idea of an intelligence czar and initially opposed setting up the commission itself, announced on Monday he supported the recommendation but called for the position to be independent of the White House.

*UPDATE* Josh Marshall points out how Bush's proposal is actually more different than I initally thought.

What's more, this is such a pattern for this White House that you'd think the Kerry campaign, and the Dems on the Hill, would get hold of this as a pretty manageable critique of this administration: That is, you just can't trust them.