With nothing to gain, Kerry would have been better off just dodging the issue, as his running mate Sen. John Edwards does. ?Edwards twice did not respond when asked if he, too, believes life begins at conception,? The Washington Post reported dryly on July 11. Now, there?s a man who stays on message.

Luckily for all of us, the 10 members of National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States stayed ?on message.? It didn?t always look as if they would be able to, though.

Loyal Townhall readers may recall a piece last April where an intrepid columnist called for the commission to be shut down, unless it could make serious recommendations about what we need to do to prevent the next attack. ?We need more intelligence. We need better intelligence. We need to hire some people who can think like terrorists. We don?t know where the next attack will be, or how it?ll be carried out. But we must find out,? I wrote.

Back then it didn?t seem the commission could accomplish that. Hearings were being interrupted by applause -- as if those watching thought they were witnessing a sporting event, instead of an inquest into why 3,000 Americans were killed. The attorney general publicly challenged a commission member, and she responded with an op-ed in The Washington Post.

But the commission pressed ahead, completed its work and published an excellent report. They unanimously answered the question: ?What do we need to do to make ourselves safer.? The commission wants the U.S. to stay on the offensive against terrorism, improve congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence gathering, and reform the intelligence community.

Now it?s in the hands of our elected officials. President Bush says he?ll consider implementing some of the commission?s suggestions by executive order. Some lawmakers will cut short their usual August vacation as the House and Senate hold hearings. That?s a start.

We the voters must keep the pressure on. Congress should take action, or else explain why it isn?t acting. It might also help if two well-known senators, Messieurs Kerry and Edwards, would take some time off the campaign trail to do their day jobs. Sen. Kerry says he?s ?reporting for duty.? Well, we need him here in Washington, taking part in hearings and helping shape the future of our country.

Our national security may depend upon whether our politicians, like the 9/11 Commission, can stay ?on message.?