The rekindling of calamity at Ground Zero forces federal, state and city officials to face up to some serious problems three weeks before the sixth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.
While respects are paid to fallen firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia, officials reporting to Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepare to review what went wrong during Fire Department operations at the Deutsche Bank blaze on Saturday -- most obviously the stymied water delivery to the 17th floor.
Until now, Bloomberg, who alluded to the smoky ruins of the terror attacks in his 2005 re-election campaign, has made it a point to say that there had been no fatal accidents in the hazardous work that followed the rescue and recovery efforts.
Dan Janison
The post-Sept. 11 dismantling of the damaged and toxic bank building has a bleak history that includes dubious contracts, overlooked human remains, work mishaps and a labor stoppage. Last year, Eliot Spitzer as candidate blasted GOP Gov. George Pataki for the lack of progress in rebuilding Ground Zero. Now these problems fall on the watch of Democratic Gov. Spitzer. We'll get to see if his lower Manhattan development team is up to the task.
And in Washington, President George W. Bush's waning administration is expected to draw the spotlight - again - over how it enforces environmental and safety laws at the site. The ruins no longer serve as such a good a political backdrop as they did in 2004.