In the wake of televised hearings and even leaks about information, it is difficult to know whether today’s release of the Sept. 11 commission report will take anyone by surprise.

We know this, from the leaks: the report won’t say the attacks were necessarily preventable; the commission will recommend a Cabinet-level intelligence position; and, the latest, 9/11 hijackers were apparently pulled aside and searched more carefully before they boarded the airplanes on that fateful day.

What we may not be prepared for, however, is the emotion such a report can prompt.

It has been nearly three years since terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and crashed a plane in Pennsylvania. Some of the memories of that day among average citizens have been diluted by time and by the controversy over other events, including the Iraq war. But inevitably, TV news programs will be repeating the footage from that day, eliciting painful some painful memories.

But a different kind of emotional reaction could happen among the officials charged with examining the report and making decisions based on its findings. We hope those officials will make rational decisions based on what is best for national security, not what is best for political expediency.

We need our government to undertake careful consideration of the findings and recommendations. The Sept. 11 commission &045;&045; a bipartisan group &045;&045; has spent months interviewing people and analyzing information, and the report the panel provides need not be taken lightly.