DAYS PRECEDING, FOLLOWING 9/11 EXAMINED.

Byline: David Kronke Television Critic

In our politically polarized climate, it was inevitable that ``Path to 9/11,'' ABC's five-hour docudrama miniseries on the events leading up to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, would find itself in the crosshairs of partisan sniping.

Democrats in particular are complaining about factual inaccuracies about the government's response to the threat Osama bin Laden posed during the Clinton administration, adding that by comparison, President George W. Bush is spared criticism. Clearly, they failed to watch the thing to its bitter end, where it is made quite clear that precious few of the recommendations made by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission to strengthen national security have been acted upon.

(As of press time, because of complaints of inaccuracy, the docudrama miniseries was being re-edited.)

``Path to 9/11'' is the first docudrama to wade into these murky waters. Previous films on the tragedy released as ``entertainment'' -- the theatrical and TV films about United 93, the flight that failed to reach its target, and ``World Trade Center,'' now in theaters -- have chosen to focus on what few ennobling moments could be found on Sept. 11, 2001.

Based in part upon the 9/11 Commission's report (which has also, incongruously enough, been adapted into comic-book -- um, graphic-

novel -- form), ``Path to 9/11'' evokes the breathless urgency of a compelling spy thriller, which the report itself has been likened to.

Beginning on the morning of Sept. 11, as the terrorists board their planes, the film flashes back to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It charts the subsequent CIA and FBI investigations, their failure to contextualize ominous discoveries and the vexing way in which al-Qaida snaked its way around the globe, with attacks in Kenya, Tanzania and Yemen. FBI agent John P. O'Neill (portrayed here by Harvey Keitel) is the perfect person around which to frame the story -- despite avidly battling terrorism and fighting to get the government to focus on its threat, he was, bitterly ironically, one of those killed when the twin towers collapsed.

Outside of the political controversy, the most noteworthy thing about ``Path to 9/11'' is how thoroughly it has been slipped into a slick show-biz package. In addition to Keitel, Donnie Wahlberg, Amy Madigan, William Sadler, Penny Johnson Jerald (as Condoleezza Rice), Michael Murphy and Patricia Heaton also appear.

Characters banter like movie tough guys: ``He's got (orbs) of steel,'' ``Give me one hour with him and I'll give you all the answers you want'' and my favorite, but which will likely be excised from the version airing tonight, ``Are there any men left in Washington, or are they all cowards?''

Director David L. Cunningham shoots the proceedings in a feverish, almost impressionistic fashion, with documentary-style hand-held cameras (sometimes out of focus) and wallowing in details of Filipino decadence and Middle Eastern menace. Even as the planes are hitting, he's still piling on the stylistics, inserting a shot from the bottom of a cereal bowl as it fills with Cheerios.

Meanwhile, on the Discovery Channel tonight, Ted Koppel examines the broader social ramifications on Americans in the wake of 9/11. ``Koppel on Discovery: The Price of Security'' looks at measures the Bush administration has taken to combat terrorism, some that skirt the Geneva Convention and others that challenge the Constitution.

``The pendulum has traced an arc that began with concerns over security and now leads into worries about individual liberties and human rights,'' Koppel declares. The question: Is protecting Americans worth forsaking some of the values that make us Americans? A live town- hall meeting will follow. Thomas Kean, the head of the 9/11 Commission and a consultant on ABC's ``Path to 9/11,'' will be a participant. Expect no easy answers.

David Kronke, [phone]

[e-mail]

THE PATH TO 9/11 - Three stars

What: Controversial docudrama miniseries charting missteps made by the government leading up to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Where: ABC (Channel 7).

When: 8 tonight and Monday.

In a nutshell: Artfully absorbing, politics be damned.

KOPPEL ON DISCOVERY: THE PRICE OF SECURITY - Three stars

What: Ted Koppel asks what new security measures in the wake of 9/11 mean to Americans' privacy and freedoms.

Where: Discovery Channel.

When: 8 tonight.

In a nutshell: A troubling debate with no easy answers.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) The ABC docudrama ``Path to 9/11,'' left and above, follows the events leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks, using the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 as a starting point. The miniseries, which airs tonight and Monday, has been re-edited in response to charges of inaccuracy.

(3 -- color) Ted Koppel leads a look at what post-9/11 security measures have meant for Americans' civil liberties in ``Koppel on Discovery: The Price of Security,'' airing at 8 tonight.