I found this editorial interesting in the New York Times just for the number.
“Congress is eagerly announcing assorted hearings into last month’s attempted airliner bombing near Detroit. So far, five different panels plan to grill security and intelligence officials, and more are expected to seek their time in the limelight.
The rush to inquire while public anxiety is high is understandable, but, unfortunately, it’s also evidence that one of the main valuable recommendations of the 9/11 commission continues to be ignored by Congress: the need to reform its own fractured oversight of intelligence and homeland security programs.
There are 88 separate committees and subcommittees claiming authority in the homeland security field, plus a parallel welter of panels for intelligence.”
That is the same number as the number of keys on a piano.