Controversy swirled this week around the timing and the fictionalized content of an ABC miniseries broadcast Sunday and Monday nights in connection with the 9/11 tragedy.

While most tributes to the fifth anniversary of 9/11 focused on the human tragedy of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Centers, “The Path to 9/11” focused largely on U.S. policies before the attack and the leadership either displayed or found lacking after the planes struck.

The makers of the miniseries decided against producing a documentary based solely on verifiable facts and chose instead to flesh out their story using some fictionalized scenes and dialogue. Some members of the Clinton administration said that statements and events portrayed in the miniseries were false and/or misleading and demanded that some changes be made. Others could see little reason for Democrats to be upset about the show.

In truth, both in the miniseries and likely in real life, there appears to be plenty of blame to go around. Whatever policy errors were made in the early 1990s were compounded by the inept and confused thinking in the months leading up to the attacks.

Whatever political message viewers might have seen in “The Path to 9/11” pales by comparison to the serious message about the shortcomings in U.S. intelligence and emergency response efforts before, during and after the terrorist attacks. It also is a stern warning of what could happen in the future if efforts aren’t made to correct those problems.

While the miniseries carried disclaimers saying it contained “fictionalized scenes, composite and representatives characters and dialogue,” the majority of the events portrayed have been verified through various sources, including the official report of the 9/11 Commission. Events both before and after the attack revealed a stunning state of confusion and inability to communicate. It was not a pretty picture.

If the miniseries draws attention to the policy failures surrounding 9/11 and causes American citizens and American leaders to demand action on the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, it will have had a positive impact on both U.S. security and foreign policy and could help minimize the chances of future successful terrorist attacks on the United States.

That would be a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.