Bush to limit interview with 9/11 panel to an hour

Reuters ^ | 2/27/04

[areafiftyone]

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States will get one hour to ask President George W. Bush what he knew about events leading up to the suicide airline hijackings, the White House said on Friday.

"They are looking at an hour as you pointed out," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said when asked by a reporter whether he could confirm reports that Bush was limiting the meeting to an hour.

Rather than sitting down with all 10 members of the so-called 9/11 commission, Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have only agreed to meet privately with its chairman, Thomas Kean, and the vice chairman, Lee Hamilton.

The panel would prefer that Bush meet with all of the members.

Created by the U.S. Congress, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States is charged with examining lapses in intelligence and national security in the months before the attacks. Strikes by hijacked airplanes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed about 3,000 people.

The panel has expressed concern that it will not have enough time to gather all the information it needs to meet a May 27 deadline to complete its report.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert has been opposed to granting the panel's request for a 60-day extension on the grounds that the report would be issued at the height of the U.S. presidential campaign, potentially politicizing its findings.

Some Democrats in Congress have accused the White House of only half-heartedly backing the commission's request for an extension.

But McClellan called such accusations "silly."

The White House chief of staff, Andrew Card, has personally appealed to Hastert to reconsider.

"We continue to urge Congress to grant an extension," McClellan said.

The White House initially opposed setting up the commission and until recently openly resisted its extension.

The Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday approved an two-month extension but it was not clear whether Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, would allow the issue to go before the Senate for a vote.

[Semper Paratus]

When is Clinton scheduled to appear?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Do they mean that the Democrats will only have one hour to continually ask the same stupid question, even if the President already answered it? How dare he.

[mewzilla]

Commission Members
Thomas H. Kean
Chair
Lee H. Hamilton
Vice Chair

Richard Ben-Veniste

Fred F. Fielding

Jamie S. Gorelick
Slade Gorton

Bob Kerrey

John F. Lehman

Timothy J. Roemer

James R. Thompson

[Mo1]

When is Clinton scheduled to appear?

Good question

[international american]

An hour is too long!

[areafiftyone]

I agree but this should keep the democreep's mouth shut for a while. Haven't heard a peep out of Clinton and Gore (Dumb and Dumber)though.

[SquirrelKing]

When is Clinton scheduled to appear?

My first thought. Knowing him it'd be a Monicagate, Bin-Ladenesque videotaped statement with him biting his lower lip.

[OldFriend]

The panel's only interest is in skewering this President.

[G.Mason]

Bob Kerrey?

That pathetic "war hero", is back on the boob tube again.

Happend to see his face on "Dimocrat Softball" last night as I was clicking the remote.

All the worms are coming out to feed on the rotting carcasses of defeated Dim presidential hopefuls while feigning surprise that some would say John F*ng Kerry is a (spit, spit) French waffle.

[international american]

"I agree but this should keep the democreep's mouth shut for a while"

Maybe id you have their jaws wired shut:)

[Semper Vigilantis]

Fix the problem, not the blame.

[ilgipper]

examining lapses in intelligence and national security in the months before the attacks

No doubt any blame must be on the activity months before the attack, even though they Islamists had been planning it for years.

[areafiftyone]

LOL

[EGPWS]

Created by the U.S. Congress, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States is charged with examining lapses in intelligence [in the oval office from 1993 through 2000] and [the lack of] national security in the months[years] before the attacks. Strikes by hijacked airplanes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon killed about 3,000 people

Alas, I couldn't help myself, for that statement parallels the misstatement "the Bush recession"!

[GraniteStateConservative]

He brought up that while LBJ went to a few funerals for Vietnam, GWB hasn't for OIF. I guess that means Kerry will bring it up, too.

[freedomlover]

The panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States will get one hour to ask President George W. Bush what he knew about events leading up to the suicide airline hijackings, the White House said on Friday.

Dang it must be a long question.

[KantianBurke]

This is silly. One damn hour for face time? How about they simply sumit to Bush a list of written questions and he responds in a similar manner?

[GraniteStateConservative]

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert has been opposed to granting the panel's request for a 60-day extension on the grounds that the report would be issued at the height of the U.S. presidential campaign, potentially politicizing its findings.

Some Democrats in Congress have accused the White House of only half-heartedly backing the commission's request for an extension.

But McClellan called such accusations "silly."

The White House chief of staff, Andrew Card, has personally appealed to Hastert to reconsider.

"We continue to urge Congress to grant an extension," McClellan said.

So, are we really supposed to believe this? That Hastert is putting his foot down and drawing a line in the sand against GWB? If the WH wanted this extension, I can't imagine that Bush would allow Hastert to stall it, unless Hastert is concerned about the re-election prospects of House Republicans from the release of the report.

[unspun]

There is a very stubborn "bossmanship" attitude at the top levels of the GOP in Illinois. "Tough guys."

They tend to become warlords with patronage armies and disbursements of "favors," some from their various campaign trusts and PAC's.

They try to play the Democrats' game, here in Illinois.