Sept. 11 Panel to Press, Not Subpoena Rice

AP ^ | March 28, 2004 | AP

[prairiebreeze]

Commissioner John Lehman, a Republican, said Rice "has nothing to hide, and yet this is creating the impression for honest Americans all over the country and people all over the world that the White House has something to hide, that Condi Rice has something to hide.

"And if they do, we sure haven't found it. There are no smoking guns. That's what makes this so absurd. It's a political blunder of the first order," Lehman told ABC's "This Week"

Has Lehman been bribed by the alphabets?? Stick to your guns Condi.

Prairie

[DallasMike]

The Dems are falling into the Bush trap. The media will play up Rice's feigned refusal to testify and then when she does agree to go publicly before the committee, all media eyes will be upon her. Heaven help the Dems who try to brutalize her. This is the classic Brer Rabbit story being played out in front of our eyes.

[Agnes Heep]

Heaven help the Dems who try to brutalize her.

My sentiments too.

[VRWC For Truth]

No, the 'Rats only wanted to acuse Bush without indicting themselves. Frist calls for a 'Rat indictment and the committee says ... oh never mind. Point GOP.

[mewzilla]

Well, while we're on the subject of talking to people, why hasn't the commission seen fit to call Laurie Mylroie, Richard Miniter, Mansoor Ijaz, Gerald Posner?

Gee, the list of people the commission can't be bothered to talk to is certainly interesting....

[Milligan]

I should apologize as a American. I really regret ignoring our national security for the last twelve years. I wrote to my government officals to tell them to stop spending tax dollars on national security since the Soviet Union collasped. I became complacent and didn't want to get involved with the outside world. I didn't really believe anyone would harm us. I'm sorry if I let my fellow citizens down. I didn't mean to have so many people killed on 911. And because of my indifference, we now have a divided country.

[prairiebreeze]

Heh! Apologies serve a very important purpose in civilized society to be sure. But, liberals love apologies don't they. Always ready to apologize.

I think it comes from their perpetual poor self esteem levels.

Prairie

[weegee]

Memogate2 told us that the Dims planned to politicize the hearings.

[MNJohnnie]

Don't forget the obvious Clinton cover up the "9-11 Commission" is doing. Sean Hannity has Clinton is ON TAPE talking about the Sudan's offer of Bin Laden yet the "independent 9-11 Commission" claims their is NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE to support the Sudan story? Now that the story is turning on the Demos watch this 9-11 Commission hype fade away just like the AWOL slander and the "Bush Knew" slander.

[sirchtruth]

"He thinks I served with distinction and honor," Clarke said, while "the rest of his staff is out there to destroy me."

Borrowing a line from Robin Williams:

Clarke is an ASSHALF he's not even good enough to be an ASSWHOLE!

[Destro]

If I was Bush I would have fired Condi on 9/12.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice stated in May 2002, "All this reporting about hijacking was about traditional hijacking." [Washington Post 9/18/02] "Never did anybody's thought process about how to protect America did we ever think that the evil-doers would fly not one, but four commercial aircraft into precious US targets - never." [NATO, 9/16/01]

Well I would like to find an NSA advisor who could have imagined.

I don't know why we Republicans are defending Rice? Bush's greatest error upon entering office was not to fire Clinton holdovers like Clarke and then not to fire all responsible parties after 9/11.

I voted for a Yale graduate CEO. What responsible CEO refuses to fire people who had responsiblity over a screw up?

Sorry for such negativism as we try to circle the wagons. B

[cardinal4]

"Let's declassify everything," Clarke said.

He said knowing full well it will not happen. He also fully knows that if they do declassify his 2002 testimony, he will probably be charged with perjury..

[marron]

The Dems should be careful what they wish for. While there is principle to be defended in not allowing Rice to be questioned publicly, it would not help their case if she decides to do it.

Her remarks give the lie to Clarke's assertions about her. The more she talks, the sillier he looks.

I saw parts of Powell's remarks before the commission. He spoke well of Clarke and then proceeded to take him apart limb from limb. It was impressive, I thought. Powell is in a different position, he has to represent institutional continuity, but even within those limits he skewered Clarke.

There is no getting around the fact that the Clinton-Clarke team spent 8 years kicking the rock down the road, and the Bush-Rice team in a few short weeks overthrew Osama and the Taliban and drove them into hiding.

Clarke can blab on all he wants about Bush's refusal to focus on Osama, but he can't around the fact that on his watch, Osama had his very own country, and on Rice's watch he is either atoms or hidden at the bottom of a deep hole.

Getting Rice to come forward publicly will finish him.

[Milligan]

Why fire Condeoleezza Rice? If you read 911-Commission, it seems to be one mistake after another throughout the Clinton and Bush Administration. After the Soviet Union collasped, we downsized our National Defense. We didn't have the manpower or the budget to defend ourselves because that's what the PUBLIC wanted. PEOPLE will want changes when bad things happen. Do you think we were ready for Pearl Harbor? Did we have a Pearl Harbor Commission to see who screwed up? Blame the bombing on the enemies not ourselves.
I hope Condeoleezza Rice does testify and cram the $#!+ down their throats! I'm sure her stuff is not that highly classified to show some commonsense to the average Joe.

[breakem]

Anyone know about this?

Whatever happened to the report that Phillipine intell found a plot in a Manila. The deal was to fly airplanes into buildings in the US. They turned it over to the US in 96 or 97, I think.

Is the commission hearing this. Did we take any action after that. How did these guys get into flight schools so easilly afterwards?

[prairiebreeze]

I find practically nothing that I agree with from your post. Bush knows full well that Condi Rice is no more responsible for what happened than he is. Or Rumsfeld. Or even that damfool Clarke. Bush knows that the lions share of the responsibility rests with the one who was at the helm for so long and wouldn't risk the political capital to do what needed to be done. Unfortunately Slick only had a functioning bone on the anterior part of his anatomy and not one within his spinal column. 3000 Americans and possibly scores of others acround the world have paid the price for that weakness and dereliction.

Per Dr. Rice's orders, the counter terrorism effort had been ramped up starting in June 01, IIRC, which is 6 months after being sworn into office. Add in the obstruction and delays that the RATS gave the admin in getting up and running I find it remarkable that the new plan was completed and scheduled to be put in effect in October.....a mere 4 months after it was begun. Movers and shakers at work here!

Think about this. After years or even decades of the downsizing and misuse of intel services, the new Bush counterterrorism plan would have taken a long time to become as effective as is needed. Heck, that process is still occurring but at least it's occuring. And it was Condi's plan. And Bush had the balls to order it done.

I'm glad the President didn't apply your knee-jerk reaction to Dr. Rice because our country is far better off with her in place than without her.

I fully agree with you on one point though. The Clintonista hold-overs should have and still need to be seriously harvested from the field. And shown the front door.

Prairie

[Destro]

Do you think we were ready for Pearl Harbor? Yes we were.

Did we have a Pearl Harbor Commission to see who screwed up? Yes we did. Or did that fact of history slip by you?

[Destro]

Any NSA that claims that they did not feel it was possible that Muslim terrorists would try and slam planes into buildings should be removed from their posts. We owe nothing to Condi Rice. When did White house officials aquire a cult of personality?

Planes slame into buildings and a president fires no one who was responsible for preventing acts of terror? I have a problem with that. It may not have been her fault but it happened on her watch.

We complian that Liberals always don't take responsibility for actions. I am tired of fault free policies.

[prairiebreeze]

I couldn't disagree more.....

[Destro]

Just stating my thoughts - no conversion was attempted. I still remember 2-3 months pre 9/11 Condi stopingthe Ukraine from arming defenseless Former Yugoslav of Macedonia so that they would not take the fight to Albanian Muslim terrorists. Since that time I have had no respect for Condi Rice.