Sept. 11 Panel to Press, Not Subpoena Rice

AP ^ | March 28, 2004 | AP

[prairiebreeze]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks will not relent in its pursuit of public testimony from the president's national security adviser but is unlikely to subpoena Condoleezza Rice, the panel's chairman said Sunday.

The former chief counterterrorism adviser at the White House, who has criticized the Bush administration's preparedness for the attacks, said he would welcome the attempt by leading Republicans to declassify 2-year-old congressional testimony.

The lawmakers hope to show discrepancies between Richard Clarke's recent attacks on the administration's terrorism policies with flattering statements he made as a White House aide.

The White House has asked the commission for a second private session with Rice to clear up "a number of mischaracterizations" of her statements and positions about the attacks. She met with the panel for about four hours at the White House on Feb. 7.

But the White House is declining to let her appear at the commission's televised hearings, citing the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

"We will accept any testimony" from Rice, who was "very, very forthcoming in her first meeting with us," said former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, a Republican named by President Bush to lead the commission.

"But we do feel unanimously as a commission that she should testify in public. We feel it's important to get her case out there. We recognize there are arguments having to do with separation of powers. We think in a tragedy of this magnitude that those kind of legal arguments are probably overridden," Kean told "Fox News Sunday."

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"

Kean said commissioners "are still going to press" for her public testimony. Asked about issuing a subpoena in an attempt to compel her appearance, Kean said it is not clear that such a legal step is the best way to get the information sought and whether it would be successful given the doctrine of executive privilege.

"We've only got a certain life on this commission, and to get into a court battle over a subpoena we don't think is really appropriate right now, or will it help us leading to our conclusion, so we can issue a report in July, which is now our mandate," Kean said.

Rice, who was to appear on CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, has spoken at length to reporters about the administration's commitment and strategy for fighting terrorism.

She also has taken a leading role in criticizing Clarke, who testified last week that the administration was preoccupied with Iraq and ignored the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network.

Rice has said Clarke praised Bush's anti-terror efforts while working for the president, but then began telling a different story after leaving his post and writing a book that has become a best seller since going on sale last week.

On Capitol Hill last week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn, said Clarke "has told two entirely different stories under oath" - one before the commission and one in classified testimony in July 2002 before a joint House-Senate intelligence inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks.

Clarke told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he "would welcome" that declassification. He also said Rice's private testimony before the commission should be declassified, as well as e-mails, memos and all other correspondence between Rice and Clarke.

"Let's declassify everything," Clarke said.

He also accused the administration of waging a "campaign to destroy me professionally and personally," and called on the White House to "raise the level of discourse."

Clarke also fired back at the administration by reading Bush's response to his resignation letter.

Noting it was in the president's handwriting, Clarke said the letter read that he would "be missed. You served our nation with distinction and honor," and had "left a positive mark on our government."

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

Earlier Sunday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld insisted that Iraq was not a distraction for the administration in the days before and after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Even before New York and Washington were struck, al-Qaida was a concern, Rumsfeld said. "We were thinking about what to do about al-Qaida. Any suggestion that the administration was not would just be incorrect," he said on "Fox News Sunday."

Asked if Bush should apologize to the Sept. 11 families for the government's failure to prevent the attacks, Rumsfeld said the president has made clear his sorrow.

"I think the president has recognized the failure that existed and the concern he has for those people and the fact that the government, our government, was there and that attack took place. I don't know quite what else one would do," the defense secretary said.

In public hearings last week before the commission, Clarke apologized to the families of Sept. 11 victims. He said their government failed them and he did, too.

[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.