Posted on 04/02/2004 1:31:39 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Was the Democratic diatribe over the failure of White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to testify publicly – under oath – before the 9-11 Commission politically motivated?
Of course it was!
Is it a good idea for the Bush administration to allow her to break precedent and do just that?
You bet!
Did the Democrats win one?
Absolutely ... but their victory will be short-lived.
They picked the wrong battle, and ultimately this victory will cost them the war they are waging to win back the White House.
Unlike a certain junior senator from New York, Condoleezza Rice didn't get to the White House by marrying some slick, skirt-chasing sleaze-ball, who had to redefine "sexual relations" and "is" just to hold onto some semblance of respectability. She doesn't have to stand by an unfaithful man in order to keep her position of power. She doesn't have to lose her billing records or memory to cover up past misdeeds, nor does she have to acquire illegal FBI files to keep others in check.
Condi is the real deal. She is a self-made woman. She didn't achieve her success by cutting in the front of the line or cleaver manipulation. She climbed up the ladder to the very pinnacle of power in this country by hard work and determination. Not only is Dr. Rice a Russian linguist and foreign-policy expert, she plays classical music just to relax.
She doesn't have to look over her shoulder or remember exactly what she said to every person with whom she interacts. She says what she thinks based on the best information available and she doesn't have to color it or spin it in order to survive – nor does she have to apologize or make excuses.
Admittedly, there are two ways to view foreign-policy problems: The Clinton way was to ignore them when they didn't meet one of his immediate needs. He also temporarily bought his way out of many sticky situations. As for dealing with foreign terrorists, he simply put that off. From the 1993 World Trade Center attack to the 1996 take-down of Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia to the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania to the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, the Clinton administration did nothing – unless you call destroying an empty pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan or bombing a Baghdad building in the middle of the night "something."
The Bush-Rice approach is to deal with these problems head-on. One can not safely "roll back" al-Qaida. That is why the Bush team spent its first months in office developing a strategy to completely eliminate al-Qaida and, in the process, counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke – a Clinton do-nothing holdover – got demoted.
The pompous "Barron von Clarke" simply couldn't deal with it, so he wrote a "kiss and tell" book in which he tried to belittle his superiors in the Bush administration by reading their minds in order to prove they were unconcerned about terrorism.
Mr. Clarke told the 9-11 Commission that in January of 2001, he tried to warn Ms. Rice about the growing threat, but her facial expression "gave me the impression she had never head the term (al-Qaida) before."
As for the president, Mr. Clarke said that on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the attacks, Mr. Bush asked him if there was an Iraq connection "in a very intimidating way." Clarke stated, "He never said 'make it up,' but the entire conversation left me in absolutely no doubt that George Bush wanted me to come back with a report that said Iraq did this."
In the days following 9-11, Mr. Bush focused his attention on Afghanistan, not Iraq. However, the facts didn't dissuade Clarke's supporters who, last week, began demanding that Dr. Rice be summoned to the next 9-11 hearing in order to answer Clarke's vacuous allegations. "What does she have to hide?" they droned.
Dr. Rice hasn't been in hiding. She's been making the rounds of the major TV shows, capped by a lengthy "60 Minutes" appearance on Sunday.
The poised, articulate Rice had no trouble fielding questions from Ed Bradley – one of the best interviewers in the business. Does anyone seriously think she is going to have any trouble with 9-11 panel members?
Get real!
Democrats will get their wish. Condoleezza Rice will testify and – thanks to all this hype – she will have an audience in the millions. It will be a must-see event, after which she will emerge as a future Republican vice presidential or even presidential contender.
Stock up on popcorn and get ready to enjoy the show!
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Oklahoma | 20.00 |
1 |
20.00 |
|
|
121.00 |
8 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
Well, she's not really black. Being a conservative and a republican, her soul is actually that of a rich white guy. "Black" in her case is only a skin tone. A real black person is black from the inside, with the soul of a liberal democrat. Skin tone in this case could actually be white, as it was with our first 'black' president. :-)
Which is why John Kerry had to tell his MTV audience how he is jiggy with the rap scene. I hear he is going to buy some bling-bling and start calling himself DJ-JFK. Ai, word.
Next week I think. I hope this turn out to be the biggest muchado about nothing ever seen.
For this commission to even consider the Clarke testimony as credible...just makes them non credible.
I believe another famous woman, Lizzie Borden, was famous for that.
Some of both, but mostly the former, IMO. Look at the way they went after Clarence Thomas -- same motivations. Ex-Klan officer and leading Demcrat Byrd got kudos yesterday. When will the blacks realize how they are being hoodwinked?
Is it the case that Condi will be permitted to address the commission prior to any questioning? If she came prepared to address directly and on her own terms some of the Clarke fiction it might be quite impressive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.