Rice readies for 9/11 hearing

Reuters ^ | 04/06/04 | David Morgan

[Pikamax]

Rice readies for 9/11 hearing Tue 6 April, 2004 16:51

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - National security adviser and presidential confidante Condoleezza Rice will enter the fray of sworn public 9-11 commission hearings to defend U.S. President George W. Bush against charges he had ignored an urgent al Qaeda threat before the September 11 attacks.

After months of White House resistance to public testimony, Rice is scheduled on Thursday to swear an oath before live television cameras in a packed congressional hearing room and then launch what many expect to be a refutation of bombshell allegations from former White House counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke.

Republicans hope her 2-1/2 hour appearance before the panel of five Republicans and five Democrats will end weeks of controversy about whether the administration heeded warnings about Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda before the 2001 attacks on Washington and New York that killed some 3,000 people.

Some even view her performance as a possible audition for a top Cabinet post, given Secretary of State Colin Powell's anticipated departure in the event of a second Bush term.

"I'm looking forward to Condi testifying," Bush told reporters this week.

"She'll be great. She's a very smart capable person who knows exactly what took place and will lay out the facts.

"That's what the American people want," added Bush, who initially opposed creation of the 9/11 panel.

Analysts say the stakes could not be higher for Bush as he counters an election-year challenge from Democrat John Kerry with a strategy showcasing his leadership of Washington's war on terrorism.

Clarke told the panel under oath on March 24 Bush did not take the al Qaeda threat seriously enough before September 11 and then undermined the U.S. war on terrorism by invading Iraq.

"Dr. Rice was at the nexus of both the most significant foreign policy as well as the most significant domestic policy decisions," commission member Bob Kerrey, a Democratic, noted in an interview with CNN.

Clarke's assertions put tremendous pressure on the White House to let Rice testify in public. The administration, which had already allowed her to meet privately with the commission, sought to avoid public testimony citing executive privilege. Her private remarks in February were not under oath.

CLOSE RELATIONS WITH BUSH

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were expected to meet together privately with the full commission in coming weeks.

Recent media coverage has focused on 2001 speeches by Rice and other administration officials that suggest Bush's foreign policy priorities centred not on al Qaeda but on China, Russia and missile defence against weapons of mass destruction.

The panel's Republican chair, Thomas Kean, and Democratic vice-chair, Lee Hamilton, have heightened the challenge for Rice by suggesting the attacks that prompted the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq could have been avoided.

"It's going to be hard if she speaks the truth," said Bert Rockman, director of the Ohio State University School of Public Policy and Management.

Polls show the controversy over Clarke's assertions has had only a muted effect on public opinion, however. On Monday, a Pew Research Centre survey registered a 53-percent approval rating for Bush's handling of the terrorist threat, despite an overall slump in ratings.

Rice, 49, a respected expert on Russia and Eastern Europe, has had a closer relationship with Bush than her predecessors did with their presidents, analysts say. From early in the 2000 campaign, she was a constant companion who deflected criticism that the then-Texas governor had no foreign policy experience.

But analysts say Rice's role in shaping policy has since been limited by the more forceful influence of Cheney, defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and others.

After Clarke mounted his critique of Bush in televised interviews and in his book, "Against All Enemies," Rice moved quickly to the forefront of a furious administration assault on his credibility.

Now, her scheduled testimony has fuelled speculation she may acknowledge failings over September 11, or even follow Clarke's example and apologise to the victims and their relatives.

"A great deal of the administration's credibility, which has been called into question, will rest on her approach. And I think she would be well-served to acknowledge that they were doing their best but not above fallibility," said Susan Rice, an assistant secretary of state under President Clinton.

[Recovering_Democrat]

I've been saying prayers for her...this is a tough week, she and her boss are being targeted for political assassination by liberal no-goods, and I hope she has the strength and wisdom to overcome.

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[HardStarboard]

Richard Clarke seen digging an extremely deep foxhole in the backyard of DNC Headquarters. McAullif digging one
for himself also.

[uncitizen]

I have complete confidence that Condi will be great. But complete confidence also that the media and Dems will say "why did she limit her testimony to 2 1/2 hours". No matter how well she does, they'll focus on something negative. And the front page photo will be an unattractive one or one in which she looks scared. Taken out of context of course.

[broadsword]

Go get 'em, Condi! I wish she were the VP. Then we could have her for President in 2008. She would be a dream come true.

[pitinkie]

anyone know what time she is up?