Gorelick Licked

The American Spectator ^ | 4.14.04 | Wlady Pleszczynski

[hope]

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Gorelick Licked

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Published 4/14/2004 12:05:12 AM

His testimony is likely to be overshadowed by the president's news conference, but Attorney General John Ashcroft served notice yesterday that he is one administration player not afraid at all to go on offense against the Democratic louts on the so-called 9/11 commission. The full effect of the bombshell he dropped yesterday afternoon will take some time to settle. "The single greatest structural cause for September 11 was the wall that segregated criminal investigators and intelligence agents," he said in his stirring and air-clearing opening remarks. "Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before September 11, government was blinded by this wall." Who built and reinforced this wall? Ashcroft pointed to Justice Department guidelines from 1995 that "imposed draconian barriers to communications between law enforcement and intelligence communities." It was a system "destined to fail." He pointed to investigations impeded by these rules, including efforts that might have nabbed three of the 9/11 conspirators weeks if not days before the attacks. Then he got to his real point. The commission itself may not have known of the 1995 memorandum that laid out these guidelines -- "so I have declassified it for you and the public to review," Ashcroft told the commission. Next, the dagger: "Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this Commission." Ashcroft did not need to name names for all to know that he had just outed Jamie Gorelick, the long-time number two in the Clinton Justice Department and one of the most transparently partisan Democrats on the 9/11 commission. Not only did Ashcroft add to the growing pressure on Gorelick to testify before the commission rather than serve on it, specifically about what she and the administration she served failed to do about terrorism. Above all, he discredited her in the eyes of her fellow commissioners. Clearly she had never informed them of this memorandum. Now they were caught by surprise and made to look foolish. One could detect the power of Ashcroft's bombshell in the subsequent questioning. Richard Ben-Veniste's edge turned to smarm. He greeted the two surprise guests who had accompanied Ashcroft to the hearing, his respected former deputy Larry Thompson and Solicitor General Ted Olson. Ben-Veniste referred to him as "Mr. Olson," and offered renewed condolences on the death of Barbara Olson on 9/11. With Olson on Ashcroft's side, there was no way he could look bad. Ben-Veniste's only pointed question proved an embarrassment, repeating as it did morning press stories fed by Democrat leaks to the effect that Ashcroft would be asked about why he had started flying in government planes and not commercially before 9/11. When Ashcroft replied that all his personal flying had continued to be done commercially, as was his wife's, Ben-Veniste was left red-faced, grasping at a dwindling number of straws. But he couldn't have been more red-faced than Gorelick. Initially she tried mouthing denials to fellow commissioners that she was author of the memo. But when a copy was handed to her, listing her as initialed author, she had nowhere to hide. Her round of questions came last. Unlike Bob Kerrey, say, who was cordial with Ashcroft and even said it was good to see the AG "on the mend" after his recent hospitalization and operation, Gorelick established no human contact during her half-hearted queries -- none of which engaged the central point of Ashcroft's opening statement. The Democrats wanted to play hardball, but ended up clubbed on the head themselves. Wlady Pleszczynski is executive editor of The American Spectator and editor of its website.

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[PGalt]

This needs to be bumped for a week. Great, great post.

Way to go Mr. Ashcroft!

[hope]

I missed most of that....should have known that's where it would get the discussion.

[Smartass]

Link to Gorlick's Memo

Adobe Acrobat Raader Required

[hope]

I missed most of that....should have known that's where it would get the discussion.

[Smartass]

Sorry about the typo.

Link to Gorlick's Memo

Adobe Acrobat Reader Required

[Prime Choice]

OutSTANDING! Thanks for the post! Just made my day! : )

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I dropped the bomb on my cable access when the 2 year old started arguing with the 5 year old about what would be on the TV.

Now it's baseball season and my baseball team has 95% of their games on TV and only about 6 are on broadcast TV.


AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

[LdSentinal]

The Democrats got snookered again by Ashcroft.

Remember back in December, 2001? The Democrats called a commission to criticize the president's handling od detainees at Guantanomo Bay. They're were amazed that the president's approval ratings were still in the 80s.

So, Edwards, Schumer, and Leahy call on Ashcroft to testify before the commission.

Before answering any questions, Ashcroft read out loud to them the Al-Queda training manual. Then on, Ashcroft handed Schumer, Edwards, and Leahy back their asses during the questioning.

And coincidentally enough, after his testimony, Republicans overtook the Democrats in polling for the Congress.

[arjay]

I just remembered that the guest was Larry Sabato (I think). He was contemptuous of the commission.

[swheats]

I could read this one over and over and over again. Thanks for posting.

[BlueAngel]

Brit's guest was Larry Sabato. It was a great segment.

[old-ager]

aha

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Anybody else notice that it's declassified by "James A Baker".LOL Could it be?LOL

[swheats]

This too might explain the change in attitudes and commentary by Matthews.

[swheats]

The only member missing now is the attorney, Phil Beck and the members could be reassembling for the big party in November.

[Robert_Paulson2]

I gotta be honest.
I like people of faith.
But I do NOT really like folks who seem to wear it on their sleeve. I have had an attitude about SOME things ashcroft, that I did and still do not like...

HAVING SAID THAT.
Ashcroft kicked A$$ today all over that room.
Gravitas, answers in hand, stuff in their faces... kicking of the butts!

I absolutely LOVED that angelic smile that came over ben veniste when Ashcroft took him down, and down and down... and the memo thingie... DA#N if that was not CLASS ACT.

I did not see Ted Olson in there... but it explains a lot.

Attorney General Ashcroft... if you see this: "GREAT WORK from a FINE AMERICAN in the toughest of circumstances, God Bless You for a job well done."

Pretty good for a guy who just got out of the hospital too...

[hope]

"Ben-Veniste's only pointed question proved an embarrassment, repeating as it did morning press stories fed by Democrat leaks to the effect that Ashcroft would be asked about why he had started flying in government planes and not commercially before 9/11. When Ashcroft replied that all his personal flying had continued to be done commercially, as was his wife's, Ben-Veniste was left red-faced, grasping at a dwindling number of straws".

Sounds like Bin-Vineste is a proud member of the leftist lunatic fringe of Al Franken and Co.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Which C-SPAN channel?

I don't see it here.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Check the Link at post #22 !

[BradyLS]

Gorelick tried to deny she was the author of the memo??? How stupid can one get...

Evil Twin Defense.

Works on soaps, anyway!