Rice declines to testify
Earlier Wednesday, the commission said national security adviser Condoleezza Rice had declined its request to testify at a public hearing next month.
Oh, OK. She "declines." Well, that's it, then. She is the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States. But she "declines."
"We are disappointed by this decision," commission members said in a statement. "We believe the nation would be well served by the contribution she can make to public understanding of the intelligence and policy issues being examined by the commission."
What sort of contribution could she make, really? She was only the National Security Advisor before, during, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country.
The statement also asked Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to reconsider their decision to be questioned only by the commission's chairman, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, a Republican, and its vice chairman, former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, a Democrat. ( Full story )
The statement said Bush and Cheney "prefer not to meet with all members of the commission."
Get it? They would
prefer not to.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have agreed to meet privately with all members of the commission, the statement said.
Rice's predecessor in the Clinton administration, Sandy Berger, has expressed a willingness to testify, according to Felzenberg.
Well, they must have
something to hide, then.
Secretary of State Colin Powell and his predecessor, Madeleine Albright, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his predecessor, William Cohen, all have agreed to appear at the public hearing, Felzenberg said.
posted by Blicero : 2/27/2004 02:32:00 AM
