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.

[Terry Mross]

I don't get why she can "testify" on Sixty Minutes but not before the Commission on TV. She needs to get up there and refute this garbage. If it is, in fact, garbage.

[Destro]

I am tired of the Bush traps that turn out not to be so. CFR, immigration - all these Bismarkian like "traps" that never pan out.

[jackbill]

The independent commission

Independent???? Why in the hell is Jaime Gore-lick on the commission? She was the General Counsel (top lawyer) for the DOD under Clinton and the number two under Janet Reno for the DOJ under Clinton.

Can you imagine the ourcry, among the RATs and the Partisan Media if the Republicans had named John Ashcroft's number two man to the commission?

Give it a break. The RATs have made this commission a kangaroo court. The President should ignore it.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"If I was Bush I would have fired Condi on 9/12"

You're not, and I thank God for that.

"Well I would like to find an NSA advisor who could have imagined."

I guess he should have hired Tom Clancy for the job. In actuality, I wish to God Tom Clancy would STOP WRITING.

[Milligan]

Maybe your right. FDR Administration watched the Japanese taking over the Pacific but didn't do anything until the attack on Pearl Harbor. Maybe Churchill knew but kept that information from FDR. The American public didn't want to go into war until the attack happen. The US military wasn't ready for war and they were terrible underfunded at the start. My father said he had to train on wooden rifles and was in bootcamp for one week before he was shipped off to the Pacific.
If they did have a Pearl Harbor Commission, they waited after the war. Imagine if they had a open commission while troops were trying to fight a war? This 9-11 Commission goes back to Kerry's Testimony back in 1971. It's undermining our leadership and morale.

[Destro]

Why thank God for that? Defend her record? Go ask the people of FYROM how good Condi is.

[MNJohnnie]

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.


OK, so instead you favor scapegoating the guitless while those responsbile walkaway scot free? Perhaps instead of being so hysterically determined to find someone to blame we look in the mirror. WE ALL dropped the ball. We thought the world was a nice safe place after the Berlin Wall came down. We let the Clinton crowd gut defense and intelligence cause HEY we were the load superpower now and no one could hurt us. Instead of playing the childish hate Bush bigot's game, let's deal with the reality that we are ALL partly to blame for 9-11. Frankly I am sick of this partisan blame game. So what????? EVEN if EVERYTHING Clarke accuses is true, SO WHAT? I am more intrested in what Bush has done SINCE 9-11 and what he WILL DO in his 2nd term then I am in this hystericly bigoted 9-11 Comission's hunt for a scapegoat.

[MNJohnnie]

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.


OK, so instead you favor scapegoating the guitless while those responsbile walkaway scot free? Perhaps instead of being so hysterically determined to find someone to blame we look in the mirror. WE ALL dropped the ball. We thought the world was a nice safe place after the Berlin Wall came down. We let the Clinton crowd gut defense and intelligence cause HEY we were the load superpower now and no one could hurt us. Instead of playing the childish hate Bush bigot's game, let's deal with the reality that we are ALL partly to blame for 9-11. Frankly I am sick of this partisan blame game. So what????? EVEN if EVERYTHING Clarke accuses is true, SO WHAT? I am more intrested in what Bush has done SINCE 9-11 and what he WILL DO in his 2nd term then I am in this hystericly bigoted 9-11 Comission's hunt for a scapegoat.

[MNJohnnie]

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.


OK, so instead you favor scapegoating the guitless while those responsbile walkaway scot free? Perhaps instead of being so hysterically determined to find someone to blame we look in the mirror. WE ALL dropped the ball. We thought the world was a nice safe place after the Berlin Wall came down. We let the Clinton crowd gut defense and intelligence cause HEY we were the load superpower now and no one could hurt us. Instead of playing the childish hate Bush bigot's game, let's deal with the reality that we are ALL partly to blame for 9-11. Frankly I am sick of this partisan blame game. So what????? EVEN if EVERYTHING Clarke accuses is true, SO WHAT? I am more intrested in what Bush has done SINCE 9-11 and what he WILL DO in his 2nd term then I am in this hystericly bigoted 9-11 Comission's hunt for a scapegoat.

[Ciexyz]

Stick to your guns, Condi. Don't give in.

[MNJohnnie]

I don't get why she can "testify" on Sixty Minutes but not before the Commission on TV. She needs to get up there and refute this garbage. If it is, in fact, garbage

Do you understand the terms "Partisan Witch hunt"? Do you understand why you do NOT establish the precedence that anytime a hyper partisan minoirity Congress party wants it can demand the NSA Advisor (A president employee not currently subject to Congressional Oversite) be subject to a Public show trial to feed their hysteric partisan bigotry? Why should Condi go before a Comission that is currently whitewashing the Clinton's role in 9-11? It is fairly obvious that no real solutions are being sought by the Comission only scapegoats. I say treat the Comission with the contempt it's actions demonstrate it deserves

[freeperfromnj]

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.

You bring up a point that I haven't seen discused anywhere. Maybe they should call Sandy Berger back and ask him about it.

[Just mythoughts]

"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."


Well then why are the LIBERALS slinging around in the grass, accusing and seeking to destroy others when the "responsibility" lies in their own dust?

[breakem]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/635142/posts

someone linked me to this on another thread.

[freeperfromnj]

Thanks for the link. You'd think the "concerned" 911 families would want to know everything. This seems like an important piece for intelligence that should not be overlooked by the "bipartisan" committee. Oh, I forgot - they're only interested in the few months that Bush was in office.

[breakem]

The issues for me are: weak response after terrorist attacks for 8 years.

Failure to grab Osama when we had the information.

Illiegal immigration (at least 7 of the 9-11 bad guys were here illegally.

Being here illegally and attending flight school.

After the Phillipine intelligence, you should have been background checked for glight school and no immigrants unless approved by a federal agancy.

[Destro]

So why were no Clinton hold overs fired by Bush after 9/11?

[Just mythoughts]

"So why were no Clinton hold overs fired by Bush after 9/11?"

There was not a friendly Senate awaiting President Bush, confirming his appointments. Somebody had to continue to work.

One does expect career people to be "nonpartisan" and those who get appointed to positions work to follow the Constitution not work to destroy it.

Hindsight is 20/20 and President Bush does not have the "EVIL" mind of leftist liberals that seek to divide and conquer.

[Tolik]

The Dems should be careful what they wish for.

Dick Morris came up with a very interesting angle (on the Hannity show): it does not matter what details are in the whole Clark story. What matters is that according to nationwide polls, voters favor Bush to fight terrorism and favor Kerry to improve economy (regardless of my personal opinion about Kerry). That means that as long as 9/11 and terrorism are in agenda, it favors Bush, REGARDLESS of specifics.

[marron]

(dang, I hope you're right, and I hope I'm right)