NATIONAL DISGRACE, CONT. (9/11 Commission)

New York Post ^ | 4/30/04

[kattracks]

April 30, 2004 -- We never thought former Sen. Bob Kerrey was taking seriously his responsibilities to the national 9/11 commission. But his insulting mid-meeting abandonment of President Bush's sitdown with the body yesterday was beyond the beyond. Kerrey and fellow Democrat Lee Hamilton bugged out early from the three-hour sitdown - each pleading "a prior engagement" - while Bush and Vice President Cheney sat calmly and answered the commission's questions.

[goldstategop]

The 9/11 panel has lost credibility with the public. Its clear the Democrats' interest in protecting the Clinton legacy and in using it as a political tool to remove President Bush from office. Yes, Bob Kerrey and Lee Hamilton's behavior IS inexcusable. Then again its one more illustration of exactly why their party must NOT be trusted with the national security of our country.

[Nix 2]

Yep. When pigs and democrats fly. (Was that redundant?)

[Darkwolf377]

The commission was so important that they yelled and screamed for Condi Rice to appear before it...but when the president of the country is there, they have "previous engagements"?

Kerrey had time for his stupid appearance on Jon Stewart, but not for this. A better self-indictment of the stupidity of his little kangaroo court there could never be.

[Dark Knight]

Keane and Gorelich both have ties to a Saudi Prince being sued by 600 families of the victims on 9/11. Neither should be on the committee.

Vile scum.

DK

[garylmoore]

I think that it is very plain for the American people to see that this commission is a farce, it is so obvious , even the morons can see it. I actually think that they are helping the Bush campaign.

[beckett]

It is, as the editorialist says, beyond the beyond of gobsmacking flabbergastery that two former members of Congress would walk out of historical and just about unprecedented formal interrogation of a sitting president of the United States.

I really just can't get my mind around it. Why would they do such a thing? What could possibly have been more important? Didn't they have the president's little interview penciled into their busy schedules before they made other plans?

Doesn't compute at all. What loathsome disrespect. I have never liked Kerrey (besides which, his story about what happened in that village long ago in Vietnam is not the whole truth, IMHO), but I have always thought of Hamilton as one of the very few Democrats who has some sense. His behavior really surprises me.

[Lancey Howard]

The whole exercise was a farce from the beginning, a political ploy to pander to the victims' families and to the confused masses. You know - - "We shall get to the bottom of this tragedy and make sure it never happens again. Why, we'll form.... a commission!"

After that it was off to the races for the Democrats who saw a golden opportunity to smear Bush and lay the 9-11 attacks on him. But now, as the silly charade is finally, mercifully, winding down the most important witness of all still sits on the commission, like the elephant in the living room, and refuses to testify. Ironically, because of the Gorelick fiasco, the end game for the Democrats has been reduced to one of nuancing the final report so that, while it looks "non-partisan", it will still point a subtle finger at Bush. The Republican cowards on the commission will no doubt let them get away with it.

But none of it matters anyway because the whole "commission" thing has been glaringly exposed for the political witch hunt that it's been from the start, and the American public ain't buying. The commission's credibility is hopelessly, irretrievably gone, and whatever "report" the commission finally releases won't be worth the paper it's printed on.

What a colossal waste of taxpayer money.

[MEG33]

Hamilton had a more legitimate reason than Kerrey.He is head of some Institute(think tank?) that had invited the PM of Canada to speak and was to introduce him.

Kerrey was having a meeting with Pete Domenici.The reporters will be asking Domenici,I believe, to see what was so earth shaking.

[meenie]

I am surprised at the number of supposedly enlightened people that are disappointed at the results of this commission. When political heat builds on a particular issue, commissions are formed to dissipate that heat. The size of the commission indicates the degree of heat to be cooled.

By placing a number of people on a commission, individual responsibility is transferred to a group and thereby the individual can escape the responsibility. Bait and switch is the name of the game. The person bearing the wrath of the unhappy baits the unhappy by agreeing to establish a commission to look into the problem and then lets human discord take its natural course. A perfect way to escape responsibility.

[Shery]

Righto! The WHOLE committee should resign and this commission scrapped. It would save a lot of time and money!

[KeyWest]

Might be true in some cases but not here. Bush opposed it from the start. It was the Dems who wanted it to embarrass Bush.

[YaYa123]

Keane is a grinning goose.

Hamilton has just been playing a good guy on television, while behind the scenes, he's given free rein to uber liberal lawyer, Ben Viniste. And Kerrey "went Hollywood" long ago, even before Actor's Studio and New School.

I think you got Kerrey pegged just right. "Not serious", even worse, a soundbiting showboater, and disrespectful of his duties. I'm thinking he took the job only because he knew the staff would do all the work.

Why did Hamilton and Kerrey rudely leave early? Most likely they were totally ticked that Bush was doing so well with the committee. And they were snoockered from the get-go. With Cheney there as witness, the committee wouldn't be able to leak lies without the White House's immediate response.

[freedom4me]

Looking back, I'm glad the Commmission held public hearings. We were able to see the partisan peacocks preen themselves before the cameras and, this public preening only served to show the American people that this bunch is not at all serious about the charge that has been given them. Had the proceedings been kept private, we would have been tempted to take their final recommendations seriously. We also would not have learned about the Gorelick hypocrisy. Now, we can take them and their recommendations as we should...with a grain of salt. They have been totally discredited.

[Prince Charles]

Kerry and Hamilton can now be described as "deserters" from the most important meeting held by the 911 Commission. Only time will tell if they can also be described as "AWOL."

[leprechaun9]

The Congress must DEFUND the Kean Follies immediately!

[Jimmy Valentine]

"I actually think that they are helping the Bush campaign."

Could not agree more. There will be serious "blowback" on the DemocRATS from this one.

My one hope is that they get Gorelick on the stand under oath and turn the heat way up.Between the Dept. of Justice and her stop at the Pentagon, she is the lynchpin that set the stage for the events of Sept. 11th.

As for the rest of the commission, they are as slimey as two oysters screwing in a bucket of snot.

Regards,

[Right_in_Virginia]

BTTT

[samtheman]

The 9/11 Circus of Commissars.

The Greatest Show Trial On Earth.

[OpusatFR]

Their behavior was so rude and crass that I no longer have any hope that our Congress can function.

I'm amazed that these leftists are either so stupid that they think the same treatment they have exhibited over Bush's term will not be meted out in spades to them,

Or, they are so sure that they will retain power by any means possible that they no longer even pretend to be something other than Bolsheviks.