Sept. 11 commissioners thought they were limited to 2 hours with Bush

AP ^ | 04/30/04 | AP

[Pikamax]

Sept. 11 commissioners thought they were limited to 2 hours with Bush

2 hours, 19 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Sept. 11 commission said Friday it went into its private interview with President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and Vice-President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) with the understanding it would be restricted to about two hours.

The disclosure, which came amid questions as to why two Democratic commissioners left the three-hour meeting early, appears to contradict the suggestion by the Bush administration in March that it wouldn't be setting time limits amounting to one hour each for Bush and Cheney.

"We knew when visiting with a sitting president we wouldn't get a full day or a half day," said spokesman Al Felzenberg in explaining why the panel agreed to the scheduling.

"We set a date and time convenient to the White House."

The Democrats, Lee Hamilton and Bob Kerrey, left Thursday's meeting to attend previously scheduled appointments. Hamilton, who is chairman of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, attended a luncheon at the centre honouring Prime Minister Paul Martin; Kerrey left for a meeting with a senator to discuss appropriations for New School University, of which he is president.

Both explained Friday they allowed their appointments to stand because they expected the meeting, which began at 9:30 a.m. EDT, to conclude by about 11:30 a.m. Their early departures were not intended to snub the president nor abdicate their responsibility as commissioners, they said.

"I don't think I failed in my duties to be a good commissioner by giving up a tail end of a meeting," Kerrey said on CNN's Wolf Blitzer Reports. Kerrey said he considered cancelling the appointment Thursday morning but commission chairman Tom Kean said there was no need because "we'll be done by 11:30."

In March, the commission set up separate private interviews with former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and vice-president Al Gore (news - web sites) without time restrictions. Earlier this month, Clinton met the full panel for four hours; Gore was interviewed for three hours.

The panel met resistance from Bush and Cheney, who only wanted to meet two commissioners, rather than the full panel, in separate meetings of one hour each.

Bush appeared to back off the time limit, however, after Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) accused him of stonewalling investigations of the terrorist attacks and U.S. intelligence failures. Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said the president would answer all questions without "watching the clock."

Under pressure from the commission to meet all 10 members of the panel, Bush later agreed, on the condition he be interviewed jointly with Cheney.

Felzenberg said commissioners were able to ask all the questions they had but declined to say whether only two hours of questions were prepared beforehand. The panel originally asked to meet at 9 a.m. because of Hamilton's scheduling conflict but eventually agreed to a 9:30 a.m. start.

"They asked the questions they thought the president could be helpful with," Felzenberg said.

[nuconvert]

WoW!

What a biased report!! I mean I expect bias from AP, but this is ridiculous!

[AngrySpud]

Hamilton and Kerrey wouldn't have left the meeting "early" if they thought it was leading anywhere (meaning, to their partisan benefit).

[Common Tator]

Kerry and Hamilton were just paraphrasing Al Sharpton,

"If the camera's not on... We Be Gone!!!!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Hamilton and Kerrey left the meeting "early" when they found out their laptops were going to be confiscated and checked for classified material.

Can you say "two tickets to France, please"?

[MamaLucci]

No kidding....the last 6 or 7 lines could have been taken directly from DNC talking points......and probably were.

[Right_in_Virginia]

Their early departures were not intended to snub the president nor abdicate their responsibility as commissioners, they said.

Yeah...whatever....

The "Commission" is a circus. ~~ And.. everyone knows it.

[Pilsner]

Hamilton and Kerrey wouldn't have left the meeting "early" if they thought it was leading anywhere (meaning, to their partisan benefit).

I hate to quote myself, but in this I'll make an exception for something I posted this morning:

Does anybody think Bush is so shallow that he cares if these clowns walk out on him? This was a great turn of events of for Bush. Yesterday AM the media story was about how Bush was so dumb he had to have Cheney hold his hand while he cowered in his office under the 9-11 Commission's grilling. Would he survive?

Today the story is how Bush spent so much time with the Commission that they cried uncle and walked out first. Does anybody think Democrats like Kerrey and Hamilton would have left if Bush was performing badly? Not if the Rockettes were giving it away in Lafayette Park.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1127169/posts?page=60#60

[Drango]

questions as to why two Democratic commissioners left the three-hour meeting early, appears

They left early and it's Bush's fault according to the unbiased AP.

[vbmoneyspender]

It's always nice when the AP acts as a PR firm for Democratic politicians. But hey, what else is the AP good for?

[JZoback]

In March, the commission set up separate private interviews with former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and vice-president Al Gore (news - web sites) without time restrictions. Earlier this month, Clinton met the full panel for four hours; Gore was interviewed for three hours.

Like Clinton and Gore have pressing time constraints. Clinton chasing down his next intern for counseling and a golf partner to borrow his mulligans, Gore searching for that last chad and a sense of humor.

Bush is still cleaning up the pile of crap these two bozo's left the nation with.

[plain talk]

"I don't think I failed in my duties to be a good commissioner by giving up a tail end of a meeting,"

Such flippant language is disgraceful when describing a meeting with the President and Vice-President of the United States about the 9/11 terrorist attack. What can be more important than that? And if the meeting with the President and VP were not so important, why was such a big deal made of it in the first place by the dems and why such concern about not having a time limit?

[Not A Snowbird]

Okay, so their meeting ran long. They should have excused themselves for a few minutes, picked up their cell phones, and informed the second appointment that they would be late. The President of the United States takes precedence over everyone else.

Of course, knowing President Bush as I think I do by now, he probably said "hey, go ahead and take off. No problem." He likely wouldn't have viewed it as a slight.

That said, I still wouldn't have left.

[TomGuy]

Excuse-ism.

They are setting up their excuse--they thought the meeting would not last that long.

Half the world knew Bush and Cheney would be meeting with the 9-11 Commission. Had Kerrey and Hamilton not shown at the scheduled time for their other meeting, I'm sure the Canadian Minister and Senator Pete Domineci would have common sense enough to figure they (Kerrey and Hamilton) were detained by the 9-11 Commission meeting running overtime.

Kerrey and Hamilton showed disrespect for the Office of the Presidency. Now they are hoping for excuses to cover their insulting behavior.

[Alberta's Child]

"So long, Jim . . . It's been nice knowin' ya."
--- President George W. Bush, to Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords, in a phone conversation in which Jeffords announced his intention to leave the GOP and become an independent.

[texasflower]

You are correct. It was a good thing for President Bush, but I am still outraged that they treated the President of the United States in such a disrespectful manner.

[Williams]

Who the hell would allow another appointment to intrude upon A. The President of the United States and B. The vital work of the 9/11 Commission? Plus I believe one of them left to make money as a lobbyist. The White House gave them extra time, they didn't give the President or the Nation a lousy hour extra.

[Texaspeptoman]

change that last part to "what else IS AP good for?"

[MHGinTN]

AP = Ass Paper

[Mo1]

The Sept. 11 commission said Friday it went into its private interview with President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and Vice-President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) with the understanding it would be restricted to about two hours

And when they are given the opportunity to have another hour with the President and Vice President .. what do they do??

Walk out

I'm thinking if I was on this panel and after complaining of not being able to have more time to ask questions .. I'd jump at the opportunity to stay a little longer