This Condi Rice thing confuses me.Follow

I'm really not understanding the motivation behind preventing her from testifying publically in front of the 9-11 commision. I mean, she's unqalified and a complete **** up at her job, but that's neither here no there in relation to what they'd ask her about. I just don't get it. Anyone have any thoughts? I mean clearly, they don't think she's going to fly off the handle and embarass the administration, she's on every other second on talking heads shows. Maybe there's something really obvious I'm just missing.

From what I've heard the administration is afraid that it would set a bad precedent.

Oh god forbid!! Anything but that!!

I know that's the "offical" word, but even diehard Bush supporters admit that's ******** spin. They don't want her to testify, which is fine and their legal privlidge via seperation of powers but there's certainly nothing preventing them from letting her. As to being precedent, that's ******** too. Four or five sitting NSA's have testified in the past. There really isn't any sort of precenednt implying that it's bad form.

See, I don't get that. You let RUMSFELD the quintisental loose cannon of all loose cannons go under oath but your afraid of what the "Liberal World" would do with RICE'S testimony?

Look, I don't care about the reasons to justify not having her testify in public. Whatever. They can just claim executive privlidge and not have to give any sort of reason at all and be totally justified in doing so.

What I don't understand is the motivation. Normally the motivation is transparent and the excuses are thin. Cheny's energy breifings would be a good example. The motivation is that there's something in there that's damaging. Him saying ********** the o-zone" or "don't worry, Iraq has plenty of Oil for you Enron boys" or whatever it is. I just don't see what Rice would have to say that wouldn't help the administration's case.

Unless there's a fear she'll perjure herself because of something I'm completely unaware of or that she'll be forced to contradict something she said on "60 Minutes" or whatnot.

Aside from either of those, which seem a stretch, I mean these guys like you or I breathe so I can't see them being suddenly worried about it, I just don't get it.

I think it makes a "where there's smoke there's fire" situation out of something that should have probably been forgotten about by now.

Why did Bush go into that Classroom?


He has confirmed he knew about a passenger jet flying into the North Tower before he went into that classroom.

If he was on top of the Al Qaeda threat as the are now claiming they were how could he never have thought it was anything more than an accident?

Even If it had been an accident?

Seems as if George was more interested in a Photo Op than the deaths of at least dozens of people?

That doesn't strike you in the least bit ODD?

Would you say responding to National Tradegies is one of the Jobs of the President?


A Passenger Jet flying into one of the World Trade Center towers would likely fit that description.

What really confuses me about George explanation was he Never thought it was anything more than an accident.

The record of the warnings recieved beforehand. The statements being made now by the Bush administration about be fully aware of Al Qaeda. Didn't Rice say they were at 'Battlestations'?

I guess the President wasn't in the Loop?

I am under the impression that Mr. Bush was recieving daily briefings concerning the Al Qaeda threat?

I thought that what was being said by the adiminstration?

It wouldn't have to be magic for him to know if he had been briefed that morning or even the previous morning?

Mr. Bush knew that a National Tragedy had just occurred. Rather than attempting find out what has happened he continues on with a photo op?

Are you contending that a 'read along' is a logical reaction to what had just occurred?

How is cancelling a 'read along' a Panic reaction?

If nothing else Mr. Bush completely isolated himself from finding out what had happened.

Real Threat or Horrible Tragedy sitting in a classroom in Florida hardly seems a good way spending time finding out.

Qoute:
"Would you say responding to National Tradegies is one of the Jobs of the President?


A Passenger Jet flying into one of the World Trade Center towers would likely fit that description.

What really confuses me about George explanation was he Never thought it was anything more than an accident.

The record of the warnings recieved beforehand. The statements being made now by the Bush administration about be fully aware of Al Qaeda. Didn't Rice say they were at 'Battlestations'?

I guess the President wasn't in the Loop?"

How would anyone have known anything other than that it was an accident? It wasnt like UBL was broadcasting that he was responsible. The president continued with his schedule until it was determined to be something other than an accident.

Quote:
"I am under the impression that Mr. Bush was recieving daily briefings concerning the Al Qaeda threat?

I thought that what was being said by the adiminstration?

It wouldn't have to be magic for him to know if he had been briefed that morning or even the previous morning?

Mr. Bush knew that a National Tragedy had just occurred. Rather than attempting find out what has happened he continues on with a photo op?

Are you contending that a 'read along' is a logical reaction to what had just occurred?"

So I guess you think that Condi Rice told the president the morning of 9/11 that Alqaeda was going to crash a plane into the WTC and the President said nah I dont believe it?? So he should have known the minute that it happened that oh sh@t Condi was right?? No one knew. I am not positive of the time line; however, I believe at the time of the read along one plane had crashed into the WTC and there was a modest amount of casualties.

Hypothetically speaking if nothing else had happened that day and just that one plane had crashed into the WTC and it had been an accident. Would you be questioning now what the President did?

How is sitting in front of a room of school children the right thing?

He knew before he went in that a 'horrible accident' took place.



Conducting a 'read along' was the Best use of his time?

Out in front of Cameras and the children where it would be difficult for his aides to come out and brief him on what was happening?

Vassa. You are displaying an amazing ignorance of the sheer volume of things that go on during a day in the life of the president.




Yes. He did. And the only difference between this one and 20 other "horrible plane accidents" in the last 50 years is that since this one turned out to be terrorist related, you're all second guessing what the president should have done.

What was Reagan doing 10 minutes after the Pan Am flight crashed in San Diego county? Do you know? Why not? Because it didn't matter. It was an *accident*. He was probably doing one of the 50 different things he has scheduled to do on any given day, then once he had accurate info about exactly what happened (which was probably a few hours later) he probably directed his communications director to give a statement.

That's what presidents do when tradgedies occur. He has way to full of a schedule to simply drop everything anytime something unexpected comes up. That's why he has a staff.





What exactly did you expect him to do? Jump into his special presidential jet fighter, swoop over to NYC, and save the day himself? Honestly? What should he have done. Spending the next 10 minutes doing what was on his schedule (which happened to be an appearance with some school kids) was exactly what he should have done. You can second guess all day long, but there really is nothing sinister here.


What are you suggesting? That bush had this evil plan whereby in the event of a terrorist act against the US, he would specifically arrange to be sitting in front of a room full of schoolchildren for a photo op? Ok... As evil plans go, that one's pretty lame...


I'm thinking pure coincidence. His staff took action to move him when it became clear that this was a terrorist event and there was a reason to move him. End of story. Until that point, he was going to continue his scheduled days work. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

You've really got to stop watching all those conspiracy theory shows. This one's just ridiculous.

What briefings exactly? I just don't think you understand how many things a president deals with in a day. While I certainly am not privvy to any specifics, I can't imagine a single thing that the President could have done after first hearing that a plane crashed into one of the WTC towers that would have made any difference.




Where are you getting this? I'll admit I haven't been scouring the media for info on this, but I have not heard that anyone knew that this was a terrorist attack until the second plane hit the towers. Where did you get the word "Battlestations" from? You make that up yourself?


Look. It was an average day. Don't read too much into the fact that the administration says they had X number of "terrorist threats", and reports that a terrorist event might occur on that day. They have those every day. Every single day, there are credible threats that the US government deals with. The president somehow manages to continue his job each day despite this. They were not at "battlestations".

Also. It's not the presidents job to deal with that stuff directly. Again. He has a staff that does this. He's got the Joint Cheifs to deal with military threats. He's got the CIA and NSA to deal with intelligence gathering and assessment. Those are the people who go on alert and change their daily activities based on threat conditions around the world. The president doesn't. He *can't*. If he does, he's sending a message that any radical in the world can alter the actions of the President of the US simply by phoning in a threat. His job really is to continue doing the day to day business of the government *until* something actually happens that requires action by him. Expecting him to do otherwise after the fact is just silly.




Yes. That's exactly what he should have been doing. What difference would a few minutes make? He was informed as soon as it became obvious that this was not an accident but was planned. What more can you possibly expect? The president does not scramble the military into action every time a plane crashes.


Do you actually think that the president would have recieved the information any faster if he'd been sitting there waiting for it? That's a horrible waste of a presidents time. When a situation occurs, the president asks when more information will be available (or sets a time when he wants a more complete briefing), and then he continues doing his normal work. When that time elapses *then* he gets more information. Standing around fretting over something may look like something he should be doing, but it's really not very productive. Most people understand that, but you apparently don't.