Some Bush Supporters Want Rice to Testify

[MrBadExample]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&e=1&u=/nm/20040326/ts_nm/security_rice_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some of President Bush (news - web sites)'s fellow Republicans said on Friday that he should let national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) testify publicly to confront charges by a former aide that Bush was lax on terrorism ahead of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Their comments appeared to reflect concerns over potential political damage to the president by the charges of former counterterrorism aide Richard Clarke. Bush is seeking a second term by running on his record as an anti-terror warrior.

One of the president's closest allies on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, gave a gentle nudge to Bush. He said he would support Bush's decision to stand on principle and not have Rice testify in public before a panel investigating the attacks.

But Frist added: "Personally, I think her voice is so good, so powerful that to have her come before the 9/11 commission publicly would be to the administration's benefit."

[UpInArms]

1. Frist must not have gotten his memo

telling him that the shut-uppin' was necessary to keep the facade from burning down.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. The memo came from Kean

this is the exact same thing he said in their little press conference after the hearings the other day. He said the WH shot themselves in the foot by not letting her testify this week, because she would have been such a good witness.

Nice spin. Of course, she will never testify publicly or under oath, so they can claim anything they want how she would have done.

[lancdem]

2. Hey, Bill, she's not testifying because she doesn't want to

perjure herself. Otherwise she would.

[schultzee]

3. BUT NOT UNDER OATH SO THE WITCH CAN LIE

[Don Claybrook]

6. If it's public, she has to be under oath

I heard this yesterday on...NPR or somewhere, not sure.

Anyway, it was said that all public appearances before the commission must be under oath, that they had set up the rules that way. Which is of course, why we'll NEVER see her on the stand.

[yardwork]

13. She's not a witch.

Witches are nice, peace-loving people.

[cdeca]

14. You have never seen....

The Wizard of OZ. Only good witches are beautiful. Wicked witches are ugly. I rest my case.

[Florida_Geek]

4. Hey Bill didn't you get the memo

She was probably the one that told CNN and others

" it "a mistake" to focus "so much energy on Osama bin Laden."

[mmonk]

5. Reminds me

of when some republicans didn't get the memo when the story was circulated about the Clinton staff trashing offices when they left and left pornography on the computers. Some actually thought it was true and called for an investigation before they were told to be quiet.

[maggrwaggr]

7. they're realizing their ship is sinking

if she doesn't testify in public, they're fucked

[bluedeminredstate]

9. Is he blind?

"But Frist added: 'Personally, I think her voice is so good, so powerful that to have her come before the 9/11 commission publicly would be to the administration's benefit.'"

Obviously the good doctor was performing life-saving surgery for free on indigent patients or rounding up homeless cats to take to an animal shelter (to which he donates generously, natch) when Condi gave her press conferences in May 2002 after info surfaced that the administration knew more about the attacks than they had let on.
She shook, her voice quavered and she came off as weak and a terrible liar.
Most of her other appearances before the press are embarassing and it's plain that in addition to her obvious lying about September 11th, she's a shitty public speaker.

Frist must be delusional if he thinks putting her before the commission will somehow counter the powerful testimony of Richard Clark. If that's the best Frist thinks they can do, then he either has a poor grasp of reality or has never seen Condi on television answering to the press.

[devinsgram]

10. It makes it look

like she is hiding something really damaging. Ah, one can only hope.

[leesa]

11. He should "let her"??? The King should allow his jester to testify?

Who the hell is he to say whether she testifies or not? Why do Republicans always need a "Daddy"

[0007]

12. Let her dig a deeper hole