Rice to Give Testimony.........

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
Rice to Give Testimony.........
93
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 10:05am
Bush aide gives 9/11 testimony.

 



President George W Bush understood the threat from al-Qaeda well before 11 September, his national security adviser Condoleezza Rice has said.

Ms Rice is appearing before the body looking into the 2001 attacks.

"President Bush understood the threat, and he understood its importance," she told the commission.

Ms Rice is testifying in public about policy in the months before the attacks after Mr Bush reversed a decision to refuse the commission's request.


In her opening statement she said: "(President Bush) made clear to us that he did not want to respond to al-Qaeda one attack at a time.

"He told me he was 'tired of swatting flies.'"


Ms Rice told the commission: "There was no silver bullet that could have prevented" the devastating attacks on New York and Washington.


The US "simply was not on a war footing", she said.

"For more than 20 years, the terrorist threat was growing, and America's response across several administrations of both parties was insufficient," Ms Rice said.

Observers say Mr Rice's evidence could be vital for Mr Bush's re-election chances.

It is also being seen as a key moment in her own political career, with some tipping her as a future secretary of state or even president.

Her testimony is being covered by all the main US television networks.

She is expected to face intense questioning by the 9/11 commission - a panel of Republicans and Democrats charged with examining all the circumstances of the 2001 attacks, and setting out the lessons to be learned.

They will put to her accusations made by the former White House counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke two weeks ago.

In his testimony - and in a book on the George Bush presidency - he accused the administration of ignoring his warnings about al-Qaeda, and of being fixated with Iraq.

When he appeared before the commission he made a dramatic apology.

"Your government failed you, and I failed you," he said.

Ms Rice did not offer an apology as the White House said the administration felt it had done all it could to prevent the attacks, based on the information available.

But she said: "As an officer of government on duty that day, I will never forget the sorrow and the anger I felt."


The White House had originally refused to let Ms Rice testify, arguing that she was in a privileged position as a presidential adviser and that it would set the wrong precedent.


However it relented after a political row.

The White House has also hinted it may change course and release a speech Miss Rice was due to give on 11 September 2001, but which was never made because of the atrocities.

The speech apparently stressed the need for missile defence, rather than a war on terrorism.

Mr Bush's national security credentials, which are central to his re-election campaign, may depend on Miss Rice's testimony.

Patty Casazza of New Jersey, whose husband died in the World Trade Center attacks, said she hoped the appearance would make things much clearer.

"Her testimony will either undermine our confidence in this administration or bolster it," she told the Associated Press news agency.

cl-Libraone~

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2003
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 3:22pm
Odd how some of those who hung on Clarks every word and rushed out to pour over his book don't seem to be as interested in what Condi has to say.

Renee

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2003
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 4:10pm
<>

Kerrey asked what flies did Bush swat? This was an interesting exchange that points up that Bush swatted no flies.

My impression of Condi is "wind her up and she goes into rote mode", evading questions and putting on a grand display of gloss, saying again and again what we already knew. As she was expected to do. We did reluctantly hear the title of the August memo, which should dispell believers of any illusion that OBL was going attack abroad.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-27-1999
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 4:28pm

I just have to jump in here.

--Bridgette

You can also check out my L

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2003
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 4:57pm
Bridge:

If I may state my opinion.

I think their straegy was to badger her so much she would make a mistake and then they would pounce on her own statements but she was well vercered in what she wanted to say and didn't let them distract her.

I was surprised that she didn't tell them to FO, I surely would of.

I would of wanted to hear and indepth inquiry with "full detailed answers" but as usual it's just politics as usual and forget the public.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2003
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 4:58pm
Condi knows how to stand up for herself, though.

Renee

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2003
Thu, 04-08-2004 - 6:58pm

Other than really reluctantly admitting the title of the one report about bin Laden, she didn't say anything new.


Avatar for car_al
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Fri, 04-09-2004 - 1:47am
Many of us had to listen to the re-run of her testimony and I for one was very interested in what she had to say. Because she handled herself with great dignity, I did find her " I can't (or don't) remember," answers rather disingenuous. So, I now have more questions about August 2001 than I had before and I'm glad the commission will be speaking with her again privately.

C

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 04-09-2004 - 6:04am

He went on and on providing 'context' of his questions (read: expressing his contempt through words and body language), then he demands "a simple yes or no".

Djie

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2004
Fri, 04-09-2004 - 8:54am
I watched Rice and thought she spoke well, however, she

didn't even apologize to the families who lost loved ones.

All I got out of it was that she obviously supports the

President and tried to say how wonderful he was and how

great the administration was in the hopes of getting

re-elected. When 3,000 innocent people perished, I think

there obviously was a massive breakdown somewhere and nobody

wants to take resonsibility - they all just point the finger

at the next guy. I personally will be glad to see the

current administration voted out of office as quickly

as possible.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2003
Fri, 04-09-2004 - 10:41am
Amen to that! I'm tired of the finger pointing both ways. Mistakes were made that's all that needs to be said. It is obvious that neither Clinton or Bush's administrations did all they could. There were clues that something was happening. The FAA could have secured doors better had they gotten proper warnings, the CIA and FBI should have kept track of the terrorist better. There were a lot of mistakes made. However, I do not hold any one person at fault because I know no one actually expected this great tragedy to happen as it did. But it is time for the current administration to say okay we screwed up and failed to connect the dots, let's see what we as a country can do better next time. Forget the election and party affiliation for a minute, both Democrats and Republican citizens died on 9/11.

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