I think the Rice is overdone.
Meanwhile, despite Condi's attempts to discredit Richard Clarke on 60 Minutes last week, the Administration realized they were getting beaten about the head and shoulder too much on Rice not testifying, and relented to the 9-11 commission's requests. Then several blogs picked up on this Washington Post piece that said that Condi had been scheduled to give a speech on September 11, 2001 that said that the primary focus for National Defense in the future would not be on terrorist threats (as the administration has insisted it was since the commission started rolling), but rather on missile defense, and that hoary old Reagan chestnut Star Wars. Because, you know, Star Wars missile defense would do wonders to protect us from terrorists hijacking planes and flying them into buildings. Would have helped save the sailors on the USS Kole too. It would have to, since it appears the damn thing doesn't work if the weather's bad.
But here's the topper: the White House is now saying the commission can NOT see the text of the speech she was scheduled to give on the day everything changed (courtesy of Norbizness). The reason? National security, natch. For a speech. That would have been FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION!! Oy vay! Josh Marshall sums up the contempt for this decision very nicely here. No word on whether the White House will give the commission their own copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar instead.
posted by Hankblog @ 4/07/2004 01:55:00 PM
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