9/11 Panel to White House: Cut the Crap

It's about time:

The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11
attacks is refusing to accept strict conditions from the White House
for interviews with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and
is renewing its request that Mr. Bush's national security adviser
testify in public, commission members said Tuesday
The panel members, interviewed after a private meeting on Tuesday, said
the commission had decided for now to reject a White House request that
the interview with Mr. Bush be limited to one hour and that the
questioners be only the panel's chairman and vice chairman.
The members said the commission had also decided to continue to press
the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to reconsider her
refusal to testify at a public hearing. Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney are
expected to be asked about how they had reacted to intelligence reports
before Sept. 11, 2001, suggesting that Al Qaeda might be planning a
large attack. Panel members want to ask Ms. Rice the same questions in
public.
"We have held firm in saying that the conditions set by the president
and vice president and Dr. Rice are not good enough," said Timothy J.
Roemer, a former Indiana congressman who is one of five Democrats on
the 10-member commission.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore are both willing to meet with the commission
for as long as necessary. Why aren't Bush, Cheney and the rest of them
willing to do the same? What are they afraid of?

Posted by flow Frazao on March 3, 2004 at 07:26 AM | Permalink