Rice will testify
Breaking news - The White House, bowing to pressure, has agreed to allow National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice to testify publicly, under oath, before the 9/11 commission.
A clip from the Seattle P-I:
The commission welcomed the decision in a statement which said, "We will work with the White House to schedule both sessions promptly."
Bush and Cheney have agreed to a single joint private session with all 10 commissioners, with one commission staff member present to take notes of the session, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales said in a letter to the panel. Previously, the administration was only offering private interviews of Bush and Cheney with just the commission chairman and vice chairman.
The decision to have Rice testify follows the publication of former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke's book, in which he charges that the Bush administration was slow to act against the threat of al-Qaida.
Regarding Rice's upcoming public testimony and the charges in Clarke's book, "There are significant and extremely important questions," said commissioner Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman.
Roemer said those questions include, "Was there an urgent priority in the Bush administration in fighting terrorism? How quickly was the decision made? Was it slow as Mr. Clarke says or accelerated as Dr. Rice says?"
Read the full story: Rice to testify in public under oath
A clip from the Seattle P-I:
The commission welcomed the decision in a statement which said, "We will work with the White House to schedule both sessions promptly."
Bush and Cheney have agreed to a single joint private session with all 10 commissioners, with one commission staff member present to take notes of the session, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales said in a letter to the panel. Previously, the administration was only offering private interviews of Bush and Cheney with just the commission chairman and vice chairman.
The decision to have Rice testify follows the publication of former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke's book, in which he charges that the Bush administration was slow to act against the threat of al-Qaida.
Regarding Rice's upcoming public testimony and the charges in Clarke's book, "There are significant and extremely important questions," said commissioner Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman.
Roemer said those questions include, "Was there an urgent priority in the Bush administration in fighting terrorism? How quickly was the decision made? Was it slow as Mr. Clarke says or accelerated as Dr. Rice says?"
Read the full story: Rice to testify in public under oath
