http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/25/911.commission/excerpt:
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage came under sometimes prickly questioning from those members who saw him as Rice's replacement.
Rice has come under fire for not appearing before the panel.
After panel member Richard Ben-Veniste, a Democrat, referred to Armitage as Rice's "doppelganger," Armitage shot back, "I'm not here as Dr. Rice's replacement. I'm here as someone who's been involved in counterterrorism for several administrations over a long period of time."
Ben-Veniste asked Armitage to comment on statements Rice has made recently in the media. When Armitage said he couldn't because he didn't know what Rice had said, Ben-Veniste asked, "Do you own a television?"
"Yes, and it's generally on. And I won't tell you what it's on," Armitage answered, although in an exchange with Commissioner Tim Roemer, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, he conceded it's tuned to basketball.
The White House refused to let Rice testify at Wednesday's hearing on the grounds that having a sitting national security adviser give public testimony would infringe on executive privilege.
...more...
If "Executive Privilege" prevents these people from speaking under oath - why are they not barred from pandering comments to the news-whores?