Condi Rice to leave Bush administration at end of year / NYT

[xray s]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

(March 25, 2004 -- 11:23 PM EDT // link // print)
Watch out! A shoe just dropped!

The Times just posted a story for tomorrow's paper about Condi Rice's efforts at damage control on the Richard Clarke matter. Here's the first three grafs ...

The White House may have sent a phalanx of top officials to Capitol Hill this week to be grilled by the Sept. 11 panel, but the one official who did not appear publicly has turned out to be the official the panel wanted most: Condoleezza Rice.
As she prepares to leave her job at the end of the year, Ms. Rice, the president's national security adviser, now finds herself at the center of a political storm, furiously defending both the White House and her own reputation.

But her effort to blunt the criticism by spending the week on television and in news media briefings may have had the opposite effect. She has infuriated some members of the panel, who wonder why she has time for CNN but not for them. On Thursday they questioned again whether she should be subpoenaed to testify if she does not appear in public to answer questions about the Bush administration's handling of Al Qaeda before the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

[polar]

1. Methinks she won't have a choice

Because her boss will be out of a job two weeks after the start of the year.

[opihimoimoi]

5. Them Pubs are shitting in their pants as what the hell to do next.

They are flummoxed without a clue
as what to do.

[AZCat]

2. Hopefully they'll ALL be leaving their jobs at the end of the year! n/t

[RobertSeattle]

7. Just think of all the nasty books then

Assuming Bush loses BIG 11/2/2004, administration officals will be RACING to get books out as soon as possible - for the money and to get their CYA's out before others - and to start the finger pointing - "I told Bush who shouldn't have done X but he wouldn't listen to me..."

[ConcernedCanuk]

11. I'd be curious as to how many books are "in the works" by Republicans

.
.
.

Any Republican with anything to say, and any political awareness must realize that any book about Bush will sell . .

A MUCH better retirement plan than 410k?

. . :shrug: . .

[RobertSeattle]

13. I wonder if Ari is tempted...

He could totally "F" the administration over if he spilled the beans.

And if Karen Hughes talked...

[Kurovski]

15. I would never pay money

for a book by Ari the prevaricator.

Let him retire in a cardboard box.

Christie Tod Whitman? Well, that's another story.

[RobertSeattle]

17. Christie wasn't in the inner circle like Ari was though

And I think the O'neil book stole any thunder she could have had if she comes out with a book.

[bunk76]

27. I think...

when they get them in the box under oath,and eventually they will,they will all sing like canarys.When facing time behind bars,loyalty flys out the window.

[UpInArms]

3. why wait 'til then?

she might be in prison before that time :evilgrin:

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. Maybe she had a vision . . .

.
.
.

[hang a left]

6. She will have a nice little going away present I am sure.

n/t



edit for a will

[Kool Kitty]

8. Subpoena her anyway.

On edit: Buh-bye, Condi. Don't let the door hit you in the ass.

[billybob537]

9. Subpoena Her lying ass

And send the federal Marshall to shag her worthless carcass.

[SodoffBush]

10. She was the Bushies' sacraficial lamb

going down in a flame of shame.

[grannylib]

12. If RUMMY can testify, and POWELL can testify, what the hell is the big

deal about her??? What special status does she have that they DON'T that makes her immune from testifying under oath??
If she and Chimpy really have nothing to hide, she should have no fear, nor should he, our little chickenhawk....but she is falling apart way too much; no way could she keep her composure under oath, methinks. And he is simply so incoherent and incapable of speaking, he'd dig his sorry self a deep shithole right quick. Not to mention, he's a lying sack of crap just like she is, along with the rest of these neo-con-job asswipes.

The excrement is moving towards the rotating blades for these thugs.

[ConcernedCanuk]

18. From watching her lately, I think she'd come apart in a public inquiry.

.
.
.

Condi is a control freak.

Nothing unnerves a control freak more than being in a situation where they are NOT in control.

And a question for those who may know procedure.

Will this "inquiry" with Condi ever be made public?

Will it be video taped?

Will transcripts be available?

. . :shrug: . .

[johnfunk]

19. What is the big deal with Rice? Well, for starters...

... during the couple of crisis news conferences she held, she looked and sounded shaky and outright scared. I actually watched one on C-SPAN with one of the most astute observers of political communications I know, Jeff Koopersmith, a couple days after 9/11. He said -- and I remember this verbatim -- "She's closer to breaking than most people can imagine. If the press were to ask her some real questions, she'd crack like L. Jean Lewis."

Now stop and think about that -- a National Security Advisor who is simply unable to stay cool and coherent during a crisis. That's what we are stuck with. If Bush had had half a brain, he'd have chosen Richard Clarke as his NatSec boss.

But no. His handlers insisted on putting the pliant PNAC puppet Rice in there.

[AZCat]

23. Clarke wasn't in the 'Attack Iraq' club like Condi

Brains and experience don't count for jack in this administration, only loyalty and a focus on the REAL problem: Iraq!

[grannylib]

29. Yeah, but what is it about her position that makes her immune, if

Powell and Rummy are there?? That is the excuse the WH is using, since she is an advisor to the Chimp they are claiming exec privilege...

[Manix]

14. She won't go under oath because she has to lie to save Smirk's ass

and then becomes Martha's cellmate when they nail her for perjury.

[johnfunk]

16. How DARE they ask her to appear? She has a full schedule tomorrow:

1) Today Show
2) CBS Early Show
3) Clarke Patrol: Request that two or three more e-mails be declassified
4) FAUX & Friends
5) Schmooze Bill Hemmer on CNN
6) Clarke Patrol: Tell Scooter to leak the declassified e-mails through one of his people (forget Novak, his cover's blown)
7) Rush Limbaugh (don't forget the talking points and mention the two declassified e-mails)
8) Clarke Patrol: Check in with Floyd Brown and David Bossie
9) Clarke Patrol: Any more confidential contacts Clarke had with press in '01, '02? Expose them
10) Hannity
11) Blitzer
12) Start drinking heavily.

... at least two articles I have read mention White House staffers being on "Clarke patrol." That's right -- Bush's White House is more interested in the politics of personal destrruction than protecting you from terrorists.

Contact the White House -- tell them to get their staff off of goddamn "Clarke patrol" and put them back on stopping Osama and every other foreign and domestic terror threat.

[AZCat]

20. Doesn't #12 occur earlier in the schedule?

I figured *Bush needed someone to 'enable' his early morning 'hair of the dog', and Condi is always described as someone close to the prez. You know, they probably won't let Dick drink anymore (the heart) so maybe she's had to assume the mantle of the shotgun drinker for Dubya...

[Stevendsmith]

32. Love the schedule!

LOL! Especially 12.

[stepnw1f]

21. I Don't Give A Damn

I want accountability!!!!

[stevedeshazer]

22. Wait a minute

The article does not say she is leaving the administration. It says she is leaving her job, which is national security adviser.

Colin Powell is the one who is out. Rice will be the next Secretary of State.

You can take that to the bank and cash it.

[AZCat]

25. Wouldn't she have to go before the Senate then?

I thought all potential cabinet appointees had to be questioned by the Senate- wouldn't that expose her to the same situation the WH is trying to avoid right now?

[stevedeshazer]

38. True, however

If the Repubs maintain a majority in the Senate, it won't matter. Cabinet appointments are rarely challenged.

Let's hope Bush loses the election. Then it won't matter!

[mb7588a]

39. You still need 60 votes

to approve cabinet appointees, right?

She won't get 'em. None of these guys will.

Which brings me to my next question, do all secretaries get reappointed in the next admin. and therefore go before the Senate? I doubt it, but man, that would be so awesome. Imagine the questions from the likes of Kennedy and shit... Kerry would still be a Senator! Anyway, hope that doesn't happen.

[maggrwaggr]

24. Martha Stewart can help her decorate her jail cell

the lying bitch

[Toucano]

26. I think they're all preparing to leave

at the end of the year. After November, it's time for them to start packing!

Out the door in '04!

[HydroAddict]

28. Does anyone know....

where the Times article's authors would have gotten word of Condi's resignation?

Or are they simply just extrapolating the inevitable (assuming no BBV shenanigans)?

[Triple H]

30. I hope she leaves.

as well as the rest of them.

[Catherine Vincent]

35. Welcome to DU, Triple H!

B-) :bounce: B-)

[Bozita]

31. I remember the Clinton years ... Subpoena her ass and do it now

We have court rulings.

Credit them to Richard Mellon Scaife and his slimy pals.

"But, but, ... rule of law." How many times did you hear that?

Let the law rule!

Hang her ass from the same scaffold.

Let her wave in the breeze Long wave Condosleeza.

[Catherine Vincent]

33. What?!?!?!?!?!?!

[cliss]

34. I tend to agree with some who feel that

it's not a good idea to let Conda-lizard testify. She's been useful to the Cabal these 3 1/2 years by letting them have their way. But she's weak. She folds easily. She doesn't have that hardened callousness like Donald, utterly lacking in any empathy or even commonality with the human race.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing empathetic about her. She had no trouble sending thousands of innocent Iraqis to their deaths last year.

But she has a tendency to get overwhelmed by stress if she's asked too many questions. Better to shut her up.

[Kimber Scott]

36. SUBPOENA!!!!

No question.

[gate of the sun]

37. What a surprise?

no, really I think she will be leaving a little sooner. But they have let everybody know. Right? condi is leaving.

[AgadorSparticus]

40. I want a public grilling!! If Bill & Hillary had to do it, why not CR?

She's their sacrificial lamb, no? well, sacrifice dammit!!!!! And while we are at it, the little smirk needs to face the music too.

[tamdon29]

42. Subpoening

Why can't they just subpoena her? This is maddening and it is clear, she infuriated everyone on the panel by not appearing.

[Bushknew]

41. "Screw you guys, I'm going home"

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Catherine Vincent]

43. Kick!