This is what I wrote Bill Frist

[still_one]

Senator Frist:

I was quite disappointed by your interpretation of Richard Clarke's appology as "arrogant".

I will tell you what is arrogant:

1. That the creation of the 9/11 commision was opposed by this administration. It wasn't until there was pressure from the families of the victims, that the administration reluctantly agreed to it, and then only after everything had been done to delay, frustrate and scuttle its work.

2. When the commission requested a two-month extension beyond its May 27 report deadline. House Speaker Dennis Hastert said no. It wasn't until pressure from Lieberman, McCain, and the victims of 9/11 that the House Speaker reconsidered. That's arrogance.

3. That the President and Vice President will only testify in private for one hour, and only allow two hand-picked members of the commission to question him. That's arrogance.

4. That National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will NOT testify under oath, and only in private. That's arrogance.

You should be ashamed of yourself to categorize an apology as arrogance.

Your true colors are showing, and they don't present you or this administration in a very good light

John Levine

[BOSSHOG]

1. Isn't it truly sad and telling

that republicans think an apology is an act of arrogance. Great letter and thanks for sending it.

[mobuto]

2. What's going on?

Two normally apolitical friends, one of whom is living in a remote village in Central America, just sent me copies of letters of indignation they had written to Bill Frist. I may be wrong, but I think not just the Clarke business but the Bush Administration's response to it, has blown up in their faces a lot more than they understand. The credibility is gone. Were once they were perceived as being strong and bold on 9/11, overnight they've showed themselves to be cowardly, lazy, backbiting and dishonest.

[polmaven]

3. BRAVO!

!!!!!

[MasonJar]

4. Dead on. Do you have his phone number? The powers that be

have cancelled the 800 number. Typical Bushite action. Do not let the citizens spend their tax money on an 800 # so they can reach their representatives. But give same reps plenty of money to mail us frequently with self-serving garbage.

[boobooday]

5. Good Letter

Right to the point.

Of course, hypocrisy is actually a strategy for these people, so he was really just following the party guidebook. What a jerk. How can he castigate Clarke for apologizing? They are shameful and self-righteous and disgusting.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[bleu]

6. i am so pissed

writing a letter today

[peekaloo]

7. Excellent!

Maybe you should have asked him how the investigation is going surrounding the hard drives seized from his office staff. Or maybe if the hunt for the "paper dust" killer has turned up any suspects.

[DrBB]

8. Here's mine: The stink of moral cowardice

Posted this on another thread so I probably shouldn't do it here, but what the hey--this is a closer topic anyway.

I now know what moral cowardice looks like. It looks like a Senator denouncing a man as a perjurer from the floor of the Senate, where said senator enjoys immunity from prosecution for libel, and then scampering off and admitting to the press that he has no idea whether the man he accused--in no uncertain terms, with no equivocations--was a perjurer at all.

As in "{Frist]} said he personally didn’t know whether there were any discrepancies between Clarke’s two appearances," and "Frist made clear Friday that he isn't accusing Clarke of perjury."

In a former age, when honor was a matter of high seriousness, to call a man a liar was among the most deadly insults--one that the accuser knew he'd better be prepared to back up with dueling pistols.

To do so like this, in a public venue where one enjoys immunity, then retract it outside that venue is purely and simply a craven act. A craven act.

I suspect you have done more to harm your cause than help it, Mr Frist. We are not fools out here, whatever you politicians think (and yes, that's what you are--you proved it today). We know what integrity smells like. A single man expressing an unpopular view against those with enormous power and malice--right or wrong, that is an act of courage.

Whereas what you have done has the sick urine stink of cowardice all over it.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

9. very eloquent

[DifferentStrokes]

10. Love Josh Marshall's sendup of Frist

AKA the things you can say when you're not under oath.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

"Mr. President, I do not know if Mr. Clarke’s motive for theses charges is partisan gain, personal profit, self promotion, or animus because of his failure to win a promotion in the Bush Administration. But the one thing that his motive could not possibly be is to bring clarity to the issue of how we avoid future September 11 attacks."

Then, of course, he had to backpedal immediately when he talked to the press. Frist has never actually seen the earlier testimony.

Graham, on the other hand is former Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and Co-Chair of the Joint Committee in question. His comment is based on direct witness. He was there. Worse than that, he was in charge.

Marshall does a nice job of summing up the follies of Frist. Well worth a read if you need a giggle.

Thanks for you response to Frist. The more the merrier.

On edit: Thanks for all the excellent reponses to Frist.