This Rice deal was a setup to protect Shrub from testifying.....

[doubles]

They played their cards well, and we were bamboozled into believing they would hold out on Rice testifying. Folks, the Republicans are thinking long term, they are strategizing their every move, predicting media and public reaction, then planning a follow up. We are being beaten at their game, Big Dog was the only cat able to outwit them. I firmly believe that having Condi testify now protects Bush. I can hear Hannity now, "they made all this fuss, all this noise about Condi testifying, we gave them Condi, now they want Bush, how ridiculous are these Democrats?" Condi can handle herself, and is smart enough to come out smelling like a rose. Bush on the other hand would have melted. I guarantee you, if the situation were reversed, Repugs would have demanded that Clinton testify from the beginning, the way they embarrassed him in their 60 million dollar blow job investigation, which was nothing less than a political lynching.

If we were smart, we would have been requesting Bush to testify from the beginning!

[rucky]

1. they can't make a deal like that

it's gotta be illegal. if somebody has information valueable to the investigation, they should be subpoenaed. If they wish to invoke executive privlidge, they can go through the channels like Clinton had to do.

Anything else is obstruction of justice. And if the commissioners agreed to this crap deal and choose to honor it, then they are obstructing justice.

[Kitsune]

24. The committee can't subpoena.

B*sh made sure of that.

[Nite Owl]

2. Wolfie boy was on this afternoon with

Drier and he said to him: for some of course this isn't enough now they want The President to testify too. Not a direct quote, sorry my head was exploding. Oh what they would have done to Clinton by now. Notice how no one calls the Bush* a liar too.

[The Night Owl]

17. Bingo!

The Bush plan: Fatigue the easily fatigued media and public with Condi's refusal to testify so that calls for Smirk and Dick to testify will be viewed as whining.

By the way, nice handle.

[FlemingsGhost]

3. Yawn...

This is only the opening minutes of "the game."

[Imperialism Inc.]

4. Well they anted up. Raised.

Now it is time to call their bet and see the cards. You have decided they aren't bluffing. I think they are. Rice will have to contradict herself and the rest of them many times before she is done. She knows them well enough that she knows the knife goes in her first if things go wrong. She may just resign and go run for Congress.

[BabsSong]

11. Middlemen--pin in your bubble. The press conference today

by the commission heads admitted that they have NO transcript of Condi's previous testimony before them..just notes. Un-fucking beleivable. There is no one making a transcription of these testimonies. How strange is that and how convenient???

[terisel]

5. They will never get Bush under oath anyway.

Even if Tenet testified that he told Bush directly that the planes were going to crash into the WTC on 9/11, there is still no way Bush would testify under oath before the commission.

If Bush wasn't being hurt by Clarke, he would shrug it off.Instead he is trying to defend himself. Now he is going to try to turn a negative into a postive by have Condolezza Rice testify and wow everybody. Maybe she will, maybe she won't.

Remember Bush is playing to 2 audiences-the insiders who probably think he is guilty but are afraid to go against the "king" if the public backs the king; and the outsiders (general public).

It is the insiders who will bring Bush down.

[Arkana]

27. The only way

Is to ask the hard questions! We cannot allow Condi to weasel her way out of this interview! If the commission is smart, they'll send her off a gibbering wreck! The 'pukes think they've got us by allowing Condi to testify, so we have to turn the tide on them by grilling her until she's well-done! We CANNOT ALLOW THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SLIP AWAY!

[anarchy1999]

6. Bingo! Job Well Done!

Nail on the head!

Divide & Conquer!

[peacetalksforall]

7. It's too early......but it looks like a win for the citizens.

We won the first round....

She HAS TO testify under oath in public.....

this means everyone involved in Washington or around the world
will hear her and be able to pick up on 'contradictions'

she doesn't lie well as everyone talks about and having to struggle to tell the truth and sound pure is hard work.

if the Commission is doing their job, they will pick up on all
the 'contradictions' and fuzzy statements she makes in that
hearing and in her private hearing and her many, many TV
appearances - and they will ask her if she can come back,
if necessary.

This was also a win in that THE REGIME FLIP-FLOPPED BIG TIME!

They flip-flopped on Rice
They flip-flopped on Bush and Cheney and the time
they would permit before the Commission.

The right wing propaganda and guest propagandists will play it up as sincere cooperation, but don't you believe it - THEY HAD TO DO IT.

If you know how hard they'll have to work to figure out how to not lie and do a cya at the same time - it means - THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WON!

[terisel]

8. They were never going to get Bush to testify under oath anyway.

Even if Tenet testified that he told Bush directly that the planes were going to crash into the WTC on 9/11, there is still no way Bush would testify under oath before the commission.

If Bush wasn't being hurt by Clarke, he would shrug it off.Instead he is trying to defend himself. Now he is going to try to turn a negative into a postive by have Condolezza Rice testify and wow everybody. Maybe she will, maybe she won't.

Remember Bush is playing to 2 audiences-the insiders who probably think he is guilty but are afraid to go against the "king" if the public backs the king; and the outsiders (general public).

It is the insiders who will bring Bush down.

[Catfight]

9. If Condi doesn't answer openly and honestly

then there will be more public outcry and that's when the finer details of the RAW deal will come out. Just the fact that everyone keeps saying Bush won't testify under oath and behind closed doors still leaves a bad taste in swing voters mouth....they are stupid enough to sway one way or the other from unchecked commercials, they can do the simple math that Bush won't swear on his little precious bible, and he'll only talk behind the iron curtain...hehe...no matter how you sum it up...Bush still looks like they are hiding something. And we know what it is...the truth.

[BabsSong]

10. Bingo--you win the cigar. Did it take us this long to figure it out!!

Great lawyer moves. They played the Rice card until they got the compromise of having all commissioners present for Bush's testimony BUT that testimony with Cheney sitting right next to him to mop up his pee. And the agreement that NO ONE else in the administration will be called to testify. That means other people who have not yet appeared have info. I wonder if it also includes former WH staff???

[lancdem]

12. But can they be called to testify in private?

Just wondered.

[bobbieinok]

13. is this correct? only audio, NOT on TV? read this on DU

if so, how incredibly bizarre!!!!!!

[Catfight]

15. CNN will get their cut

Don't worry, CNN will televise it, they'll have a 5 second delay so they can rewrite history and reword the truth. But it'll still be televised.

The word of the day is Propaganda

[doubleyoi]

14. Condidiot

Sorry, but she cannot lie her way out of a paper bag. I think she was, as mostly an academic, completely out of her league (lyingwise) when she signed up with this crowd. They lie so often and so convincingly that they raised the bar too high for our little Condi. She'll be unable to speak for more than a minute without contradicting herself. She will be the sacrificial WH lamb.

[Ilsa]

16. Your post expresses my sentiments precisely.

And Condi doesn't realize she's been tagged. She's toast.

[Must_B_Free]

18. Noone knows what's going to happen

in all honesty.

Certainly not the Freepers.

[doubles]

19. Disagree, she will survive the process successfully.... nt

[Festivito]

20. ADD: No Rove, no Wolfy & giving credibility to the 9/11 commission.

Sure Bush does not want to testify. But, what goes unsaid is that the 9/11 commission itself is a sham set up by Bush administration people. And, going unsaid gives the commission tacit approval, unquestioned approval.

The press is not even noting that this stops this dubious commission from calling other members of the 9/11 LIHOP team. We already know Bush is not the brains behind this bunch, and so now the brains cannot be questioned about the deaths of 3,000 and the subsequent deaths of thousands and thousands more.

Bush's reign is starting to stink worse and worse.

[Catfight]

22. But the 9/11 Families will determine the outcome

WE know the truth will not come out of this panel because of the stonewalling this administration continues to do, however, hopefully the families will be relentless in finding the truth and they will not settle for behind the scenes explanations. Remember too, Bush never visited one funeral, now he won't show his face to the families of 9/11 victims? Plus he wants to make a mockery of the WMD and America? I just don't see this as a win for Bush.
Condi is smart, she's just thinking, "I can't wait to get the hell out of here."

[emad]

21. Check:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x956297

[davekriss]

23. "The Rice deal was setup to protect Shrub..."

Absolutely agree. This is an exercise in the art of the "limited hang". A pre-emptive strike and the growing brush fire.

Absolutely Bush and Cheney should be forced to testify under oath and in public. They need to recount and account for their actions/in-actions.

[cap]

25. the Big Dog will outwit them at their own game...

just wait and see...


We got Condi to testify. Then we will up the ante. First, publicize the "deal" that Bush and Cheney don't have to testify. Doesn't play well in Peoria. Then have the Big Dog and Al Gore testify in public and under oath. Public pressure will force them to break the deal and testify. No special treatment for Bush. Watch and see.

The Big Dog has already let out a teaser. During his little coffee with Bush (remember the photo of Clinton perfectly at ease and Bush sitting rigid), Clinton said that he told Bush that the five major foreign policy challenges included: Israel/Palestinian, North Korea, Al Qaeda and terrorism, and Iraq (I forget the other issue). He said Bush answered that he'd move Iraq to the top of the list.

I'm sure there's more to come. And it will come out before November.

Drip, drip, drip....Patience, my pretties.

[Arkana]

26. Absolutely

We were tricked. We should have realized that the spin doctors were holding out as long as they could to come up with appropriate crap for Condi to shovel in her testimony. I fear the hard questions will not be asked, rather, she'll just be lobbed softballs that are tailor-made for Karl Rove's brand of spin.

We were fooled, I think, and we will pay for it.

[tanstaafl]

28. Disagree ... It was set up to keep Ashcroft from testifying

His actions actual show the administration knew something relating to airplanes and hijacking was going to happen. Could be wrong, but I think this is more likely due to his change from commercial flights to private/government flights back in July of 2001.