Accountability, Condi-style

[skeptic9]

Many have posted about the blatant lies and distortions in today's testimony from Ms. Rice. But consider also the complete lack of accountability she displayed. It's as if she were some junior assistant to Richard Clarke, not the person most responsible for the National Security of the US. You have to wonder, if not from HER, where would the "recommendations" she mentioned come from, and if not the National Security Advisor, WHO would "tell us what to do" about al Qaeda?

From http://wid.ap.org/transcripts/rice.html

"BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president, at any time prior to August 6th, of the existence of al-Qaida cells in the United States?

RICE: I believe in the August 6th memorandum it says that there were 70 full field investigations under way of these cells. And so THERE WAS NO RECOMMENDATION THAT WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS; the FBI was pursuing it.... I really don't remember, Commissioner, whether I discussed this with the president. ... I remember very well that the president was aware that there were issues inside the United States. He talked to people about this. But I DON'T REMEMBER THE AL-QAIDA CELLS AS BEING SOMETHING THAT WE WERE TOLD WE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT.

FIELDING: ... how did it come about that the CSG was handling this thing as opposed to the principals? Because candidly it's been suggested that the difference between the 1999 handling and this one was that you didn't have the principals dealing with it...

RICE: The CSG was made up of not junior people, but the top level of counterterrorism experts. Now, they were in contact with their principals. Dick Clarke was in contact with me quite frequently.... The CSG was the nerve center. But I just don't believe that bringing the principals over to the White House every day and having their counterterrorism people have to come with them and be pulled away from what they were doing to disrupt was a good way to go about this. IT WASN'T AN EFFICIENT WAY TO GO ABOUT IT....

I don't think it was shaking the trees that produced the breakthrough in the millennium plot. It was that you got a _ Dick Clarke would say a lucky break _ I would say you got an alert customs agent who got it right. ... IN ANY CASE, YOU CANNOT BE DEPENDENT ON THE CHANCE THAT SOMETHING MIGHT COME TOGETHER.

KERREY: Dr. Rice, everybody who does national security in this town knows the FBI and the CIA don't talk. So if you have a meeting on the 5th of July, where you're trying to make certain that your domestic agencies are preparing a defense against a possible attack, you knew Al Qaida cells were in the United States, you've got to follow up. And the question is, what was your follow-up? What's the paper trail that shows that you and Andy Card followed up from this meeting...

RICE: I followed up with Dick Clarke, who had in his group, and with him, the key counterterrorism person for the FBI. ..."

[EstimatedProphet]

1. I don't think she really impressed the crowd there

There was a yes/no question BenVeniste asked her that she was trying to overword to death, and he said to please just answer yes or no because time was short, and there was a round of applause! Apparently she didn't impress people by trying to run out the time with meaningless drivel.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Ye cats and little fishes!

CNN is discussing this with Peter Bergen and quoted the above text as I read it-and they seem to be more critical of the malAdministration than usual. Has CNN grown a spine?

[spanone]

3. I don't think so. They gave the white house press secretary

five undebated minutes on the blitzer show. Talking about how woderful Condi had done and how the administration has given unprecedented cooperation blah blah blah blah.

[skeptic9]

4. Was that on Paula Zahn's show? Sometimes I tape the rebroadcast...

... at 2am Eastern. I'll set my VCR.

[punpirate]

5. And that top counter-terrorism person for the FBI...

... was none other than John O'Neill, who became so frustrated by the lack of action and lack of access to the Saudis and the Yemenis that he quit the FBI....

[skeptic9]

7. Kerrey blew the chance to get O'Neill's name in there...

I wondered why she didn't name the person in charge of counterterrorism at the FBI, or whether she had forgotten the name.

Looking back at the transcript, the exchange you mention happened just before the laughter over Kerrey's having called Condi, "Dr Clarke". Kerrey was confused at that point but still fairly effective overall IMO.

[punpirate]

8. She didn't mention the name...

... because that would have brought up another whole unpleasant can of nightcrawlers. Then she might have had to explain why O'Neill quit the FBI. It's common knowledge that he was pissed with the White House (several of them, in fact).

And, it would have reminded everyone of Clarke's testimony. Clarke has said, in so many words, that from the time O'Neill arrived in Washington, O'Neill was his main man in the FBI.

[leftofthedial]

6. this exposes the utter hypocrisy of the right

remember the faux outrage on the right that Clinton never said he was sorry for lying? Their attacks on this issue continued long after he HAD in fact publicly apologized.

The bushgang clearly lied to get us into the war with Iraq. Not just L'il George, but EVERY Cabinet member and senior official who spoke on the subject.

The bushgang clearly failed in their national security responsibilities on 9-11-01.They knew, but did nothing.

The bushgang has clearly obfuscated and stonewalled efforts to investigate 9-11.

Other than Richard Clarke, not ONE member of this gang has accepted responsibility for their actions. Instead, we get bureoucratic handwaving and mumbo jumbo, finger pointing and more lies.

If I ever hear a right-wing pusbag raise the issue of personal accountability again, I will cram the issue so far up its ass that its eyes will bulge out.

[maggrwaggr]

9. she was sitting at her desk waiting for Cheney to tell her what to do

She's the perfect Bushco employee. Doesn't think for herself, waits to be told what to do by those above her. And when the shit hits the fan, blames everyone but herself.

She did nothing, so she considers herself blameless.

Typical mid-level management stuff. Do nothing, take no stances, make no real decisions, so nobody can point the finger at ME later.