David Broder: Bush's Surrender

[Snellius]

When President Bush appeared momentarily on Tuesday afternoon in the White House briefing room, he came to announce a surrender. After weeks of resistance, he had capitulated to the growing political pressure for national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to give the bipartisan commission investigating the Sept. 11 tragedy her sworn public testimony.

Bush's surrender came nine days after his former top counterterrorism aide, Richard Clarke, had fired a missile into the heart of Bush's proudest boast -- and the main plank of his reelection campaign -- by charging the president with indifference to the threat of terrorism before Sept. 11.

For nine days the White House and its allies did everything in their power to discredit Clarke, while trying to shield his old boss, Rice, from the commission's unanimous request that she give sworn public testimony in response to Clarke's stunning indictment.

When the effort to shoot the messenger failed to halt the political erosion, Bush did what he never should have done: He threw Rice to the commission. And, worse, he failed to do what he could have done long before: Offer the American people and the world a clear, coherent and detailed account of his own activities and state of mind in the months leading up to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Instead of acting as the man in charge and saying to the commission, "No, you may not put my national security adviser on the mat, but I will answer to the public for what happened," he did just the opposite. He gave up Rice and then turned on his heel and walked out of the briefing room even as reporters were trying to ask him questions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40798-2004Mar31.html

[rfranklin]

1. That's a nice spin...

Are the "liberal press" beginning to taste blood?

[callous taoboy]

2. I am shocked

by bushy's behavior. I'd never guess in a million years that he'd let others do the grunt work.

[Luvpurp]

3. Man do I hate David Broder, but . . .

occasionally he calls it like it is. Bush is a coward, and the evdience supporting showing his cowardice is legion. Its nice to see some of the whores are starting to call him on this.

[izzie]

7. I am shocked he let her do it. He does not have the guts to fight

and I was sure he would. I bet it is to get Cheney in there with him. He does not really stand behind his people, as I see it. I am now waiting for DeLay to bite the bullet, Powell is already on the line. We must keep Bush in this bubble.All these pin pricks are starting to let the air out of the whole thing.

[Skittles]

8. YES INDEED LUVPURP

I hope the American public will realize they have been duped by this piece of shit misadministration.

[JM]

4. In Trump's boardroom, this would have been called

caving in and rolling a teammate under the bus.

"Instead of acting as the man in charge and saying to the commission, "No, you may not put my national security adviser on the mat, but I will answer to the public for what happened," he did just the opposite. He gave up Rice and then turned on his heel and walked out of the briefing room even as reporters were trying to ask him questions. "

George, you're fired...

JM

[sniffa]

5. the bLood is in the water

the sharks are circLing. :evilgrin:

[BeyondGeography]

6. Bush has never paid the price for anything his entire life

He's the little kid who's been showing up late and cutting into the front of the line since he was five years old.

Spoiled children never grow up. Daddy's always there when times get tough. But, this time, by bringing Cheney along to the Commission, his weakness is in full view. Nice to see Broder jump on that one.

[KoKo]

9. Alterman's "What Liberal Media" calls Broder out for being more

Conservatie than is generally believed by his reading public. He's known among the press as "the Dean (complimentary) of the Washington Columnists" because he's been around so long and does have lots of behind the scenes influence.

I would say this article might be a turning point if Alterman's statement is true. I couldn't stand that he quoted Joe McCarthy in the article, though. That example of "American Witch hunt." Hopefully he was "throwing a bone" to the rabid Freeper types.

[pscot]

11. Broder has pretty much given the Bushies a pass

up 'til now. If he's turned against them it may be that the "liberal media" are finally waking up.

[Demeter]

10. The First of Many Bush Surrenders

To be crowned by surrendering his freedom in the Hague!

[Miss Authoritiva]

12. Broder's joking, right, when he says Bush should...

"Offer the American people and the world a clear, coherent and detailed account of his own activities and state of mind in the months leading up to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

Funny that nobody in the media really pestered Bush about this until nearly three years after the fact. Now so many Bush facilitators, enablers, and collaborateurs in the media are just starting to swivel in their chairs, shameless and straight-faced as ever.