Bush/Cheney to testify before 9/11 commission today. The question: Why bother?

[droogsteve]

Yep, today's the day. Besides Bush's bizarre refusal to testify without Cheney next to him, making the entire thing seem like a strange puppet show, here are a couple of other factoids:

The session will be behind closed doors.

The President and Vice President have generously cleared their schedules from 9:30am to noon, devoting an entire two hours to answering questions about the most devastating attacks in US history before moving on to presumably more important things.

The session WILL NOT be recorded.

There WILL NOT even be a stenographer allowed in the room.

And my personal favorite: Neither Bush nor Cheney will be under oath.

So, basically the entire thing is a waste of time. The American people will never know what, if anything, is said during the testimony. But now Bush can say during his reelection campaign that he cooperated with the 9/11 panel.

Well I certainly feel safer.

[Karly]

Yeah Steve this is such an insult IMO- its all like a show & only being done to appease the masses as a formality. I cant wait to see Bush the fuck out of office & I certainly cant wait to see him in hell.

[Viceroy]

Will the findings be published like the Warren commission after the JFK assassination?

If so, maybe we will find out roughly what they said.

[droogsteve]

I just saw Bush answering reporter's questions after his testimony. Obviously he refused to go into specifics, but there were some parts that were amusing in a "Dear God, I can't believe this guy is our president" kind of way. When he was asked why he refused to testify without Cheney next to him, he said something about how they wanted to show the commission how he and Cheney work as a team against terror, or some such nonsense.

When a reporter asked him if he felt that he owed the 9/11 families the right to hear what their president had to say to the commission, he simply refused to answer.

[Karly]

I just saw Bush answering reporter's questions after his testimony. Obviously he refused to go into specifics, but there were some parts that were amusing in a "Dear God, I can't believe this guy is our president" kind of way. When he was asked why he refused to testify without Cheney next to him, he said something about how they wanted to show the commission how he and Cheney work as a team against terror, or some such nonsense.

When a reporter asked him if he felt that he owed the 9/11 families the right to hear what their president had to say to the commission, he simply refused to answer.


he is so gonna be voted out. he is a joke.

[Viceroy]

Yeah, I read about that. He has refused to say what he was aksed, or what he said. However, he does admit he was "impressed with their questions".

Great job Bush.

[Bergs]

he is so gonna be voted out. he is a joke.

I hope not. He's still better than Kerry.

[Stanky105]

I hope not. He's still better than Kerry.

Yeah, this election is going to suck. Everytime I start thinking "I hope Bush gets voted out" i also think "Shit, that means Kerry would be president."

lol, I say we pick a member of this board that is at least 35 years of age, and vote for that person. :p

[BigMattTheHobo]

Kerry can't be worse then this stupid fucker.

[Sketcher]

Kerry can't be worse then this stupid fucker.

Are you kidding? Bush may have problems dealing with some foreign affairs but Kerry's domestic issues are beyond rediculous.

[BigMattTheHobo]

Are you kidding? Bush may have problems dealing with some foreign affairs but Kerry's domestic issues are beyond rediculous.


Bush has problems everywhere. It is time for a change. Time for a President who doesn't need his hand held.

[droogsteve]

Yeah, this election is going to suck. Everytime I start thinking "I hope Bush gets voted out" i also think "Shit, that means Kerry would be president."I feel exactly the same. We're pretty much fucked for the next four years no matter what.

lol, I say we pick a member of this board that is at least 35 years of age, and vote for that person. :pUnfortunately, I think the only CE poster over 35 is Viet Era Marine, and he hasn't been around lately. :D

[Bergs]

Now if we could all stop just bashing Bush for a second perhaps we cn read an article about what occurred today?

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_SEPT_11_COMMISSION?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME

[droogsteve]

"I'm glad I did it," Bush said. "I'm glad I took the time. ... I enjoyed it."

Glad to hear that, George. I'm sure the 9/11 families were relieved to hear that you enjoyed discussing the horrible slaughter of their loved ones. I know they were worried that you might find it unpleasant.

Stupid fuck.

[wils0646]

Weren't all of these discussions relating to pre-9/11 intelligence and how this attack slipped through our fingers?

[shade]

Bush ended up speaking so long that Bob Kerry and some other guy left because they had a "prior engagement." Apparently Bush talked the vast majority of the time and answered every question asked. He also cleared up inconsistencies from other people.

[Karly]

Bush ended up speaking so long that Bob Kerry and some other guy left because they had a "prior engagement." Apparently Bush talked the vast majority of the time and answered every question asked. He also cleared up inconsistencies from other people.


too bad it will remain a mystery what exactly was "cleared up". this is such a joke. :rolleyes:

[Karly]

Glad to hear that, George. I'm sure the 9/11 families were relieved to hear that you enjoyed discussing the horrible slaughter of their loved ones. I know they were worried that you might find it unpleasant.

Stupid fuck.


Yeah Steve- how big of him to pull himself away from the ranch to do something related to his position. Boy am I impressed.

[wils0646]

too bad it will remain a mystery what exactly was "cleared up". this is such a joke. :rolleyes:

Well, the commission's report in July will clear that up.

[S10000]

Glad to hear that, George. I'm sure the 9/11 families were relieved to hear that you enjoyed discussing the horrible slaughter of their loved ones. I know they were worried that you might find it unpleasant.

Stupid fuck.

http://photomatt.net/dropbox/2004/04/bush-large.jpg

Enjoyed it? Jeez.

[S10000]

Yea, i know, but I saw this picture a few minutes before and I decided to post it.

Replyin to Wils. I knew he was going to ask, so I decided to answer is question before he even asked it.

[wils0646]

http://photomatt.net/dropbox/2004/04/bush-large.jpg

Enjoyed it? Jeez.

Aren't those American soldier deaths? That has nothing to do with this commission or 9/11.

[shade]

too bad it will remain a mystery what exactly was "cleared up". this is such a joke. We wont have any idea what Clinton said either.

You know what the real joke is? I gagged when I was watching the daily show and bob fucking kerry went on and talked about the 9/11 commission on fucking comedy central and even tried to be joking about it.

Edit: Its nice to see pictures of those who have died in the service. It adds a personal level that "2 soldiers die in road side bomb attack today" does not in the news. However, its absolutely disgusting and evil for someone to exploit that for political gain.

[droogsteve]

Well, the commission's report in July will clear that up.
Well I hope they have good memories. Not one word was recorded either by tape or stenographer. (However, if you want to find out what Bush said at some Boy Scout prayer breakfast that happened two years ago, full transcripts are available on the White House website.) I don't know why Bush and Cheney were so worried about what they said being recorded. After all, it's not like they were testifying under oath. This entire thing was treated so informally I wouldn't have been surprised if they showed up in shorts, tank tops and flip flops.

[shade]

have good memories. Not one word was recorded either by tape or stenographer. Thats right. Instead there was a note taker present for every member of the commission. These notes can be compared to hammer out bias for the final report.

Droog, try being a conservative. You know, look at facts before commenting instead of emotion.

[Bergs]

Well I hope they have good memories.

You mean the commission members didnt take any notes themselves? What the fuck are they doing investigating this then? Cmon droog.

[droogsteve]

Do you think the fucking Warren commission had to depend on their own handwritten notes? The refusal to allow any official records to be made is unprecedented. And don't give me any nonsense about national security. Top secret meetings are recorded all the time. The records are then classified.

I am looking at facts, it has nothing to do with emotion. Every goddamn thing the President or Vice President does is meticulously recorded. Wanna make a bet that I can go to the White House website and find every goddamn word of Bush's remarks at that NASCAR race that he started? EVERYTHING is recorded. Except this.

They just don't want anything on the record that can come back and bite them in the ass. If you have another explanation I'd love to hear it.

[Mugatu]

YOu know there is a problem with both political leaders suck ass... I have a wild idea lets elect a third party memeber! Oh wait theres no such thing anymore :(

As for the whole testimony... yah it was worthless. I definetly think he should have been under oath especially for something of this magnitude.

[Sketcher]

YOu know there is a problem with both political leaders suck ass... I have a wild idea lets elect a third party memeber! Oh wait theres no such thing anymore :(

What are you talking about? Ralph Nader is running on third party ticket.

[socrepLT]

What are you talking about? Ralph Nader is running on third party ticket.
And hes guarenteed not to win.

[DeeDee]

Did they tape Clinton as well? I really am asking that question. I don't remember hearing a great deal about the Golden boy.

Personally,Clinton was just as much to blame for all of this too.. This was a group effort. Clinton was in office during the first attack on the trade center and the uss cole and quite honestly i didn't see him do a whole hell of alot. Keep in mind that he knew Bin Laden was behind those attacks as well.

I just hope that for all of Bush's shortcoming we can acknowledge everyone elses too.

[Sketcher]

And hes guarenteed not to win.

So? If you don't like either Kerry or Bush, vote Nader.

[Viceroy]

Clinton and Gore (I think) testified without being under oath, and behind closed doors.

It's much more annoying with Bush though, because his administration already smells bad.

[wataba]

So? If you don't like either Kerry or Bush, vote Nader.
agreed, this is democracy, vote for who you think is the best candidate, not just who you think is going to win..

[DeeDee]

To say that Bush is worst because his administration has more problems ( which is so not true by the way) is very close minded.

Clinton's administration was rocked with scandal as well.. illegal scandal I may add.. not to say that Bush has not had the same issue. All I am saying is that you can not simply hold Bush accountable. I also think that holding him accountable because you do not like him or his administration is just plain wrong.

If you really want to be nit picky here.. if Clinton had been more proactive during his administration 9/11 might not have happened at all.. but that is should have, could have, would have. Let's also face facts.. Clinton is far more charismatic than Bush.. i mainly think that is why he is not held accountable for things us mere mortals would be crucified for. We all know this was a group effort, party affiliation or personal likes aside.

[Pi Rho]

Hey, what are you complaining about?
At least your president is in your country most of the time.
Ours is expected to visit us for an official state visit some time in the near future.
We are all so excited, it will be his longest visit to date. We may as well inaugurate him while he's here.

Bush may be a rancid little plonker, but 'better the devil you know'. He at least has the will to actually stand up for what he believes in, popular decision or not.
Sure, he has made some downright stupid statements, and many don't believe he should have committed to the war in Iraq, but, he believed he was doing the right thing (I shall assume so, as I have no concrete evidence to contradict that) and did it.

Who would you rather have in office right now?
Would he/she really be any better, under the circumstances, or would he stand up and tell blatant lies, like Clinton did (I had no sexual relations with that woman... my sperm got on her dress by osmosis, during a board meeting)?

[Sketcher]

Clinton and Gore (I think) testified without being under oath, and behind closed doors.

It's much more annoying with Bush though, because his administration already smells bad.

Don't give me that crap. This is a classic example of "it's only alright if liberals do it".

[droogsteve]

I'm so goddamn sick of every time someone says something bad about Bush, all the Bush supporters immediately start with :"Oh yeah? Well Clinton did this this and this..."

IT'S NOT A FUCKING CONTEST TO SEE WHO'S THE BIGGER FUCK UP!

Clinton is just as much to blame for 9/11 as Bush. That doesn't relieve Bush of his responsibility. He is our president, not Clinton, and he's asking us to trust him enough to give him the job for another four years. He tried to keep the 9/11 panel from happening and he tried ducking it until the heat got to be too much. If it weren't an election year I have no doubt that he would have NEVER testified. And I have still yet to hear a satisfactory explanation from any Bush supporter as to:

1)Why he refused to testify without Cheney by his side.

2)Why he refused to testify under oath.

3)Why he refused to allow a transcript to be made.

Anyone?


Clinton's administration was rocked with scandal as well.. illegal scandal I may add..I'm no fan of Clinton, but you really don't want me to start comparing a blowjob from an intern to the murderous quagmire in Iraq, do you?

[BJ and UT5]

Clinton was more than willing to address the panel. His entire administration was. Getting through Bush's administration was like pulling teeth. First with Condolezza Rice and then with Bush and Cheney. It doesn't necessarily mean he did something wrong but it doesn't do much to impress the general public either. It looks shady and its funny because the big argument for going to war with Iraq was that Saddam was not being cooperative with UN inspectors. Now when we try to have an investigation into something like the WTC attacks Bush pulls the same card.

[Sketcher]

Droog, what I meant was that it is very hypocritical for someone to bash Bush for doing the same thing Clinton did, then say that what Bush did was worse. I wasn't attacking Clinton or defending Bush. I was just pointing out someone being a hypocrite.

Clinton and Gore (I think) testified without being under oath, and behind closed doors.

It's much more annoying with Bush though, because his administration already smells bad.

[Viceroy]

Droog, what I meant was that it is very hypocritical for someone to bash Bush for doing the same thing Clinton did, then say that what Bush did was worse. I wasn't attacking Clinton or defending Bush. I was just pointing out someone being a hypocrite.

Please accept my apology. Perhaps I should have been clearer and said that Bush's administration is already shrouded in secrecy and a lack of public accountability. Hence, his refusal to partake in an open session with the committee makes it worse.

[shade]

Did they tape Clinton as well? I really am asking that question. I don't remember hearing a great deal about the Golden boy. I dont know. But as viceroy said, it was behind closed doors and not under oath. It is worth mentioning that the 9/11 commission said that much of what Clinton and Bush said corroborated with each other.

1)Why he refused to testify without Cheney by his side. I dont know. I cringed when I heard that he was going to bring Cheney.

2)Why he refused to testify under oath. Because a mistake could then be purjury.

3)Why he refused to allow a transcript to be made. Dont know. Possibly related to question 2. If something was later found to be inaccurate, it would be held as a lie by many.

[shade]

In order for it to be perjury, a person has to know that the statements he's giving are false. And that is proven how? Note that I said could, not would. Proving that someone knowingly lies is a difficult thing.

[droogsteve]

Because a mistake could then be purjury.No Shade, it couldn't. In order for it to be perjury, a person has to know that the statements he's giving are false.

In order for a person to be found guilty of perjury the government must prove: the person testified under oath before [e.g., the grand jury]; at least one particular statement was false; and the person knew at the time the testimony was false.

http://www.lectlaw.com/def2/p032.htm

You cannot be charged with perjury for making a mistake. The lie has to be deliberate. A fact that I'm sure the White House lawyers made Bush well aware of.

[Viceroy]

Bush just doesn't want the commission to hurt his chances at re-election. Hence, he was against the committee in the first place. Hence, he was against members of his administration testifying.

When, ultimately, he had no choice he wanted to testify only with the chairman and vice-chairman of the committee. Finally when he does testify it's in a way that leaves him complete unaccountable for anything.

I'm not saying Bush has something to hide, but he is definately a slippery bastard.

[DeeDee]

Droog.. i have no idea why you picked out one statement I made out of a whole comment that more of less agreed with what you said yourself. They are both to blame, which i am pretty sure that is what I said. In no way have I ever said that Bush was some god send or golden boy that has done no wrong. Personally I think both presidential canidates are shit if you must know. You can go ahead and make your comparisons if you wish and you can get aggrivated all you want because I said what i said, but you know it's true. Yeah, Bush is our president, and yes, he was in office when it happened, and yes, he could have done more, I do not disagree, but that does not in any way negate Clinton's part. Obviously he was questioned for a reason as well.

Are you telling me the only thing Clinton did was get some head? The man was impeached, lied to the whole country, was involved in the whitewater scandal, and is so dishonest that he lost his license to practice law in his own damn state. Your right, he didn't start a usless war, he just sat back and did very little when we were being attacked by the man that was behind 9/11. How could I have been so foolish to believe that he had any part in what happened?

Did you even see my post before this one? You and I said the same thing. They are both to blame.

[Dual]

http://photomatt.net/dropbox/2004/04/bush-large.jpg

Enjoyed it? Jeez.

Damn that must have taken a long time to make :eek:

[poopchow]

I feel exactly the same. We're pretty much fucked for the next four years no matter what.

Unfortunately, I think the only CE poster over 35 is Viet Era Marine, and he hasn't been around lately. :D


Then vote for NADER!!