Dr. Rice testifies

Rice recounts that they took the Al Qaeda threat so seriously they kept the Clinton staff to insure continuity while their own new administration had a chance to review and revise as needed.

President saw Tenet almost every morning.

Condi says that the September 4 National Security directive on Al Qaeda and terrorism was the FIRST national security directive of the Bush Administration...NOT missile defense, NOT Russia.

Within one month of taking office President Bush spoke with Musharef about cracking down on the Taleban. Condi remembers a meeting that was met with a rote answer and no action was taken by them as they wished.

She brought in an expert on Afghanistan who worked in the eighties on turning back the Russian invasion.

They developed a new strategy that didn't just focus on the Northern Alliance but focused on social change within the country.

Clarke had recommended strategies--most which had been on the table but never implemented by previous administration.

Moved to arm vehicles to be used against Al Qaeda.

President Bush wanted a NEW way to deal with AQ and he told Condi that he didn't want to deal with terrorists one attack at a time and was tired of swatting at flies.

Info did not raise issue of planes being used as weapons...did say possible planes being used for ransom

Condi telling us about the FAA issuing five alerts to personnel including specific warnings about hijacking.

FBI issues alerts. Paid off informers. Went to 20 countries trying to find information.

She and her staff called foreign officials asking for assistanace of intelligence.

She mentioned the legal and structural impediments to domestic info sharing pre 9-11.

"If we learned anything from 9-11 it's that we cannot wait while dangers gather."

"President Bush has choosen the bold course".

Right off the questioner brings up Clarkes telliing her about Al Quaeda and mentions that mst have been new info for you,,,hahhaha,,,Condi is countering.

Rice: this was not new info. We all knew the speculation. I myself wrote an intro on bio-terr. at Columbia. It was on the radar screen. Briefing by Clark during the transition gave us a hightened sense.

One doesn't have the luxury of dealing with only one issue when you're the United States.

Kean: Did you ever hear or see from any intel agency any memos or discussions that talked about using planes as bombs?

Condi: At one point I said this was a historical memo not based on new threat information because no one could have imagined them using planes as missiles. I probably should have said "I could not imagine" because the intel community did look at this and consider it but it was NEVER briefed to us.

Kean: Was the administration too focused on Iraq. Can you help us understand where in those early days after 9/11 the administration placed Iraq?

Condi: Let me place this in the context of where we were trying to figure out who did this. It was a reasonable questoin to ask whether Iraq was behind this considering their hostility to us.

We also wondered if Iran was behind us.

When we got to Camp David, I knew what was on the president's mind and trying to reassure the American people and get Wall Street up and running. We were concerned about air security. By the time we got to Camp David and begin to plan a response, what was rolled out on the table was Afghanistan.

That was a daunting enough task. There was a discussion of Iraq. I think it was Don Rumsfeld who raised it as this was a global war on terror.

When the President went around the table and asked his advisors what he should do, everyone said we should go to Afghanistan.

Honesty is a beautiful thing. If one is honest, one doesn't worry about questions. Neveer have I seen it more clearly in a public forum. She is clothed in honest, character and decency. Damn, I love this woman.

Question about if there was too much emphasis on Iraq right after 9/11. Intersting...Bush asked Blair on the phone if IRAN could have been responsible...because it was such a sophisticated operation. Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz brought up Iraq at Camp David. Consensus was not to go to Iraq, but Afghanistan.
Bush told her after the Camp David meeting to get contingency plans in case Iraq acted against our interests (while we went into Afghanistan) or if it was discovered later that Iraq was involved.

Condi: We are not going to see success on our watch. This is a generational problem. People look the other way at the absence of individual liberties and freedom in the Middle East and this has alienated us from people in the Middle East.

Ben Veniste is telling her don't bother to explain, just answer did she ever tell the pres about AQ cells in the US. I heard applause in the gallery for Ben Veniste.

Ben Veniste asking about a title of the August PDB

It was "Bin Laden threatens to attack within the U.S."

He says "thank you" in an extremely smarmy manner as if he's scored a point.

Condi has none of it, and despite his attempts to shut her up again, she proceeds to clarify it had no specifics.

Ben Veniste points to thwarting a 2000 attack. He points to evidence that cells were here.

He's acting like a prosecutor. Oily and smarmy is he.

"Isn't that so?"

Rice asks if he has some other questions. He re-reads what he's trying to make accusatory notes. Preparations were being made to do hijackings.

She will read the memo. BV grandstands that he wants it declassified and more vicious applause. Rice firmly points out emphatically that he has seen it, knew it and read it. He whines it hasn't been made public and even the title wasn't even publicly known.

Rice says it was vague (she is pointing out specifics of the vagueness) and how bin Laden likes the results of the '93 bombing and so on.

Rice says they checked if there was surveillance of buildings and found the courthouse. Rice: This was NOT a warning.

BV: If your are willing to declassify, others can make up their minds.

For those people who were praising Bob Kerry yesterday, I'd like to hear your take now.

I wasn't praising him yesterday but I have seen him go after members of the Clinton administration with equal vigor. Notice his smirk at the end, he couldn't get the best of Condi like he did the Clinton team. I have met many educators like him, they are hostile for the purpose of testing your position.

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Sorry.
What is BCRW?
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Nice of you to ask. Black Conservative Republican Women.

Use it often. Make people ask the question. It will become established as a culturally valid thing for black women to be, and that is 5-10% carved off Kerry's monolith right there.

BCRW BCRW

...lying convincingly comes naturally to almost all senior administration politicians. ...

I other words she poured ice cold water all over the Dems Witch Hunt.

2. She didn't hear the President tell Clarke to get any information to lay the blame on Iraq right after 9/11.

Condoleezza Rice: "I believe the title [of the August 6 PDB] was "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States". [..] It did not warn against attacks inside the United States."