The White House’s lack of cooperation with the independent 9/11 commission has been ridiculous for months.
First, the administration fought against the panel’s very existence. Second, the White House limited the commission’s access to information it needs, handpicking which documents the members can see and not even allowing them to bring their own notes about the documents to their offices for review. Third, after dragging its feet in cooperating with the commission, the White House announced that it would not support giving the panel more time to complete its work (though Bush later changed his mind).
More recently, to add insult to injury, the White House told the commission that Bush and Cheney would meet only with two of the panel’s 10 members and that meeting would be limited to just one hour.
Apparently, the commission’s members have had enough of the White House’s nonsense — they’ve rejected Bush’s offer. As the New York Times reported:
The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks is refusing to accept strict conditions from the White House for interviews with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and is renewing its request that Mr. Bush’s national security adviser testify in public, commission members said Tuesday.
The panel members, interviewed after a private meeting on Tuesday, said the commission had decided for now to reject a White House request that the interview with Mr. Bush be limited to one hour and that the questioners be only the panel’s chairman and vice chairman.
Good for them. I’ve never heard a reasonable explanation from anyone as to why Bush and Cheney should have their interviews limited in this fashion. This commission has been charged with an enormous responsibility — investigate how 9/11 happened and assess our preparedness for future attacks. The members, empowered by Congress, feel that the president and vice president can help provide valuable insight and information. Why set a one-hour deadline?
After all, as the Progress Report noted this week, Bush spoke to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward for “at least four hours” when Woodward was writing a book about the 9/11 attacks and its consequences. Why would the president give a reporter four hours, but give an independent congressional commission one hour to discuss the same issues?
The commission is also starting to play hardball with Condoleezza Rice. The national security advisor met privately with the panel in early February, but would like Rice to testify in public at a two-day hearing later this month. So far, the White House has balked at the idea, leaving the commission to consider a subpoena to force Rice to show up.
In contrast, Bill Clinton and Al Gore have agreed to talk to the commission without limits or conditions, and Clinton’s national security advisor, Sandy Berger, has agreed to appear publicly at the panel’s hearing.
If you don’t want people to think you’re hiding something, you shouldn’t act like you’re hiding something.