I’m not a big Bill Schneider fan. The CNN political correspondent is obviously conservative — he’s even a resident fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank — and his on-air analysis usually consists of reading poll numbers and making painfully obvious observations.
Worse, Schneider has a tendency of saying unusually dumb things about Dems. In January, he said Howard Dean lost the Iowa caucuses because of Saddam Hussein’s capture, which really didn’t make any sense. A week earlier, Schneider suggested all Dems are hypocrites. So much for your “liberal” CNN.
But Atrios noted yesterday that Schneider did a “nasty” commentary yesterday about the fact that Bush would only appear with the 9/11 Commission if Cheney could sit and give him a hand. I checked the transcript and Atrios was right; Schneider didn’t pull any punches.
Schneider: The president and vice president have said there will nobody limit of time, and while it will not be sworn testimony because of their concern about the separation of powers, since the commission was set up by Congress, they will not be under oath. There will not be a detailed record. Nevertheless, they will be appearing.
The question that’s emerging out of all this is simple: why does the president of the United States have to appear jointly with the vice president of the United States? I mean, can you imagine Clinton and Gore testifying before such a commission or the first George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle? Why do they have to appear together?
It’s raising some damaging questions about whether or not George Bush knows enough to testify on his own or whether he’s dependent on Vice President Cheney.
Daryn Kagan, the on-air anchor at the time, tried to intervene on Bush’s behalf, saying that other officials who’ve appeared before the Commission have utilized subordinates during their testimony, so perhaps Bush should be given a pass. Again, Schneider wouldn’t hear of it.
Schneider: Well, Daryn, this is the president of the United States. He’s the guy in charge. He’s the guy who was elected. Of course, the vice president was elected, too, with him as a team.
But just politically, the idea that the president cannot have this meeting without the vice president there with him, I think it just raises a damaging image. If this were public testimony, I think President Bush would probably have to do it on his own. But it is, of course, private testimony with no public record, so it’s a little bit easier to do it this way.
Kagan: Yes. No record, no pictures.
Schneider: That’s right.
Kagan: No oath as well.
Schneider: Exactly.
Surprisingly strong stuff from Schneider. Good for him.
And by the way, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mike Luckovich had a great cartoon about the Bush-Cheney joint testimony last Friday. Be sure to check it out.