My Favorite Rice Moments

Now that the transcript is available, I can post some more specific comments on the Rice testimony.

HAMILTON: Questions do not represent opinions. Our views will follow later after reflection on answers.

Me: Yeah, right. We'll see.

Actually, Vice Chairman Hamilton behaved very well, or at least it seems so from the transcript. I missed this part of the hearings (the World's Cutest Kids were watching a movie).

The following is the moment I yelled the loudest at the radio, particularly because this was Commissioner Ben-Veniste's opening question:

BEN-VENISTE: I want to ask you some questions about the August 6th PDB was prepared and self-generated by a CIA employee. Following Director Tenet's testimony on March 26th before us, the CIA clarified its version of events, saying that questions by the president prompted them to prepare the August 6th PDB.

Now, you have said to us in our meeting together earlier in February, that the president directed the CIA to prepare the August 6th PDB.
The extraordinary high terrorist attack threat level in the summer of 2001 is well-documented. And Richard Clarke's testimony about the possibility of an attack against the United States homeland was repeatedly discussed from May to August within the intelligence community, and that is well-documented.
You acknowledged to us in your interview of February 7, 2004, that Richard Clarke told you that Al Qaeda cells were in the United States.
Did you tell the president, at any time prior to August 6th, of the existence of Al Qaeda cells in the United States?

RICE: First, let me just make certain...

BEN-VENISTE: If you could just answer that question, because I only have a very limited...

RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but it's important...

BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president...

RICE: ... that I also address...

(APPLAUSE)

It's also important that, Commissioner, that I address the other issues that you have raised. So I will do it quickly, but if you'll just give me a moment.

BEN-VENISTE: Well, my only question to you is whether you...

RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but I will...

BEN-VENISTE: ... told the president.

Me: Dr. Rice, we all know that you have kicked innocent puppies, torn the "Do Not Remove Under Penalty Of Law" tags off your mattresses, and Richard Clarke saw you drinking out of the orange juice carton and putting it back in the fridge. But my only question to you is, why puppies and not kittens?

I think Commissioner Ben-Veniste owes Vice-Chairman Hamilton an apology, because he made a lie out of Hamilton's opening comments about questions not representing opinions. If it had been me, this is the point where I would have walked out, saying: "Well, when you're ready to let me actually answer the questions you've asked me, let me know and I'll come back." It just goes on and on like this. The guy kept pushing her, asking leading questions and not letting her get a word in edgewise, implying that she was hiding stuff from the public that in actuality has not been declassified. I was about ready to march in there myself and do something heinous with my new pair of embroidery scissors. This guy was more infuriating than my relatives.

Senator Kerrey got an "honor point" from me for this exchange, even though it means he owes Vice-Chairman Hamilton an apology too:

KERREY: Secondly, let me say that I don't think we understand how the Muslim world views us, and I'm terribly worried that the military tactics in Iraq are going to do a number of things, and they're all bad. One is...

(APPLAUSE)

No, please don't -- please do not do that. Do not applaud.

However, he squandered it on this:

KERREY: You said the president was tired of swatting flies.
Can you tell me one example where the president swatted a fly when it came to Al Qaida prior to 9/11?

RICE: I think what the president was speaking to was...

KERREY: No, no. What fly had he swatted?

RICE: Well, the disruptions abroad was what he was really focusing on...

KERREY: No, no...

RICE: ... when the CIA would go after Abu Zubaydah...

KERREY: He hadn't swatted...

RICE: ... or go after this guy...

KERREY: Dr. Rice, we didn't...

RICE: That was what was meant.

KERREY: We only swatted a fly once on the 20th of August 1998. We didn't swat any flies afterwards. How the hell could he be tired?

RICE: We swatted at -- I think he felt that what the agency was doing was going after individual terrorists here and there, and that's what he meant by swatting flies. It was simply a figure of speech.

KERREY: Well, I think it's an unfortunate figure of speech because I think, especially after the attack on the Cole on the 12th of October, 2000, it would not have been swatting a fly. It would not have been -- we did not need to wait to get a strategic plan. ...
So I just -- why didn't we respond to the Cole?

RICE: Well, we...


KERREY: Why didn't we swat that fly?

Don't you just love that imperial "we"? Aren't "we" at all curious about how the Bush administration could have responded to a terrorist attack that took place BEFORE THE ELECTION??

I wasn't too worried, though, because Rice put him in his place:

RICE: I'm aware, Mr. Kerrey, of a speech that you gave at that time that said that perhaps the best thing that we could do to respond to the Cole and to the memories was to do something about the threat of Saddam Hussein.

And then she turned it around into a compliment for him!

KERREY: That had I not given that speech you would have attacked them?

RICE: No, I'm just saying that I think it was a brilliant way to think about it.

Now THAT'S class.