( OT ) RICE STONEWALLS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC
 

RICE STONEWALLS THE AMERICAN PUBLIC: Condoleezza Rice, despite
discussing the issue repeatedly on all 5 morning talk shows
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2004Mar22.html) ,
refuses to testify publicly before the committee about the
Administration's terrorism policy. She claims that presidential advisers
can't appear before Congress because of separation-of-powers concerns.
But her argument does not withstand scrutiny. First, the 9/11 commission
is not a congressional committee, but an independent committee, signed
into law by the stroke of the President's pen. But even setting that
aside, according to commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste, a 4/5/02
Congressional Research Service report shows there are "many precedents
involving presidential advisers" testifying before congressional
committees. The report reveals that Lloyd Cutler, Zbigniew Brzezinski,
Samuel Berger and even American Progress CEO John Podesta appeared
before congressional committees while serving as advisors to Presidents.