MR. RUSSERT: You just heard the chairman suggest that he would prefer that the president and vice president testify separately before the commission. Why did the White House insist that they appear together?Let's review in a nutshell why Karen Hughes thinks Bush and Cheney should be doing their Waylon Flowers and Madame routine at the 9/11 hearings:
MS. HUGHES: I'm not sure what the rationale specifically was, but I think the White House believes that it is an effective use of their time. This is really quite extraordinary for a sitting president to go before a commission of this nature. The most famous other commission I can remember in my lifetime was the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. And President Johnson, my understanding is, did not appear before that commission. He said, "Presidents just don't do that." Well, in this case, this president is doing this because he feels, again, this is such an extraordinary circumstance.
Many times, President Bush and Vice President Cheney were in the room together during much of the events, much of the briefings, much of the lead-up that the commission is looking at. And so I think it's appropriate that they appear together and discuss how they saw the events leading up to September 11.
1) It's a real time saver!
2) It proves they have more guts than Kennedy or Johnson!
3) They were together on 9/11, they should be together now!
Well, sorry if we're taking up your time from fundraising, schmucks. I don't hear Hughes citing the "extraordinary circumstance" of the embarrassment the Republicans put Clinton through by putting his sex deposition on national TV. 9/11 is a little more important.
And if they were so together on 9/11 (which they weren't - Bush was being spirited all over the country trying to find a safe haven while Cheney was marched to his cave), then their stories should jive.
You can smell their panic.
Thanks to Joanne for the quote
