Sorry. It's a bit less interesting at the moment anyway... the commission member who was aiming all the really pointy questions has handed over to someone who seems a little less concise. Still, it'll all be on the news later.
And she's not come out of it too well, so far. There was applause for the "just answer the question" when she tried to squirm out of one. Which says more about TV and showmanship than administration policy, but still...
Of course the next question ought to be directed at Shrub: "Do you feel it is appropriate to continue as President if you can not exercise effective management control over your own staff?"
Still, if they can manage to dump as much blame as possible on Rice then he may yet be able to squirm out of it. Republicans seem to be remarkably good at that.
The White House had originally refused to let Ms Rice testify, arguing that she was in a privileged position as a presidential adviser and that it would set the wrong precedent.
The precedent that the executive might possibly be held accountable for their own actions? Heaven forbid!
The trouble is that it seems to be missing the target. The USA public seem to think its simply Democrats arguing with Republicans, and doesn't concern them. On the good side, the approval of Bush's Iraq strategy has dropped to 40%
Maybe. But they lost credibility on all sides when Condi was originally sidestepping out of testifying - and the applause when she tried to worm out of questions and the panel pulled her up on it won't have helped that perception...
Maybe, but the tobacco-chewing gun-totin' southern rednecks (a huge proportion of the American voters) just don't care. Somehow I just know that Bush will win in November. It seems horribly inevitable - if the Democrats had gone for someone charismatic and leftish like Wesley Clarke, I might have had some hope. (Incidentally, this is why I am a very strong pro-European. In a world with such American dominance we need a civilised alternative superpower. I want a federal European superstate!
Not sure I agree about Clarke. He put his foot in his mouth too many times - it made it too easy for the Republicans to knock him down. I would have liked Dean, but I gather he was too far left to stand a real chance, too... :(
As for Bush's support... the people you're thinking of are almost certainly hardcore "my party, right or wrong" Republicans. They're never going to vote Democrat anyway - it's the rest of GWB's support that needs to be eroded. That core will always vote for him - if they vote at all - and the fact that Democrat presidents get elected is proof that there aren't that many of them.
The real worry, for me, was Nader drawing off Democrat voters towards a doomed third-party bid. And that seems increasingly unlikely now...
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 07:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 07:48 am (UTC)And she's not come out of it too well, so far. There was applause for the "just answer the question" when she tried to squirm out of one. Which says more about TV and showmanship than administration policy, but still...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 08:02 am (UTC)Still, if they can manage to dump as much blame as possible on Rice then he may yet be able to squirm out of it. Republicans seem to be remarkably good at that.
The precedent that the executive might possibly be held accountable for their own actions? Heaven forbid!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 04:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-08 04:25 pm (UTC)As for Bush's support... the people you're thinking of are almost certainly hardcore "my party, right or wrong" Republicans. They're never going to vote Democrat anyway - it's the rest of GWB's support that needs to be eroded. That core will always vote for him - if they vote at all - and the fact that Democrat presidents get elected is proof that there aren't that many of them.
The real worry, for me, was Nader drawing off Democrat voters towards a doomed third-party bid. And that seems increasingly unlikely now...