Bush Administration's Shift on 9/11 Commission Testimony Reflects Pattern of Backing Down Under Pressure

In a significant reversal, President George W. Bush has decided to allow his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to testify before the 9/11 commission under sworn oath, a move that is seen as part of a larger pattern of the administration backing down under pressure. This development comes after months of resistance from the White House, with the president and Vice President Dick Cheney initially asserting executive privilege and refusing to grant full access to classified documents.

Key Takeaways:

• The Bush administration has consistently resisted demands for outside inquiries and details about energy policy decisions, intelligence concerning Iraqi weapons, and Nigerian uranium.
• The administration's initial response to demands for information has been to assert executive privilege and build walls, but eventually, pressure builds until they decide to give in.
• The 9/11 commission's chairman, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, upped the ante by demanding that Ms. Rice testify under oath, which led to a deal being struck within hours.
• The administration's resistance to the 9/11 commission was initially motivated by a desire to avoid a public airing of intelligence failures, but eventually, the demand for a full inquiry proved too strong.
• The White House has also resisted the creation of another commission to examine intelligence failures leading to the overestimation of Iraq's weapons stockpiles, but ultimately created one after intense pressure from Democrats.
• The exception to this pattern of backing down has been Vice President Cheney, who has consistently refused to release information from the administration's energy task force, which he headed.

Statistics:

• The administration resisted the creation of the 9/11 commission for more than a year after the terrorist attacks.
• The commission's chairman demanded that Ms. Rice testify under oath on Monday, and the deal was struck within hours.
• The administration appeared to be backing down in the face of intense public pressure, with Condoleezza Rice herself becoming a key figure in the negotiations.
• The 9/11 commission will now have access to Ms. Rice's testimony, as well as private interviews with President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
• The Supreme Court will soon hear a case related to the administration's energy task force, which has been a source of controversy.

Sources:

• "When George W. Bush and Dick Cheney took office three years ago..."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT, no date provided in source.

• "Mr. Bush's most influential adviser, Dan Bartlett, said Tuesday."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "One senior American diplomat who has sat in on some White House strategy meetings said Tuesday."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "The next fight concerned whether the commission could see the most highly classified documents in government..."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "Mr. Bush granted access to four commission officials."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "Most telling was the uproar over how the president had come to assert, in a State of the Union speech, that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium in Africa."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "The chairman of the commission, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean, upped the ante and demanded that Ms. Rice testify under oath and 'under the penalty of perjury.'"

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "Samuel R. Berger, President Bill Clinton's national security adviser, said he thought that in the case of the 9/11 commission, 'the position that they would not fully cooperate was always untenable, in the light of public opinion.'"

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.

• "Mr. Bush's bet now appears to be that by having Ms. Rice testify, possibly as early as next week, he can get the issue of cooperation off the front pages..."

- New York Times, source citation: NYT.