CNN: Rice to testify on Iraq before Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday

[DeepModem Mom]

Friday, January 05, 2007
Rice to testify on Iraq before Senate committee Thursday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will go to Capitol Hill next Thursday to discuss the Bush administration's new strategy for Iraq with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The committee's new Democratic chairman, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, and ranking Republican, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, announced a tentative schedule Friday for four weeks of hearings on Iraq, including the appearance by Rice.

In a statement announcing the hearings, Biden, an outspoken critic of the administration's Iraq policy, said their purpose is "not to revisit the past, but to help build a consensus behind a new course."

"The purpose of these hearings will be to seek an answer to the question currently dominating the national debate -- what options remain to secure America's interests in Iraq? Where do we go from here?" Biden said.

President Bush said Thursday that he will unveil his new strategy for Iraq sometime next week. While the president offered no details, sources with knowledge of the Bush's deliberations have told CNN that he is likely to order a "surge" of 20,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops to Iraq to bolster the roughly 140,000 now there.

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/01/rice-to-testify-on-iraq-before-senate.html

[illinoisprogressive]

1. Let the games begin!!!!!

[Greeby]

2. And when she starts lying her ass off, as she will

What are you going to do, Chairman Biden? Hmmm?

[jamesinca]

4. She does not have to lie this time

All she has to do is tell them the President outlined that in his speech, or the President will outline that in his speech. They seem like they are going to ask her what options are left in Iraq, and it is hard to lie about an opinion. She does not have well thought out opinions, but they are her opinions none the less.

I see this as a softball question type interview, so I don't think Sen. Beiden will do anything. Of every opinion that Sen. Beiden ever expressed, of every piece of legislation he ever wrote or co-sponsored, of every thing he ever did right in his life one thing keeps coming to mind about him: I like you, your the real deal, I am going to vote for you.

[Hieronymus]

5. I'll never forget that quote either ..

Biden should forget running for president.

[karynnj]

18. But in addition to Biden, she will face:

Kerry, Dodd, Feingold, Boxer, Webb ...

They are less likely than Biden to say "I like you" - I KNOW Kerry has never said that, nor Feingold, and certainly not Boxer.

[jamesinca]

21. I agree

Rice needs to be more afraid of the other Dems on the committee, not Beiden. Sen. Boxer knows she is loved by us, and she got the roses to prove it. She does not need to make friends with Condi, who by the way would never send her flowers.

[karynnj]

22. If Condi sent Boxer flowers, I think she would refuse delivery.

Kerry and Boxer were by far the hardest on her at her confirmation - but in very very different ways. Boxer laid into her. Kerry politely asked very very tough questions. One of them at least 3 times until she answered it. The fact that he had had Presidential briefings only a few months befoe :cry: meant she really couldn't get away with lying to him.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. And THEY ARE OFF

Ain't it grand

[Kenergy]

6. Yep, this will be interesting n/t

[Erika]

7. Condi has lost all credibility

Send her shoe shopping.

[yasmina27]

8. Woo Hoo! n/t

[flordehinojos]

9. this will be interesting to watch. i wonder how many times she will evade a question with her

patented and patently canned answer, "o please do not impugne my integrity". i hope someone there has the courage to tell her, "let your integrity go to h-e-l-l- you have none, relly! what integrity are you talking about?"

[durtee librul]

19. Someone needs to tell ms priss

she didn't have any integrity to begin with because if she did, she would have never rubber stamped all the crapola from Bush.....unless SHE is getting a little sumptin on the side.

Besides, she'll plead the 5th with all the rest of the crooks and liars. I am not expecting any 'news' from any of the hearings. Even if they get cited for contempt, they have lil al to fall back on and I am sure he will 'interpret' the laws of the land just fine.:sarcasm:

[Straight Shooter]

10. "No one could have imagined that Iraq would be a total failure."

Oh, puhleeze, God in heaven, let her say something stupid like that.

[calimary]

16. How 'bout "I don't think anyone could have predicted that..."

She's gonna haul that old crap out again. Probably MULTIPLE times. As many times as she'll come to be using the "I decline to answer on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me." Or, there's always that gem about national security.

[progressoid]

11. under oath?

[gratuitous]

12. Well, it said "testify"

Which usually includes that little formality of an initial swearing in. Also brings into play those pesky perjury laws. I have a feeling this isn't going to be the softball session it's been in the past when the esteemed Dr. Rice has been invited to share her views with the Senate Committee.

If you have a Senator on the committee, may I suggest you feed his or her staff a little information about Dr. Rice's past statements, their veracity, and her predictive powers? Could be a real rouser of a session.

[Beetwasher]

26. Did Someone Say

Testify!

:woohoo:

And so it begins.

[Bake]

31. "Testify" may just be a characterization of the scheduled appearance

I want to see her raise her hand and swear (or affirm) that she will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Bake

[rhett o rick]

13. Someone should remind her that war criminals are still hung. Maybe

she can cop a deal.

[JudyM]

14. Good. Get right on the high level issues immediately. WTG, Dems. nt

[snappyturtle]

15. I heard Biden talk about these hearings on....

TV (Lou Dobbs) and he pissed me off. What did this is mentioned in the above article too: ..."not to revisit the past, but to help build a consensus behind a new course." How does one formulate a new course WITHOUT re-visiting the past? Seems to me, re-visiting helps forestall making the same mistakes all over again AND puts some blame on "someone". We have not had anyone blamed for anything and obviously, "somebody" screwed up....which Biden also said.

[BenDavid]

17. I want to see this Sherry Palmer

look alike be made to either swear or affirm that she tell the truth..

[HuffleClaw]

20. i guess we'll know right quick if this will be a dog & pony show or

a genuine investigation, though the comment about "not to revisit the past..." doesn't auger well imo.

[VegasWolf]

23. Kool! Rice has proven herself the weakest link in this administration. If we can get

dirt about this administration, it will likely come from Rice.

[goforit]

28. Don't count your chickens, Negropointe sits by her side handcuffing her words

[superconnected]

24. I always believed rice held her positions *because* she'll lie for bushco.

but cool if they can get the dirt out of her.

[Beetwasher]

25. Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends

We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside!

[Supersedeas]

32. this Admin is a refrain in a comedic rock n roll opera

[classysassy]

27. These shoes were made for lying

I am going to lie all over you.

[KelleyKramer]

29. " Biden, an outspoken critic of the administration's Iraq policy... "

Notice how they preface what he says with that.

If the overwhelming majority of Americans support your position.. how can that be an 'outspoken' critic??

At the same time, Bush has something like 19% support for his handling of the war.. wouldnt Bush be the 'outspoken' one??

CNN is nothing but garbage

[ChairmanAgnostic]

30. this is bullshit, excuse me.

but the chances of condi actually testifying and providing responsive answers to even one question are as remote as my climbing Mount Everest in high heels and jock strap, while dragging up a case containing all of Darth Cheney's secret papers tied to my leg.

I am glad that we are holding hearings, but we should recognize in advance that it will be easier pissing into a windstorm.