Most likely because she is smart and in the Bush administration. I watch her this morning on TV and she seems to be a one-eyed woman in a land of the blind. She answers the commission's questions in a way that advances the Bush Administration's charges that the Clinton Administration is too blame for everything terrorism-related.
Her answers to every question seem to end up in oblique and not-so-oblique references to how the Clinton Administration did not act against terrorists during their administration (though one of the committee members did get her to admit that failing the cooperation of Muslim countries surrounding Afghanistan military action other than stand-off options was not practicable). This directly contravenes the testimony of other members of the administration that the Clinton Administration sat on its hands and didn't attack Afghanistan after the USS Cole attacks. That the launch of 60-odd cruise missiles was "pounding rubble".
Senator Kerrey is nailing her to the cross right now. Lovely. Finally, a person of intellect to challenge her obfuscations and denials.
Posted by artandscience at April 8, 2004 08:03 AMIntellect isn't what's required: it's courage, in this case the willingness to take some heat for beating up a well-liked administration figure.
The quesions in the NYT over the weekend (I linked to them yesterday) should elicit meaningful answers without seeming partisan: truth above party loyalty, if that's possible. Though sometimes I have to wonder if party loyalty is worth being forver associated with this administration.
Posted by: paul at April 8, 2004 08:19 AMShe has no "gravitas". It really, really bothers me that she smiles so much during these hearings. It's like she is like my kitten, rolling on her back in a non-threatening way so that my adult cat won't beat her up.
What is with the persistent smile? I haven't seen anyone else smile so constantly while being questioned. The strain of the spin control seems to be evident in the wavering in her voice.
Could ex-Secretary of the Navy Lehman be any more of a straw tiger?
Posted by: stefan at April 8, 2004 08:28 AM