United States President George Bush surrendered on Tuesday to public demands for greater disclosure from the White House to the investigation into the September 11 attacks, authorising his national security adviser to testify in public before the commission.
The retreat — after weeks of resisting a public appearance by Condoleezza Rice — was one of two positive gestures to the commission yesterday from a White House acutely aware that the controversy was damaging Bush’s re-election prospects.
In addition to allowing Rice to testify in public and under oath as investigators demand, Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, also agreed to meet the commission, but in a single private session.
The two men will not be under oath, but their appearance represents an advance on an earlier deal that would have had Bush meeting only the commission chairperson and vice-chairperson.
In brief comments to reporters on Tuesday, Bush claimed he waived the principle of executive privilege because of the gravity of the attacks.
”I’ve ordered this level of cooperation because I consider it necessary to gaining a complete picture of the months and years that preceded the murder of our fellow citizens on September 11 2001,” he said.
However, the concessions came with firm conditions making it evident that the White House – which opposed the establishment of the commission — does not intend to be forced into further compromises.
A letter from Bush’s counsel, Alberto Gonzales, said the White House would not entertain additional demands for testimony from Rice, or other White House officials. There is also no scope for expanding the session with Bush and Cheney.
”The commission must agree in writing that Dr Rice’s testimony before the commission does not set any precedent for future commission requests, or requests in any other context, for testimony by a national security adviser or any other White House official,” the letter said.
Democratic party figures said the administration’s response showed its cooperation remained grudging at best.
”It’s been 16 months of foot-dragging and unwillingness to cooperate that we have now seen come to an end,” said the Senate Democratic leader, Tom Daschle.
The U-turn was widely seen as a tacit acknowledgement that the White House stonewalling was beginning to cast a shadow over Bush’s re-election campaign.
”I think the White House would have been better off if it had made the agreements sooner, but I am delighted,” said Slade Gorton, a Republican commissioner.
By capitulating, the White House hopes to close the door on the controversy stirred up last week by the former terrorism adviser, Richard Clarke, who accused the administration of being lackadaisical about the threat of al-Qaeda and obsessed with Iraq.
Clarke’s account brought enormous public attention to bear on a commission that had operated largely beneath the radar of public opinion. It also ignited the showdown between the commission and Rice when she was asked to appear once more to reconcile the differences in her testimony and that of her subordinate.
Rice had appeared before the commission last February. The session was held within the White House on a Saturday, and no recording was made of the four-hour meeting. At first, the White House refused to contemplate a second appearance. But it undermined its own argument of executive privilege by encouraging Rice to appear regularly on television news shows to assail Clarke’s testimony. – Guardian Unlimited Â