Just after the Rice testimony had concluded, the local talk-radio station had their usual hourly news blurb. They’re a CNN affiliate – I will assume this was a CNN feed. update – In an email from the station’s news director, I am told they use both CNN and ABC – so the post has been edited to reflect that.
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The Fox transcript portion: BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president, at any time prior to August 6th, of the existence of Al Qaida cells in the United States? RICE: First, let me just make certain… BEN-VENISTE: If you could just answer that question, because I only have a very limited… RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but it’s important… BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president… RICE: … that I also address… (APPLAUSE) It’s also important that, Commissioner, that I address the other issues that you have raised. So I will do it quickly, but if you’ll just give me a moment. BEN-VENISTE: Well, my only question to you is whether you… RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but I will… BEN-VENISTE: … told the president. RICE: If you’ll just give me a moment, I will address fully the questions that you’ve asked. First of all, yes, the August 6th PDB was in response to questions of the president — and that since he asked that this be done. It was not a particular threat report. And there was historical information in there about various aspects of Al Qaida’s operations. Dick Clarke had told me, I think in a memorandum — I remember it as being only a line or two — that there were Al Qaida cells in the United States. Now, the question is, what did we need to do about that? And I also understood that that was what the FBI was doing, that the FBI was pursuing these Al Qaida cells. I believe in the August 6th memorandum it says that there were 70 full field investigations under way of these cells. And so there was no recommendation that we do something about this; the FBI was pursuing it. I really don’t remember, Commissioner, whether I discussed this with the president. BEN-VENISTE: Thank you. |
The edited taped testimony: BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president, at any time prior to August 6th, of the existence of Al Qaida cells in the United States? RICE: First, let me just make certain… BEN-VENISTE: If you could just answer that question, because I only have a very limited… RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but it’s important… BEN-VENISTE: Did you tell the president… RICE: … that I also address… (APPLAUSE) It’s also important that, Commissioner, that I address the other issues that you have raised. So I will do it quickly, but if you’ll just give me a moment. BEN-VENISTE: Well, my only question to you is whether you… RICE: I understand, Commissioner, but I will… BEN-VENISTE: … told the president. ***** RICE: I really don’t remember, Commissioner, whether I discussed this with the president. [end] |
Another update My complaint to the station yields results – in the lastest broadcast, the local news director Kurt Leavins interrupted the tape in the portion that was edited out, with brief verbal commentary that went something to the effect of “Rice finally gets around to answering the question”. The missing testimony was not reinserted or mentioned, (probably not possible), but the voice interruption is an improvement.
The overall suggestion that Rice was avoiding the question remains intact, though – Leavins being an outspoken critic of the Bush administration, no surprise there. It would have been more reassuring had he chosen to paraphrase the missing segment, instead of editorializing a news item.
Thanks. It’s a big support to me to know that i’m not just spitting in the wind 🙂
I have not followed North Korea closely, but i would guess that most of the information that gets out has a strong bias toward what the government would like us to see. In addition, people hold back from expressing their true feelings out of fear. During World War II there was a strong impression outside of (and even inside of) Germany that Hitler was supported and loved by the people; no doubt some did. But as we know now, there was a great deal of doubt, discomfort and hatred, including several assassination attempts. In this document of nonviolence playlets/stories, check out #16, about a pots & pans campaign in Chile:
http://tinyurl.com/2zkfz
I think this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the kinds of creative strategies that Gandhi predicted:
“Things undreamt of are daily being seen, the impossible is ever becoming possible. We are constantly being astonished these days at the amazing discoveries in the field of violence. But I maintain that far more undreamt of and seemingly impossible discoveries will be made in the field of nonviolence.”
No doubt there was a strong bias as to what North Korea wanted to show the world. But my point remains. Brainwashing of the populace, while maybe not in actual heartbreak over the death of their leader, was still obvious because the other option would be to cry out of fear for not appearing to love the man like you’re supposed to. As I said, they were weeping uncontrollably: every single one of them. I’ve never seen anything like it before.
Non-Scandal Scandal
Check here. Somehow, I think there are more important things we could be worried about. Update As the comments get to, this is some more serious fudging by some journalists than I originally assumed. Let me still say that I…
Don’t Go Hatin’ Condi!
It’s amazing how venomous liberals are toward Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and it’s not just because she’s the most powerful woman and one of the most powerful blacks in the nation, it’s because she is all that AND she is a…
Condi in 2008 Dept.
Some transcripts: Edited by a local station. See what was left out. Rice does a little aikido on Kerrey. Chris Matthews misrepresents Rice. Bill Herbert factchecks some attempts to take issue with Rice’s testimony. Huge link roundup of reactions…