|
I was pleased when Bush picked her at the beginning of the administration. However, despite her command of the english language and attention to detail and apparent qualifications, I have been unimpressed of late.
the first thing she did to destroy her credibility for me was to aquire W's smirky grin "Biff Tannen from Back to the Future" speech delivery. She was on meet the press sometime last year, and smugly answered a question that was asked. "Before september 11th, nobody could have imagined that terrorists would use an airliner for a direct attack on american soil. It just was not thought of as a possibility" Had she picked up a Times best-seller list several years before and checked out Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor, she'd have seen EXACTLY that attack played out on the final pages. but... Noone could have imagined it... at least none of the millions who read that book... I'm not a clancy fan, but plenty of others are. to tell the public it was unthinkable is just plain ignorant.
I listened to much of the interrogation today. In her opening remarks, she repeated the disparaging 'freedom-hating' moniker given to Al Quaeda by the administration. This alone, even without bringing the complexities of the word 'evil' into the picture, is just plain stupid. It is dissapointing to have such people of power come before the public and smugly dismiss their intelect with such distain that they feel labeling the enemy as 'freedom hating' will cause heads to nod. Rediculous.
She made mention of a 'rote and emotionless' response she received when delivering a strong message to a foreign power early in her tenure. Then she turns around and puppets Bush-speak in her answers.
One annoying Commissioner was asking direct questions, and she refused to answer. He called her on it, and the audience applauded. Another later told her later to stop filibustering, but she persisted. Later, an even more annoying Commissioner (sorry, on the radio I couldn't tell who was talking!) asked her things regarding national security issues that seem as though they ought to have been things she would have been aware of prior to Sept 11th. Things like "are you aware that it was legal to carry a pocket knife up to 4 inches in length on a us aircraft?" to which she replied, "I was not aware of that". !?!?! I was aware of this, and only because I have flown on more than one occasion prior to Sept 11th. Ought we not expect the highest national security official to be at least aware of the knowledge posessed by average citizens? come on. granted, the line of questioning was excessive, but I don't think its too much to ask of someone in her position.
I was hoping to hear some contrition or at least an aknowlegement that everyone could have done better. That's all we really need to heal a little bit, but no- we did everything we could have and everything we did was fine... I think that it is possible that the plot was mainly unknown to the admin- fine. I think there is some validity to blaming the Clinton admin for insufficient responses to prior attacks. It is always easy to look back with perfect vision. BUT, in the present moment, be honest. When you him-haw and skirt and dodge answers as so many in this (and certainly in prior) administration does, it is shameful and depressing. All you have to do is watch Scott McClellan do a press conference to see a great example of this. plastic people.
ugh!
|