Sept. 11 commissioners thought they were limited to 2 hours with Bush

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Sept. 11 commission said Friday it went into its private interview with President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and Vice-President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) with the understanding it would be restricted to about two hours.



The disclosure, which came amid questions as to why two Democratic commissioners left the three-hour meeting early, appears to contradict the suggestion by the Bush administration in March that it wouldn't be setting time limits amounting to one hour each for Bush and Cheney.


"We knew when visiting with a sitting president we wouldn't get a full day or a half day," said spokesman Al Felzenberg in explaining why the panel agreed to the scheduling.


"We set a date and time convenient to the White House."


The Democrats, Lee Hamilton and Bob Kerrey, left Thursday's meeting to attend previously scheduled appointments. Hamilton, who is chairman of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, attended a luncheon at the centre honouring Prime Minister Paul Martin; Kerrey left for a meeting with a senator to discuss appropriations for New School University, of which he is president.


Both explained Friday they allowed their appointments to stand because they expected the meeting, which began at 9:30 a.m. EDT, to conclude by about 11:30 a.m. Their early departures were not intended to snub the president nor abdicate their responsibility as commissioners, they said.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20040501/ca_pr_on_wo/sept_11_commission&cid=2149&ncid=2149

1.) Didn't need Al Gore.

2.) Had the whole thing recorded for posterity.

3.) Was interviewed all day.

10:44 .. damn it's a tie. The other thread got the first response, so, locking.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x522677