The Daily Howler fries Rice (exactly why she MUST testify)

Which brings us back to last Thursday’s Hardball. During the program, Chris Matthews played some remarkable tape. It was Condi Rice in May 2002, rapping on airplanes-as-weapons:

RICE (5/12/02): I don’t think anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon.

That they would try to use an airplane as a missile? A hijacked airplane as a missile? All of this reporting about hijacking was about traditional hijacking. Of course, there had been numerous warnings, before 9/11, about terrorists using airplanes as weapons. Rice’s statement was truly amazing. Obvious judgment? Rice was clueless again.

But Condi Rice is a press corps untouchable, so Washington journalists have never asked her to explain this remarkable statement. Never! She’s never been asked! But on Thursday, Matthews was playing this tape for Kristen Breitweiser, whose husband died on 9/11. Because Breitweiser isn’t part of the club, she quickly voiced the obvious response—the one “journalists” all know to avoid:

BREITWEISER: Either she flat out lied or she’s incompetent, because the historical record is replete with instances of planes being used as missiles. I can hold up the joint inquiry report. You see all the post-its on here, indicating instances of planes being used as missiles, of al Qaeda being interested in using plane as missiles of attacks in the homeland.And I think that she needs to go before the American people and set the record straight.

Holding a thick congressional report, Breitweiser noted the absurdity of Rice’s statement. But wouldn’t you know it? The previous night, Matthews had played this same tape for Michael Isikoff and Dana Milbank. Neither made the obvious comment. In today’s Washington, only someone who isn’t a “journalist” is allowed to say things that are true.

Amazing, isn’t it? No “journalist” has ever asked Rice to explain her astounding remark. But then, last week was so bad for Rice that Pincus and Milbank did a Post piece about Icon Condi’s assorted odd statements. Omigod! They cited airplanes-as-weapons. They cited her “misstatement” about those aluminum tubes. And they cited several other groaners, howlers The Icon voiced just last week. We strongly suggest that you read this report—and marvel to think that the rest of the press refuses to challenge this favorite.

On Hardball, Breitweiser made the obvious comment—the one your “press corps” knows to avoid. But then, Condi Rice is a press corps untouchable. It doesn’t matter what she says. In the hands of a fawning “press,” we get Perfect Rice every time.

www.dailyhowler.com

in case their foreknowledge comes out. Then they can say, "We just thought it was going to be a traditional hijacking."

For comparison, here are quotes from Rumsfeld and Bush:
"I knew of no intelligence during the 6-plus months leading up to Sept. 11 that indicated terrorists would hijack commercial airliners, use them as missiles to fly into the Pentagon or the World Trade Center towers."
(Rumsfeld at 9/11 hearings, March 2004)

“Had I known that the enemy was going to use airplanes to kill on that fateful morning, I would have done everything in my power to protect the American people.”
(George W. Bush, The White House Rose Garden, 5-17-2002)

There's another similarly-worded Bush quote from a few days ago. Makes you wonder why they choose their words so carefully. I guess it's a symptom of all the talking points they ingest.

"Follow up question, Mr. Bush? If you thought terrorists were going to carry out a traditional hijacking, would you have let that happen?"

Thanks for the Howler article, rumguy.