Waxman Hosts Condi

by emptywheel

Condi stumbles out of the gate. Waxman asks a question about al-Maliki obstructing a corruption investigation of his cousin. Condi first tries to appeal to sources and methods, which Waxman slaps down. Forced to answer further, Condi answers generally.

No one is more concerned about allegations of corruption in Iraq than we are.

[snip]

I can't comment on this specific allegation, I don't want to do so without reviewing this allegation.

[snip]

I'm overseeing a very large organization, we are determined to look at allegations of corruption, we have many many hundreds of documents, hundreds of reports of corruption. Nothing is going to be gained by speaking pre-maturely about corruption.

Then Waxman raises an order that Maliki has issued that immunizes himself and ministers

It is our understanding that the Iraqi leadership is not immune from investigation.

Condi punts--saying she'll have to get back to Waxman. He points out this came up in the earlier hearing with State Department officials. So I guess Condi's final tactic is to retreat to admitting she hasn't--and may well not--do her homework.

The Republicans (Davis and especially Chris Shays) now attack Waxman for accusing Maliki of corruption. It gets so bad that Condi has to take a step back and note that she is worried about corruption (this could get embarrassing if the Administration ever decides to throw over Maliki based on allegations of corruption).

Peter Welch asks whether the American taxpayers have a right to know about corruption in Iraq. Condi answers a soft "yes." But then when asked about the report that was classified after the fact stating that one of the commissions investigating corruption "was like the mafia," Condi says only that the US does not support anyone being immune from corruption investigations.

Dan Burton, helpfully, reminds that Condi is not being prosecuted.

11:13

In case you're wondering, Congressman Westmoreland leers at Condi just as much as he leered at Valerie Wilson. Meanwhile, he's pointing out that we still have corruption here in the US.

"Still" says I? "Seems to me there has been a fairly recent flourishing of corruption on a scale heretofore unseen. Say, in the last 7 years or so."

This is not working out the way that Condi wanted, I'm sure. There will be about 100 clips of her saying, "Corruption is a problem in Iraq. Corruption is a problem."

And she helpfully points out that oil wealth "sometimes" contributes to corruption. As in, "in every case except Norway, there has been a direct tie between oil and corruption." Only she didn't admit that last bit.

11:20

Nope, not working out the way the GOP wanted. Condi has to negotiate a middle ground between wanting to use corruption allegations to pressure Maliki without having to withdraw.

I did not say that talking about corruption would hurt our relationship with the Iraqi government.

Woohoo! Condi just rescinded the directive that prevented State Department employees from testifying to Congress. I think I'm seeing the Condi that bitches out shop clerks for only showing her the costume jewelry.

11:24

Oops. And then Congressman Duncan talks about how much he admired Condi's address to the National Prayer Breakfast.

Now Duncan's bringing up the cost of the war, reveals that he was assured before the Iraq vote that there was "no way" the war would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. I'm growing increasingly fond of Duncan's fiscal conservatism--he even pointed out that we're having to choose between services here in the US and our war overseas.

11:29

Waxman: Is money taken through corruption going to fund the insurgency.

Condi: Yes, particularly in the south. A much bigger problem is the support they're getting from Iran.

Waxman: We need to be able to talk about this stuff publicly as we debate the request for additional funding. Your offer is not consistent with what is proper to the relationship between the legislative and the executive.

[Here's a link to Henry]

11:36

Condi: I don't know how to be more candid. I don't know how to be less flattering.

With statements like that, who needs a resume to apply to be Secretary of State.

11:56

John Sarbanes reads some assertions made by State Department officers to the Committee--particularly whether incidents involving Blackwater are reviewed--and asks Condi if they're statements were true. Condi basically admits they weren't.

Sarbanes: The report is very clear that the oversight over Blackwater was deficient.

Condi: You owe it to your people to have a full 360 degree look [she likes that statement]. But frankly, after the Blackwater incident, I could not say that I knew our oversight was adequate.

Sarbanes: I'm trying to understand how these officials could be saying publicly that there was good scrutiny and good oversight. Were they speaking because they had no facts, or were they trying to mislead Congress?

This is where the dodges get heavy.

Condi: I regret there wasn't the level of oversight that I would have insisted on.

Um, then why didn't you insist on those levels of oversight.

12:05

Braley: Do you think State Department made a mistake with the Christmas Eve killing?

Rice: It has been referred to DOJ.

Well, that's a relief.

Condi: There is a lacuna in our law about this. [That is, that Blackwater was immune from UCMJ]

Braley: Erik Prince told us, under oath that in his opinion Blackwater was subject to UCMJ.

Rice: Let the Justice Department deal with it. The specific legislation has a number of concerns for the Justice Department.

12:10

Hodes: Your blue ribbon panel doesn't just say there is a hole. It says it's not aware of any basis of holding contractors accountable. Ambassador Kennedy's panel found that contractors have been operating above the law for the past four years. Didn't you ask whether the legal framework was in place?

Condi: Not just a problem for State Department contractors. I don't think it is proper to say they were above the law. I just told you that a case [the Christmas Eve shooting] has been referred to the Justice Department.

12:20

Betty McCollum reading Condi chapter and verse from the report on the Baghdad Embassy.

McCollum: Why were we told in July that this Embassy would be opened in September.

Rice: The problems are problems the State Department found itself. When those were found, remediation had to be done at expense of contractor. So it delayed bringing the Embassy online.

McCollum: Ma'am, Madame Secretary. State Department was aware of the problems before the July hearing. [He] told us the Embassy would be opened in September. That's a huge communication problem in the State Department or a deliberate communication problem in the State Department.

McCollum asks where the documents are. Condi starts citing the number of man-hours that existing document requests have taken.

Waxman: Your department has been the most difficult to get documents from. We think we're entitled to get that information.

Condi: We will get the documents to you. But the requests are quite extensive.

Comments

[tekel]

Dan Burton, helpfully, reminds that Condi is not being prosecuted.

yet.

[Jane S.]

Tekel--

I heard that "yet" in my head too as I read that sentence.

[emptywheel]

Oh, I heard it as soon as BUrton said it.

[freepatriot]

if we let Amurika know about Iraqi coruption the turrerist win

[emptywheel]

If we let America know that it's funding Maliki's retirement rather than funding our kids' education, America is gonna be P-I-S-S-E-D-mad.

[Jane S.]

"I think corruption has gotten better and I think it has gotten worse. There are problems but there really aren't problems. I can do a net assessment but I can't do costume jewelry."

[emptywheel]

Jane S

LOL. Condi Rice in 2 sentences or less.

[Jane S.]

I have to go pick up my son in a few minutes from preschool. I think that I'll prefer reading your summary then listening to her grating (is it me or is her voice a chalkboard combination of condescension mixed with exasperation?) hedging.

[P J Evans]

Condi: I don't know how to be more candid. I don't know how to be less flattering.

Dear Ghu, does she even hear what she's saying?

[bmaz]

Since Coit Blacker is so fascinated with the surface tension resiliency of Rice's rear end when coins are tossed at it; I have a few different projectiles I would like to run impact tests with.....

[emptywheel]

bmaz

Hey now, that very same line was used with me, back when I was a very active ultimate frisbee player. I gotta say I was probably just as chuffed with the comment as Condi was.

[Marie Roget]

Frightening to think this person may go back to Stanford, or to any other reputable university.

Ms. Rice should never have the opportunity to shove down the throats of hapless undergrads the special Condi mixture (on display again in this hearing) of condescension, obfuscation, & incompetence that passes for her "knowledge & expertise."

[dipper]

Bush's nickname for her used to be "Unsticker" because she would unstick any problems. People listen to her and say "eh?"

[freepatriot]

its ALL alice thru the looking glass now

apparently the army was investigating leaks to "The New Republic", and when the investigation was leaked to drudge, the army managed to produce this gem:

Foer said the Army has refused to turn over supporting documents in the case, despite a Freedom of Information Act request, and then "selectively leaked" material to Drudge. In an e-mail to the magazine yesterday, Army spokesman Maj. Kirk Luedeke said he was "surprised and appalled that this information was leaked" and that the military would investigate.

so the investigation into the TNR leaks was leaked to drudge, prompting a NEW investigation into leaks

there was apparently no word on who this investigation will be leaked to

does anybody see the problem here ???

[lizard]

I was watching Condi testify after not getting enough sleep, when I slipped into a dream.

In my dream, Sheldon Whitehouse asked Condi Rice the following question:

"Madam Secretary, I am going to ask you to define torture for the record. I am going to ask you this for one reason: Within the next ten years, I expect there to be war crimes trials, and I expect to be called as a witness. At those trials, I expect to be asked what I knew about the torturing of prisoners, and when I knew it. And I am going to tell them the truth, that I tried everything I could think of to make sure that if we were torturing, we stopped, and the people who engatged in it were brought to justice. I am, in foresight, building the record that will be evidence in those trials. With that in mind, Madam Secretary, I would like you to tell me what the administration's definition of "torture" is."

Of coourse, Whitehouse wasn't there, and nobody asked that, but it was a nice dream

[sojourner]

"Condi: There is a lacuna in our law about this. "

What is a 'lacuna'? That is a new one on me...

[emptywheel]

sojourner

A fancy word for "gap." Condi seems quite fond of it, bc she used it about 5 times.

[Neil]

I don't think she likes her job anymore. Let's hope she sticks around long enough to keep Cheney from launching WW3 from Iraq.

[emptywheel]

Neil

Therein lies the problem. I actually think Condi did a reasonably good job here, and in fact didn't play along with her Republican helpers on numerous occasions. They didn't want to talk about corruption. Condi must have said 100 times, "Iraqi corruption is bad."

And one of the underlying tensions here is that if Condi and State are depowered in Iraq, it frees Dick's hand in Iran. Ditto if COndi can't prevent Turkey from starting World War III in Kurdistan.

[Neil]

That drives me crazy when the opposition party spends their five minutes licking the witnesses boots and spinning the substantive issues to make them appear overstated or unimportant.

Dick knows how to spell quagmire, we just don't know if that's what he shooting for. Will the national debate about a second pre-emptive war, this time against Iran thereby initiating WW3, be held in public or behind closed doors in OVP and the Oval office. Last time, the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense were never asked for their opinion. Perhaps this time they'll work more closely together and insist upon it. Well, maybe Gates will.

[Jodi]

Well,

I for one am convinced now that corruption is a bad thing.

Can't we all just agree on that?

And by the way, didn't I say nothing would come of this "oversight" by Rep Waxham?

[Dismayed]

American Congressmen concerned about corruption in IRAQ?

We pots find those kettles exceeding black!

Next - congress holds hearings to decide if tennis is in fact played with a ball.

jeez