Why is Bush even bothering to appear before the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States?
He can't answer questions without help from "Vice" President Dick Cheney. And he will not be answering questions under oath, so he is free to lie, I suppose. Not that oaths have ever stopped him from lying before. And his appearance will be made behind closed doors, so the American people won't be allowed to determine on their own whether Bush and Cheney are trustworthy.
Former US Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman has said:
"If Bush refuses to answer reasonable questions in public, the indelible impression is left that he has something to hide. That impression is reinforced by the White House's insistence that Vice President Cheney sit with Bush at the hearing. The President cannot afford to convey the image that he is afraid to appear on his own. And neither the 9/11 Commission nor the public should permit a behind-closed-door session for anything except national security information. The same principle should have applied to the testimony of former President Bill Clinton."
