Bush Reverses Position, Allows Rice to Testify on 9/11（在线收听）

Paula Wolfson

The White House says National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will testify in public under oath before the commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks. It is a big reversal for the Bush administration.

The White House had long resisted calls for Ms. Rice to testify in public, saying the president's personal advisers are barred from appearing before panels created by Congress.

But the controversy surrounding the allegations of former White House counter-terrorism coordinator Richard Clarke apparently prompted a change. He has charged that the administration did not make fighting terrorism a priority before the September 11 attacks, and was instead fixated on Iraq.

Condoleezza Rice rebutted those charges during an interview Sunday on CBS television. She said she wanted to get out her side of the story, but noted there were legal reasons why she could not talk to the commission.

"Nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be to be able to testify. I would really like to do that. But there is an important principle involved here. It is a long-standing principle that sitting national security advisers do not testify before the Congress."

But soon after she spoke, the first hints of a legal compromise emerged. Negotiations began in earnest the next day and on Tuesday morning, the top White House lawyer, Alberto Gonzales, sent a letter to the two men who lead the commission, laying out a deal.

In short, the White House agreed that Condoleezza Rice would testify in public if the commission and the Congress would give written assurances that her appearance would not set a precedent. No other White House officials would be called to offer further public testimony, including Ms. Rice.

In addition, Mr. Gonzales expanded the White House offer for a private meeting between the president and the commission's Republican chairman, Tom Kean, and its Democratic vice chairman, Lee Hamilton. He said both President Bush and Vice President Cheney would be willing to take part in a joint private session with all ten commission members.

The letter made no direct mention of the Clarke allegations. Instead, it referred to the "unique nature" of the commission and its mission, and said the White House will do all it can to help provide necessary information.

According to White House spokesman Scott McClellan, the offer was unanimously accepted by the entire commission. Congressional Democrats, who pressed hard for Condoleezza Rice to testify in public, welcomed the news. Among them was Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois.

"Now that she has made this decision, along with the White House, to testify, I think it is a positive and good thing. This bipartisan commission can now ask the hard questions that need to be asked."

No date has been set for Ms. Rice to appear before the commission. But in his letter to Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton, the White House Counsel said he hopes it will be scheduled as soon as possible.

注释:
National Security Advisor 国家安全顾问
oath [5EuW] n. 宣誓
commission [kE5miFEn] n. 调查团，委员会
reversal [ri5vE:sEl] n. 转换，逆转
priority [prai5Criti] n. 优先
fixate [5fikseit] vi. 视线移向，注视
rebut [ri5bQt] v. 反驳
CBS abbr. 全称为Columbia Broadcasting System，（美国）哥伦比亚广播公司。
lay out v. 布置，安排
precedent [pri5si:dEnt] n. 先例
testimony [5testimEni] n. 宣言
private meeting 秘密会议
mission [5miFEn] n. 使命，任务
unanimously [ju(:)5nAnimEsli] adv. 全体一致地，无异议地
Congressional Democrat 国会民主党
bipartisan [bai7pB:ti5zAn] adj. 两党连立的