Bush Reverses Position, Allows Rice to Testify on 9/11

Paula Wolfson

The White House says National Security Advisor¹ 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 advisers² are barred from appearing before panels created by Congress.

But the controversy³ surrounding the allegations of former White House counter-terrorism coordinator⁴ Richard Clarke apparently⁵ 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 rebutted⁷ those charges during an interview Sunday on CBS television. She said she wanted to get out her side of the story, but noted⁸ 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 spoke⁹, the first hints of a legal compromise emerged. Negotiations¹⁰ 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 precedent¹¹. No other White House officials would be called to offer further public testimony¹², 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 vice¹⁴ chairman, Lee Hamilton. He said both President Bush and Vice President Cheney would be willing to take part in a joint¹⁵ 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 Democrats¹⁶, 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
rebut⁶ [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 Democrat¹³ 国会民主党
bipartisan [bai7pB:ti5zAn] adj. 两党连立的

1 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

2 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 rebut   

v.辩驳，驳回

参考例句：

• He attempted to rebut the assertions made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳控方证人所作的断言。
• This open letter is to rebut the argument of abstractionism.这封公开信是反驳抽象派论点的。

7 rebutted   

v.反驳，驳回( rebut的过去式和过去分词 )；击退

参考例句：

• Has Mr. Chiang or any member of his party ever rebutted this? 蒋先生及其党人曾经对这话提出过任何驳斥吗？ 来自互联网
• He rebutted the argument of the other team in a debate. 他在辩论会中反驳对方的论点。 来自互联网

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

13 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

14 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

15 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》