Mercury News | 04/09/2004 | Rice testimony narrows focus By David Von Drehle, Washington Post

Among Democrats, many believed that Rice’s testimony had pushed the trail of blame directly to George Bush. “Just one month before terrorists claimed the lives of 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush was on a 30-day vacation in Crawford, Texas,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. “He was informed by his national security team that Al-Qaida operatives in the United States had the ability to hijack passenger airplanes.”

Cummings was referring to one of the hot spots of Rice’s testimony: She tangled with commission Democrats over the nature of a highly classified briefing Bush received Aug. 6, 2001. Ben-Veniste characterized the briefing as a dire warning of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden’s desire to strike America. He underscored his point in one of the day’s most dramatic — and tense — exchanges.

“And I ask you whether you recall the title of that” briefing, Ben-Veniste said.

“I believe the title was, `Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the United States,’ ” Rice answered.

“It did not warn of attacks inside the United States,” she said. “It was historical information based on old reporting. There was no new threat information. And it did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States.”

Let’s see that briefing. Why would the daily briefing, with such a prescient title, be an historical report? mjh

Cool, Calm Condoleezza Rice by Tom Shales, washingtonpost.com

Rice clashed with Democrats Richard Ben-Veniste and Bob Kerrey. It’s a tossup who was more hostile. ”Please don’t filibuster me,” Kerrey admonished Rice as she rattled on. ”It’s not fair. I have been polite, I’ve been courteous.” …

It wouldn’t be unthinkable to call the Bush administration the most vindictive since that of Richard M. Nixon. Rice, however, puts the nicest possible face on that vindictiveness and is easily one of the administration’s most effective communicators. She’s also among the least likely to come off as fanatical, cranky, intemperate, or possessed by the delusion that she and God are on a first-name basis.