And for this reason:
"This is the report the president has said over and over that he will use to decide where we go from here in Iraq," concluded Schieffer. "Maybe it's because I've been dragged down the old rabbit trail too many times by too many people with something to hide, but this does not sound like we're headed to a straight answer." [digg story] [Raw Story]
But Schieffer was polite about it: politer even than we are! ""Excuse me for getting a little suspicious," Schieffer said." [Raw Story] See there? Crux hardly ever says "excuse me" when she is a little suspicious about what's happening behind all those closed doors.
Petraeus has a Congressional mandate to testify about the Iraq status report before it's delivered on September 15. .[Think Progress He was concerned that the White House intends for the general to speak only to Congress "behind closed doors" while "Cabinet officers do the talking in public."[Raw Story] But that shouldn't matter, should it? After all, Bush's cabinet officials clearly have the public's interests at heart.
I had just assumed that the big report would be made accessible to the American public, but then I realized that the Administration is really doing us a favor: after all, do we really want to wade through all those tedious reports? I for one am perfectly happy to just wait and let the Administration tell me what it says and what it means. I'm sure they've always been 100% candid, after all.
I was more interested to learn that the report is being presented on September 11.[Think Progress] But I imagine that this was just coincidence, because even this Administration---as disdainful as it is of the general intelligence, attention span, and memory of the American public---can't possibly think that presenting the report on this year's 9-11 anniversary will provide an aura of---well, anything, really; take your pick: urgency, credibility, significance, common sense, rationality, etc. etc.
The timing of Petraeus’ testimony was first revealed this morning by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in a conference call with conservative bloggers. According to the National Review’s Jim Geraghty, McCain said he had “been told” Petraeus would testify on the 11th:Geraghty’s account of the conference call has been confirmed by other bloggers on the call, including the Weekly Standard’s Michael Goldfarb and the American Spectator’s Jennifer Rubin . White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe confirmed the testimony date during a press briefing on Air Force One today. [Think Progress; links in original]
At the press conference, Johndroe, speaking for the White House, assured reporters that the September 11 date had nothing at all to do with, you know, September 11. It just turned out to be the only possible date before the September 15 deadline when it could possibly happen! I for one totally believe this, don't you?
To readjust your attitude, watch Bob Schieffer and Jon Stewart here.
LINKED, QUOTED, OR CITED:
- The Raw Story: David Edwards and Muriel Kane, Veteran CBS newsman 'suspicious' of ghostwritten Petraeus report [Raw Story]
- Think Progress: Petraeus To Testify Before Senate On September 11 [Think Progress]
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