Q Why is it that this administration is not allowing the senior -- your senior staff that you conversated [sic] with prior to Hurricane Katrina, during and after, to testify, to interview or talk with congressional leaders? And why not push Michael Brown, who is now a private citizen, to go before them, as he is what many are calling a linchpin to the whole issue?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me make sure you have the facts. We have given 15,000 pages of White House documents to the investigators, congressional investigators; some -- I think it's 600,000 pages, administrative documents. We have sent a fellow named Rapuano to talk about -- he's a White House staffer -- to talk to the committee. There have been a lot of interviews. There have been public testimony.
As a matter of fact, we are so concerned about this that we've started our own investigation to make sure that lessons -- that we understand the lessons learned from this. This is a problem we want to investigate thoroughly so we know how to better respond on behalf of the American people.
And so we're fully cooperative with the members of the House in -- of the Senate, and we'll do so without giving away my ability to get sound advice from people on my staff. You see, April, here's -- and this is an issue that comes up all the time, and you might -- we've had several discussions like this since I've been the President. If people give me advice and they're forced to disclose that advice, it means the next time an issue comes up I might not be able to get unvarnished advice from my advisors. And that's just the way it works. But we've given thousands of pages of documents over for people to analyze.
Q Does that include Michael Brown?
THE PRESIDENT: Pardon me?
Q Does that include Michael Brown?
THE PRESIDENT: People who give me advice, it will have a chilling effect on future advisors if the precedent is such that when they give me advice that it's going to be subject to scrutiny.
Now, we've analyzed -- we've given out all kinds of pages of documents for people, and we're cooperating with the investigators. And that's important for the American people to know. What's also important is we want to know how we can do a better job. And so we're having a lessons-learned investigation, led by Fran Townsend. And -- anyway, we need to know.
Let's see here -- yes, Mark.
Do you trust this man at his word, because I don't. Some one please convince me otherwise because I don't see the W, Rove and Co as trustworthy -not in the least bit- based on their actions.
Well, how about a little unvarnished advice?
Frankly, Mr. President, some of your decisions and actions suggest to me that you have received very poor advice. Maybe it's time you accepted a little congressional oversight and take the public spanking you so rightly deserve. The time to impeach is neigh.
1 comment:
Scrutiny runs both ways
THE PRESIDENT: People who give me advice, it will have a chilling effect on future advisors if the precedent is such that when they give me advice that it's going to be subject to scrutiny.
The wisdom lies with he who takes good advice, not with he who gives it. Therein lies the rub. Were Bush to reveal what advice he had, it might be contrary to the decision he made.
The problem for advisors is that once they reveal what advice they gave, they no longer have access to whomever. No access, no possible influence. The public can only hope that advisors to politicians come to realize that fools can't be advised, and that access to a fool is worthless.
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