Get Ready For A Whitewashed Testimony Richard Ben Veniste offers our only hope that the 9-11 commission will have even the smallest semblance of credibility. Getting Condi to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth will be about as easy as nailing jello to a tree. The Executive Director of the commission is a flat-out Bush insider, and many of the members of the committee are on the CFR--Council of Foreign Relations. They're going to make sure any questions to Dr. Rice are carefully selected. How could this positition be trusted to such an obvious partisan? This is just like Judge Scalia presiding over Dick Cheney's trial. There is no such thing as a "conflict of interest" for Republicans. "His name is Philip D. Zelikow, the executive director of the commission. Though he has no vote, the former Texas lawyer arguably has more sway than any member, including the chairman. Zelikow picks the areas of investigation, the briefing materials, the topics for hearings, the witnesses, and the lines of questioning for witnesses. He also picks which fights are worth fighting, legally, with the White House, and was involved in the latest round of capitulations – er, negotiations – over Rice's testimony. And the commissioners for the most part follow his recommendations. In effect, he sets the agenda and runs the investigation". Links The Fix is On