Snappy the Clam: Fact-checking wingnut ass.

I was browsing through Free Republic (no link, you know where it is) and noticed a NewsMax article entitled "Clinton, Gore Nix Plans for Public 9/11 Testimony." The basic thrust of the article is that Clinton and Gore, after having previously agreed to testify in public to the commission, have now reneged on that promise, the bastards.

I was actually disappointed by this, thinking that here was a chance for them to show some character as opposed to Bush's waffling about his "visit" to the commission, and decided to check into it.

My first step was to read up on Clinton and Gore's initially agreeing to testify publically, but Googling that story turned up nothing. So I checked the NewsMax story again. NewsMax's only source for this is a March 2nd AP wire story, which they quote like so (emphasis mine in both quotes):

Only last week, the former president and vice president had agreed to testify publicy, with the Associated Press reporting on March 2, "Clinton and Gore have consented to public questioning without a time constraint."

By contrast, the AP said that President Bush and Vice President Cheney "have agreed only to private, separate, one-hour meetings with the commission's chairman and vice chairman, instead of the full panel."

I then looked for this same story on the web, and this is how it reads in the actual AP story (note link):

While Clinton and Gore have consented to private questioning without a time constraint, Bush and Cheney have agreed only to private, separate, one-hour meetings with the commission's chairman and vice chairman, instead of the full panel.

The implications of this are left as an exercise for the reader.

Snappy the Clam

Chowder is evil.

Fact-checking wingnut ass.