Here’s the letter setting forth the conditions under which the White House agreed to let Condoleezza Rice testify publicly, under oath to the 9/11 commission.
A couple of interesting passages:
It starts off with a little joke to break the ice, “The president has consistently stated a policy of strong support for the commission and instructed the executive branch to provide unprecedented and extraordinary access to the commission. Ok, now to the meat of the thing.
- The commission must agree in writing that Dr. Rice’s testimony before the commission does not set any precedent for future commission requests, or requests in any other context, for testimony by a national security adviser or any other White House official.
- The commission must agree in writing that it will not request additional public testimony from any White House official, including Dr. Rice.
So, the main point is that they get one shot at Rice and NO ONE ELSE.
Here’s the deal on Georgie and BackSeat:
I am authorized to advise you that the president and vice president have agreed to one joint private session with all 10 commissioners, with one commission staff member present to take notes of the session.
No time limit, apparently.
UPDATE: Josh Marshall on the Shrub/Backseat joint testimony condition, “One can speculate about several reasons — one in particular — for making this stipulation. And, in addition to having no conceivable constitutional basis, none of them are flattering.”