Flush twice... it's a long way to Sally Quinn's place!

Pundit Pap
for September 28, 2003
The Turning Point
Sunday pundits, no longer supine, turn on their perennial Administration guests as spy scandal rocks the White House
by the Pundit Pap Team
Jeff Koopersmith • JJ Balzer • Andy Kay

Sept. 28, 2003 -- NEW YORK (apj.us) -- This morning, I watched Secretary of State Colin Powell, visibly shaken by events which seem to be a harbinger of at least a nuclear-sized cleanup within the President's cabinet that is taking shape.

Mr. Powell, usually the personification of calm, began perspiring vigorously under questioning by ABC's George Stephanoplous -- so much so that he had to wipe a line of sweat dripping down the left side of his cheek as he answered one probing -- but not tough enough -- question from the former Clinton operative and turncoat.

Tim Russert had a similar field day with Condoleezza Rice -- although Ms. Rice did not perspire.

Instead she changed facial expressions in a most bizarre manner and presented a visage -- well, several of them -- that I had not seen before. It was a sign of severe strain.

I wondered whether President Bush had sent her and Mr. Powell on a mission to try and turn the rising tide against his policies in a kind of "do or die " manner.

As readers know, I have called for the President to rid himself at least of Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Wolfowitz, and Ms. Rice before. Perhaps now, he will awaken from his slumber.

In fact, today's pundit shows unveiled a turnaround -- with the media, which up until today seemed all too eager to take the side of the Administration, now ready to attack it -- and viciously.

Make no mistake: when the major networks and cable news operations begin to ask the tough questions raised this morning, the party is definitely over, this time for President Bush.

One is not certain about the how and why, but a week of media disasters -- the President's failure to present at least a face of humility at the United Nations last week, his having walked away from talks with France and Germany thus far empty-handed, and new revelations concerning what appears to be the misuse of intelligence information to "get" Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife -- all served to move Karl Rove and others to advise the President that he must bring out the "big guns" this morning to defend the White House on Iraq, the $87 billion (soon to become at least $200 billion) supplementary budget request sure the break the bank of the nation; and the failure of David Kay to find weapons of mass destruction.

It is rumored that Kay's first report will not have a smoking gun contained within. Ms. Rice's cautionary statement to Mr. Russert this morning that it is only a progress report appears to underscore the Administration's disappointment that Kay has found not much thus far and to prepare the American public for an empty chamber once again.

But the biggest story of what was a still sleepy morning concerns Ambassador Joseph Wilson, and more to the point the potentially destructive result of what appears to be the Administration's attack on Wilson using his wife as the target.

Pay careful attention to this story.

Although Mike Allen and Dana Priest of the Washington Post are receiving undue credit for breaking the story that the Justice Department is investigating the so-called "leak" that resulted, perhaps, in some deaths of American foreign operatives, the two terrific reporters did not break this story.

In fact, the story was reported by both long-term mouthpiece for the ultra-right, Robert Novak, and one Al Martin, who is said to be in failing health, but hot to fry Karl Rove as the leaker.

According to an interview published on the web and written by Uri Dowbenko titled The Man Who Knows Too Much: An Interview with Al Martin, author of "The Conspirators: Secrets of an Iran-Contra Insider," Martin, who was an undercover operative during the Iran-Contra era, decided to begin telling all about this and other scandals from an insider's perspective.

Nearly a month ago, on September 2nd, Martin published a story (the page seems to have disappeared from Martin's web site but can be found here) claiming that not only had Karl Rove had leaked dirty pool on the Wilsons' in what might turn out to be "the hottest and most explosive story behind the scenes in Washington in terms of how it could affect the Bush Administration," but that Rove had ties to Germany as well, and that the chief presidential strategist was a dual citizen of both the US and the German Republic.

In a nutshell, Martin claimed that this happened after Ambassador Wilson came back from his CIA-sponsored mission to investigate whether Bush Administration claims that Saddam Hussein was trying to buy "yellowcake " from Niger to boost Iraq's nuclear weapons push -- and said the claim was quite frankly untrue.

According to Martin, Rove himself, in retribution for Wilson's report, leaked to the Washington Post that Wilson's wife is a CIA agent and has been for the past 26 years. Martin claims that as a consequence of this leak her entire team of overseas "assets " (he claims 70 people in all) were "liquidated. "

In short, Martin claimed that Rove was out to ruin Wilson and his wife, with unintended consequences ensuing.

Readers should know that Martin has, in the past, been painted as a sort of kook by right-wing flacks and other government insiders, but now that the Post has at least printed the story of the leaks -- without labeling Rove as the actual source, and without talking about the deaths of 70 CIA assets -- Martin may not be as "kooky " as some have claimed, at least in this case.

This remains to be seen.

The fact that the Martin story itself has been made difficult to find on his web site is disturbing, although a link to the story yet appears on the home page of Martin's web site Al Martin Raw. It may be that his server is on the blink, or that he is now offering his version of the story -- as compared to Robert Novak's column on the same subject -- only to his paid subscribers.

Martin wrote then,

This is very explosive and what makes it so explosive is that this Intelligence Identity Act, if it can be proved and Rove can be successfully prosecuted and if Rove reveals that the president George Bush told him to institute this leak, then the President's automatic shield of immunity is removed and the president himself can be prosecuted for murder if any deaths of any US intelligence agents or assets resulted from the leak. This is the only legal statute that has this provision.

Tough stuff.

-- Jeff Koopersmith

This Week
Players: host George Stephanopoulos, Secretary of State Colin Powell, George (why can't he just go away?) Will, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi

At the top of This Week, Steph made a big deal of House Intelligence Committee leaders Porter Goss (R-FL 14) and Jane Harman (D-CA 36) having blasted the CIA's flawed and outdated Iraq intelligence in a letter to CIA Director George Tenet -- and the big story in the Washington Post in which a top administration official fingers two unnamed senior White House players for the outing of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife as a CIA authority on WMDs.

Steph welcomed Powell and asked if progress has been made on getting a UN resolution on Iraq; Powell spun the week not as the vain attempt at diplomatic damage control it actually was but as the opportunity to "put our differences behind us" (failing,naturally, to specify those differences). Powell had to concede that most of the troops in Iraq will have to be American. Powell was unable to report substantial progress in getting troop commitments from nations in the region, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and South Korea; Powell said they just don't have enough troops to handle it. He admitted that a "goal" is to get a third international division -- and Steph pointed out that El Smirko failed to ask some parties for more troops directly (Steph forgot to mention that he "forgot" because he was sure to get a humiliating "no" in response).

Steph also said that Gen. John Abizaid Commander of CENTCOM, has said that a failure to secure more international troops will result in the call-up of more reserves. Powell had to concede that point -- and admit that he cannot be certain that a new UN resolution will yield anything in the way of more troops (in other words, that rosy scenario being pushed by the Texas Twit and his merry band of spinners has completely evaporated, and the word for the day is "lowered expectations").

Steph then turned to a new set of poll numbers showing 67% of Americans plus or minus a few percent oppose Smirk's request for Iraq funding. Powell used that time-tested "our citizens should support our troops" spin line before pitching the importance of rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure (without, of course, using the words "Halliburton" or "Bechtel" -- or mentioning the need for the US power grid to get the upgrade it so urgently needs following a generation of deregulation and not-so-benign neglect). Powell said that he is against "saddling the Iraqi people with more debt." Steph said the debt is to France and Saudi Arabia -- why should Americans pay off those nations? Powell, with an irritated look on his face (you think that Powell is going to get anywhere asking what his denizens love to call the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" to forgive the Iraqi debt?), talked about infrastructure again. Steph reviewed the numbers and said that America will have to pay out even more money next year. Powell: "Not necessarily," followed by more talk about building this and that (infrastructure, an army, and -- finally he said it -- oil).

Steph brought up the matter of that letter from Goss and Harman to Tenet. Powell said that Saddam killed 5000 people with nerve gas 15 years ago -- and then had the nerve to say that if anyone assumes Saddam destroyed his weapons, they are "naive" and in 1991 they found evidence of weapons.

(What a joke. There have been numerous reports from a variety of sources in the last couple weeks that Saddam did in fact destroy his stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons -- and his nuclear program amounted to little if anything after Israel destroyed his French nuclear reactor. Colin, you're not fooling anyone.)

Colin tried to make a lot out of inspectors being ejected in 1998 (but failed to say it may have been a ploy by Saddam to convince his neighbors that he had WMDs when in fact he hadn't).

Then Powell tried to defend the faulty National Intelligence Estimate that led to war.

Usually, Powell comes across as earnest, at least making an honest effort to act as if he might even believe his talking points. This morning, he was noticeably surly and gruff, and was unable to conceal his discomfort at the line of questioning, even having to wipe his brow on one occasion. So much for "Never let 'em see you sweat." Steph was certainly hitting a few nerves. Who knows? Powell may well be tiring at long last of acting as spokes-spinner for a cabal of doctrinaire fools who have blundered all things Iraq so clumsily, dashed their own credibility, and destroyed the respect and esteem our nation garnered from the rest of the world when we had an elected president that the mind boggles.

George Will chimed in, asking if anything has turned up in Iraq that shows the intelligence was not solid -- and Powell said no, defending the Misadministration by claiming they only used "solid" evidence. (Right -- like that "solid" yellowcake from Niger that wasn't.) Powell then made some headlines -- he said David Kay's preliminary report would be issued this week (no doubt in an effort to deflect from the growing litany of failure and scandal).

Will, who sounded as if he had been given some "good suggestions" for questions, asked specifically about two sites -- but all Powell could say was that the CIA found a "mobile biological weapons lab." (Huh? You mean that balloon inflation van?) Will talked about "dual use" chemicals and facilities (including a brewery), which gave Powell a chance to dramatically suggest that Saddam could have turned them into WMD facilities.

Did an Iraqi official meet with Mohammad Atta in Prague? Powell gave an answer that suggests that there is no evidence.

Powell then delivered one other crucial message on behalf of his bosses: "The President went in and conducted this war" before expounding about human rights abuses and mass graves, which seems to be a favorite refrain among Misadministration flunkies these days. (It just warms the heart that they are so interested in human rights -- in those nations Little George decides to target.)

Steph changed the subject to reports late last week of a second discovery of weapons-grade uranium in Iran and a pledge by Iran that they are ready for IAEA inspections. Powell said that a year ago, the world thought the US was going over the top in demanding answers from Iran on their nuclear program's actual goals -- it is important to know what fuel is going in and coming out of Iran's reactor, and the US must be convinced that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful.

Finally, Steph asked about the leaking of Mrs. Joseph Wilson's service in the CIA. Powell suddenly went stiff, saying (much as Condi Rice did on FOX News Sunday) the CIA was obliged to ask Justice to investigate -- and nothing else.

Powell looked terribly uncomfortable as he was asked that "parting shot" question. We've never seen him squirm like this on the sunday morning circuit -- he'd already gotten a tougher line of questioning from Steph than he has been accustomed to, and this looked to be almost too much for Powell to take. One gets the feeling that he thought he might have avoided the subject altogether. No such luck.

We stuck around for Steph's taped interview with Iran's Kharrazi. Kharrazi said that Iran is cooperating with the IAEA. Steph said that weapons-grade uranium had been found twice in Iran -- and Kharrazi agreed that traces had been found twice, but it was not Iran's fault (gee, it never is). Steph said that there are accusations of Iran deceiving the IAEA -- Kharrazi said they want to cooperate ("want to"? -- didn't he say "is" earlier?). Does that mean unimpeded inspections? Kharrazi muttered nonspecific "W want to cooperate" jargon, and also said that creation of some weapons-grade uranium is perfectly OK, and that they are willing to accept IAEA proscriptions if "it solves the problem" (without specifying the problem -- which might just have something to do with making atomic weapons, wouldn't you think). Steph asked about reports that Israel may strike against Iranian facilities. Kharrazi said that there would be a response from Iran if Israel takes out the facilities.

Steph asked about a "new dialogue" with the US. Kharrazi talked a great game about "mutual respect and full footing" (in other words, the US should not meddle in internal Iranian affairs). Steph suggested that means WMD programs and state support of Hezbollah. Kharrazi actually had the nerve to say Hezbollah is not a terrorist cabal! Is you border closed to Al Qaeda? Kharrazi said they have tried to close their border -- and are willing to share information (hint: that's a bargaining chip in US-Iranian negotiations).

A little later in the show, Steph turned to Smirk's lousy poll numbers. ABC political analyst Mark Halperin said that the Chimpy Junta is not sweating, the economy is bad, there's no Democrat front-runner (but somehow neglected to note that previous Presidents had lousy f-scores trending upward, but Shrubby's are drying up); George Will admitted that there's little Smirk can do about the economy -- and then claimed the economy grew 3.3% -- which Steph demolished by pointing out that joblessness is up. Halperin actually used the term "Clinton-Gore prosperity" (we almost went into cardiac arrest -- hey, Mark, you're not supposed to say anything nice about Clinton or Gore -- that's the rules) and said Junior is hoping there's better economic and Iraq news down the line, reminding viewers that the spin coming from Snippy W. Fustercluck's handlers is that the media isn't reporting "good news" from Iraq. Will and Steph talked a little about the comparisons between George the Lesser and Herbert Hoover. Will wants people to look at family wealth (which is kinda stupid, because not many families have wealth). Steph said Little George needs the Hispanic and Jewish votes. Halperin said that they are trying to target Hispanic and Jewish Democrats; Will thinks Hispanics are now a more important bloc.

Then: Wilson-gate. Halperin thinks that the Justice Department will in fact investigate -- and it could turn ugly in that the Shrub Misadministration has made enemies at the CIA and Defense Department. Will said "someone knows a lot in particular."

Maybe you, George? We know Novak knows.

On the Democratic race for a presidential nominee, Halperin called the field "unsettled" and still jockeying for position (forgetting that it's a good thing for candidates to debate ideas and issues).

-- JJ Balzer

FAUX News Sunday
Fried Rice!
Players: Tony Snow, Brit Hume, National Security Advisor Condi Rice

At the top of the show, Tony made much of the top House imtelligence players blasting the CIA -- and the big WaPo story in which a senior Team Bush player fingers two unnamed White House officials for outing Ambassador Wilson's wife as a CIA weapons authority (there was also mention of the Putin-Chimpy visit and Iranian nuke worries).

The Condi interview began with Tony's question about that terse Goss-Harman letter accusing the CIA of relying on old intelligence. Rice tried to give a "we found reports of WMDs credible and the intelligence was enriched" answer. (Yes, she used the word "enriched." Enriched? Like that yellowcake that wasn't there? That's rich! Thank you kindly, Condi -- "enriched" is American English for the British term "sexed-up.") Tony quickly replied that the rest of the world thought the CIA was wrong. Condi fell back on the old "Saddam's used WMDs before" refrain that we've all come to know and love from "Doctor Dilettante" Rice. Tony shot back by pointing out that no specific WMDs could be "pointed at" in Iraq (a real, fair and balanced journalist would have added, "... not even a minute amount, Dr. Rice. Care to explain?"). Condi, as viewers around the world have come to expect, gave a non-answer consisting of the usual White House jargon about grave threats and ruthless dictators.

Then Tony pushed the idea of issuing a "scrubbed" David Kay report with certain classified information redacted. Condi said that Kay would issue a "preliminary report" (that is, all the stuff Kay has managed to fabrica... er, uncover that might indicate that Saddam Hussein was a ruthless, evil evildoer of unspeakable evil and a direct threat to school children in Pig's Knuckle, Arkansas).

She conceded, however, that there's still a "long way to go." (Translation: "We haven't found a goddamn thing. We didn't even have any evidence the stuff was there. We just assumed we'd find it. And we have a long way to go to create another crisis that will make Joe Six-pack forget the we tried to defraud the whole country.")

Brit asked what the report would say; Condi claimed she couldn't say, falling back on lines like, "This program was concealed," and "We want him to report findings we find appropriate" (fill in your own translations here -- you catch her drift of "We're just making up this hooey as we go along.")

Tony asked if life can be normal in Iraq without capturing Saddam Hussein. Condi tried to dismiss the idea, implying that things will be just fine even if Saddam is sharing a cabana with Osama bin Forgotten -- and of course throwing in that all-important, message-of-the-week talking point, "We're making progress in Iraq!"

Right, sweetie, and "We can win the war in Vietnam" too.

Tony asked about the "tone" of Iraq coverage and usage of the term "quagmire" (horrors -- some are actually pinning the blame on people like Condi) before tweaking Condi about her alleged boss' admission that he does ... not read the papers. Condi, naturally, said that Chimpy gets his Iraq news firsthand from people like Paul Bremer and Bernard Kerik before talking about Iraqi businesses coming back and saying there are lots of great "comeback" stories.

Condi was ... not sounding all that comfortable, even though she probably does the best job of showing how well she can memorize Karl Rove's bullet points that must -- absolutely must -- be injected into the press through the medium of the Sunday morning talk show. Lately, her chirpy, upbeat demeanor has been replaced by a shaky, squirmy and quite visible discomfort over having to go out on the Sunday morning circuit to do damage control for the Texas Dauphin and his wrecking squad.

She maintained her stoic discomfort through a brief back-and-forth on the $87 billion dollar tab for Iraq that Smirk wants to foist on taxpayers -- but then Brit Hume himself (to our great surprise) turned up the heat. He changed subject to the brouhaha surrounding this morning's WaPo story in which a senior member of the administration accuses two White House top staffers of telling no less than six journalists that the wife of Joseph Wilson -- the former ambassador to Iraq who blew the lid off the Niger "yellowcake" allegedly coveted by Iraq that just wasn't there -- worked for the CIA.

Condi looked like she'd just learned that someone had died. She could ... not control her demeanor -- she looked practically ashen and shaken as she emphatically denied any knowledge of the situation:

"I know nothing of any such White House effort to reveal any of this, and it certainly would ... not be the way the President would expect his White House to operate.... This has been referred to the Justice Department -- I think that is the appropriate place for it."

Tony asked a follow-up, and Condi, who looked about ready to burst a major blood vessel or two, almost cut Tony off, saying it was "... not appropriate [for her] to comment" as if it were the most important message to come out of the White House this week.

Bet your bottom dollar that that is the big message to come out of the White House: "We aren't talking. Wouldn't be appropriate."

Tony, for his part, would ... not relent, pointing out that blowing a CIA operative's cover is a "pretty grave misdeed."

Now, when a FOX journalist or pundit says something is a "pretty grave misdeed" in reference to a Republican, you know they're talking impending Congressional hearings, potential arrests and indictments, and maybe even a conviction or two.

Condi's hasty reply, delivered in a nervous tone that sounded on the verge of stammering, was that we should all take a step back, she didn't recall any conversation, it's in the Justice Department's hands.

In other words, she was pleading with FOX News to change the subject.

Her "friends" Tony Snow and Brit Hume hadn't just gone off message -- they had thrown down the gauntlet.

Make no mistake -- Condi knew then and there that Roger Ailes is taking this story very seriously -- and the best answer she could pull out of her hat is that it's in the hands of the Justice Department and it's ... not appropriate to say a thing.

Now what was that about restoring "honor and dignity to the White House," sweetie?

That moment -- on FOX News Sunday, of all places -- may well be remembered as the Grand Turning Point for her and all of her allies squatting in the White House, the moment at which it was clear that the press has turned on the Bush Administration.

The rest of the interview was almost an afterthought: a question from Tony about the "war on terror" and Junior's meeting with Putin. Condi sounded optimistic about the US and Russia cooperating on the rebuilding of Iraq and finding common ground. Brit decided to spin the "very public reconciliation" between Smirk and German Chancellor Schroeder. Condi talked a good game about "reaching out," building democracy, and protecting the civilized world, and admitted that Smirk and Schroeder have been in relatively regular contact. She then called on the cheese-eating surrender monkeys -- excuse me, the French -- to "move on", adding that the world is better with Saddam gone, going into a litany of Saddam's crimes.

Right, Condi -- they'll "move on" about as quickly as they'll forgive Iraq's debt. It's about the money and the oil, and Chirac has the upper hand.

Brit said the speech had laid an egg -- why shouldn't Americans believe it? Condi talked about mending fences, moving forward, and unilaterally declared the rebuilding of Iraq an international effort.

Tony then turned to allegations that Syria used operatives to spy on Camp Delta at Guantánamo. This gave Condi a chance to say that we are not working as closely with the Syrians as we would like.

You can take that to mean that Blotchy looks to be making trouble with Syria.

--JJ Balzer

Face the Nation
Players: host Bob Schieffer, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean

Schieffer began by asking Gov. Dean about the Goss-Harman letter concerning the CIA's "uncertain" intelligence on Iraqi WMDs -- do you think Tenet ought to resign? Yes, but because Tenet knew that the White House was exaggerating CIA intelligence. Dean slammed Smirk for phony Iraq-Osama ties, the fake "yellowcake", and especially dead Americans. Rummy and Wolfie should go, said Dean -- and so should Tenet. Dean said the issue of Iraq distinguishes him from Gephardt and even Clark, and then took another swipe at Smirk's lies in the SOTU and Tenet's failure to quit.

Schieffer asked Dean a hypothetical: what would you do if you were president now? Dean said he would turn the American occupation into an international reconstruction; our occupation has turned Iraq into a national security threat. What if you can't get foreign troops? Dean said Little George can't get help because he systematically insulted everyone who disagreed with him and insulted nations that want to help (in other words, replace bluster and unilateralism with diplomacy and some grown-ups in charge).

Schieffer asked Dean to comment on Gephardt's accusation that Dean had sided with Newt Gingrich on slowing Medicare -- and Schieffer claimed to have found some kind of article that shows Dead "sided" with Newt. Dean was smiling all the while, obviously eager to debunk Gephardt's cheap shot, and said he sided with Clinton -- and supported slowing the growth of Medicare. Schieffer again tried to accuse Dean of "siding" with Gingrich just because Dean supported slowing Medicare growth -- and Dean twice had to correct Schieffer, saying that not only had he sided with Clinton in a solution that protected Medicare in the long term, but that while his rivals accuse him of being an ally of Newt he had delivered real health care to Vermonters.

Do you want to extend the retirement age to 70? No, said Dean -- Bill Clinton proved that a strong economy puts enough money into Social Security, and he will do the same. Do you want to slow cost of living allowances? No -- they are too low as it is. Schieffer tried to pull a Russert and use an old quote to "trap" Dean -- but Dean stopped him cold and said that the issue is in fact fiscal responsibility and balancing the budget, two things Clinton did.

Dean characterized Clark's candidacy as a "sign of desperation" by "Beltway insiders," then hammered Clark for praising Rummy and Cheney. America, he said, is fed up with "Republican Lite" Democrats. Dean slammed the entrenched Democrat establishment, saying he wants Democrats to be the party of change.

What about a Dean-Clark ticket? You cannot determine your running mate based on one meeting, said Dean.

Ten years ago, said Schieffer, you supported NAFTA -- and now you are calling it a disaster. Dean said ten years ago he had supported NAFTA and China's entry into the WTO, but now if we are to continue in trade agreements they must include specific human rights and environmental requirements -- and some other candidates, said Dean, have it wrong when they accuse him of wanting to cut off all trade. Dean added that sticking up for American products is sticking up for American workers.

Schieffer kept going with that favorite anti-Dean "point" (being flogged by a surprising number of Republicans): some are calling him a flip-flopper. Dean said that when facts come along that contradict his theories, he changes his views, but when facts come along that contradict GOP doctrine, the GOP sticks to its guns.

All in all, it was a brief but strong showing for Dean. He's not afraid to show spine and a even a little bit of anger -- but he is smiling far more than when he hit the radar and started doing Sunday morning talk shows.

-- Andy Kay

Meet the Press
Second Helping of Rice
Players: Tim Russert, Condi Rice

Ms. Rice, under thankfully tough questions by Tim Russert, appeared terribly unsettled on all issues this morning. In many cases she avoided questions altogether. She claimed she knew nothing about the leaks regarding Ambassador Wilson and referred viewers to Attorney General Ashcroft -- who is hopefully investigating this story.

Frankly, Russert allowed her too much sway -- but in his defense, the entire Washington press corps has been running scared under the Wilson story and any sharp criticism of the Iraq adventure, and only the Post has had the nerve to report at least a portion of the Wilson story this morning.

Ms. Rice, waxing implausible, told Russert that she "didn't remember" the CIA reports sent to her regarding the CIA's urging that the President not include statements regarding Iraq's nuclear capability. She avoided all questions about Ambassador Wilson -- throwing the ball to John Ashcroft. She claimed that Congress would have supported the Bush-led Iraq war even if President Bush did not cite Iraqi nuclear warfare capabilities -- even though 180 members of the House specifically said they voted to support the war because of this claimed threat. She followed up with vague and ambiguous comments about David Kay's search for weapons of mass destruction -- at once using him as "teaser" to the American viewing audience (i.e., "Wait until Kay finds those weapons") -- and then vacillating back to appearing like she already knew his first report would not show much of substance.

Ms. Rice seemed to waffle and contradict herself at several points in the discussion. Russert contributed to her blathersome demeanor by posting comments -- seemingly contradictory -- that she and the President had made on everything from weapons of mass destruction to the cause of our preemptive strike on Iraq -- which she this morning stated "may have " not been preemptive at all.

Whatever that means.

The other guest on Meet the Press was Democrat candidate and house member Richard Gephardt, who spewed the usual Gephardt lines and did not impress.

In all fairness, one found it difficult, however, to concentrate on Mr. Gephardt after the stunning and observable blows taken by the Bush Administration only minutes before.

This morning, the questions were tough for Bush Administration. NBC, ABC, CNN, and FOX -- along with individuals like conservatives George Will and Robert Novak -- appear to be fed up with half-truths emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ms. Rice's and Mr. Powell's appearances this morning ring a new tone in Washington. The news media, including FOX News, has this day turned on the Administration -- not only regarding Iraq, but also the machinations within the inner circle of the White House.

Readers should expect to be entertained -- throughout the autumn and winter months -- as one scandal after another emerges because the press corps, from both sides of the aisle, once again feels safe, at least for now, to openly and frankly criticize the Administration.

-- Jeff Koopersmith