April 8, 2004

Contact:
Elaine Justice, 404-727-0643, ejustic@emory.edu
Deb Hammacher, 404-727-0644, dhammac@emory.edu

Emory Experts Comment on Rice Testimony, 9-11 Commission

As Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's national security advisor, begins public testimony today before the 9-11 Commission, the following Emory University experts are available to comment on the developments and impact of her testimony.

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Political scientist and terrorism expert Larry Taulbee says the situation immediately prior to 9/11 and any possible gaps is really a transition issue--that it takes months for new administration leaders to get a handle on who's who and what's going on. Since Rumsfeld had served on administrations before, the transition wouldn't have been so bad for him, but for others there's quite a learning curve, Taulbee says.

"Also, at that time there was absolutely no meaningful coordination going on between the six security agencies," he says. Taulbee feels like the Bush administration was caught by the Richard Clarke testimony and has been forced to allow Rice to testify, highly unusual for a person in that position. He says the Clarke memo will never be released because of national security issues, but he's curious to see what's said about it. "She said his memo was a laundry list of ideas, but the question is, were any of those ideas actionable in the short term while a comprehensive plan was being drafted?"

Taulbee is professor of political science, specializing in terrorism, the history of mercenaries, international law and international security. Contact him at 404-727-6571 or psjt@emory.edu.

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Emory psychologist Drew Westen is available to comment on subconscious, psychology issues that may have influenced the Bush Administration's decision-making in the wake of 9-11. Much of the focus of the 9-11 commission has been on whether the administration was deliberately misleading the public or the information they had was simply bad. Westen says that leaves out a third possibility that the president and his advisors may have been deceiving themselves in the way they processed intelligence data.

"It may be that Bush and his advisors are guilty less of deliberately lying to the American people than of showing an inability to weigh evidence independent of their motives," says Westen. "It's interesting to see how a disinclination to look inward at the potential influence of one's own biases and desires on decision making plays out in politics. There are some who see Bush as a strong leader and resolute because he doesn't let facts interfere with his strongly held beliefs. Others consider that a serious character flaw."

Westen is director of clinical psychology at Emory University and holds joint appointments in the departments of psychology, and psychiatry and behavioral science. Westen also holds a master's degree in political thought. Reach Westen at 404-727-7407 (w), 404-375-6639 (cell) or dwesten@emory.edu.

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Political scientist Alan Abramowitz says the importance of Rice's testimony is being overblown. "It is very unlikely to shift public opinion on the issue of Bush and terrorism. People will react along party lines. The deteriorating situation in Iraq much more significant in long run for Bush's political fortunes," he says.

Abramowitz is the Alben Barkley Professor of Political Science at Emory and an expert on national elections. Contact him at 404-727-0108 or polsaa@emory.edu.

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