THE RIGHT WOMAN FOR THE RIGHT JOB

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice sure was the right woman to send to the Hart Building today. She was calm, confident and represented this White House very well.

It is a shame that the President made the decision to put Dr. Rice's face front-and-center here, a shame that he waited till the 11th hour to declassify several Presidential Daily Briefings (in part), and (worst) a shame that he rolled-over on the historic precedent of Presidential advisors being exempt from Congressional oversight - that of executive privilege.

The fact that the President extends executive privilege to his Vice President to set energy policy with the board of Enron, but does not invoke it to protect the woman he relies on to serve as his National Security Advisor certainly makes clear the President's unfortunate priorities.

Again.