Showdown: Rice Finally Agrees To Appear Before Waxman Committee

After years of ignoring congressional letters and rejecting requests for testimony, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has finally agreed to subject herself to a grilling before Henry Waxman (D-CA) and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

With little fanfare and no additional details, the following entry was added yesterday to the committee's schedule:

Hearing with Secretary Rice on Iraq

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Thursday, October 25, 2007, 10:00 AM at 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

Some additional details out this morning from CongressDaily AM:

Waxman has for months peppered the State Department with inquiries, demands for documents and criticism of the department's work in Iraq. Though the committee has focused especially on State's oversight of security contractor Blackwater USA, Waxman has attacked the department's efforts to curb corruption in the Iraqi government, construction of an embassy in Baghdad and efforts to train Iraqi police.

Waxman has made about 18 separate major inquires into State Department activities since January, according to the department.

Committee staffers said the hearing could address all the issues.

Rice still appears unwilling to speak candidly. According to a State Department official, she will balk at discussing "the administration's use of intelligence before the Iraq war and the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame," though she's "more willing to discuss department policies implemented during her tenure as Secretary of State." How gracious.