RICE V. BUSH: Thanks to an alert e-mailer, here's one more highlight from Bush's press conference. Our reader emitted those low, mordant chuckles when President Bush said the obvious:

BUSH (4/13/04): Now, in the, what's called the PDB, there was a warning about bin Laden's desires on America.
There was a warning! Why did our reader find that amusing? Because five days earlier, Condi Rice had hotly insisted that there wasn't a warning in that same PDB! We all recall the heartfelt testimony she gave to her nation, under oath
RICE (4/8/04): Commissioner, this was not a warning. This was a historic memo.
Oh, what a difference five days makes! For the record, why did Bush say there was a warning, while Rice kept insisting "this wasn't a warning?' Simple! Bush was speaking straightforward English. Rice was deceiving the American public and making a joke of her oath.
Remember the crucial context. When Rice made her Bush-contradictin' claim, the August 6 PDB was still classified. No one could check on the truth of her statements. So she did what comes natural; she lied in your faces. And as we saw on yesterday's shows, that is just fine with your press corps (more on this topic tomorrow).

For the record, Rice also made these odd statements as she spoke to the nation under oath:

RICE (4/8/04): You said, did it not warn of attacks? It did not warn of attacks inside the United States…It did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States.
She said these things to Richard Ben-Veniste, who had to keep re-phrasing his question as he tried to coax a true statement from Rice's slick lips. Result? Ben-Veniste was trashed—and Condi was praised! Yep! Life is good when you're Condi Rice. Tomorrow, we'll let Chris Wallace prove it.

Commentary:
Did Rice lie under oath? Is this why they were so afraid of her testifying? Or did Bush lie to us again and did the press let him get away with it again? If you have a brain you're wondering out loud if you can trust these people.