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Originally Posted by busterb
I have a few questions about this blue ribbon panel.
Who pays them? Tax write offs?
How do you get a job like that?
What do they do? White house has said nothing about it being binding.
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The Iraq Study Group was requested by the Administration and paid for by Congress. Previous groups, such as Johnson's Wise men answered directly to the president. 9/11 Commission I believe answered to the Attorney General.
As Tom Kean noted, the 9/11 Commission was setup by the administration to fail. Administration only authorized $3million, no offices, no security clearances, no staff, etc. An ad hoc group of 9/11 victims organizations create a Family Steering Committee (which include the most famous Jersey Girls) got Congress to authorize more money literally by intimidating politicians and the White House. The administration did not want that committee to succeed.
Same could be said of the Iraq Study Group. It is speculated that the administration assumed this group would return a 'stay the course' verdict. They will not for such obvious reasons. So the administration has now setup an emergency advisory group in hope that the ISG study can be disputed.
Those who testify before the ISG would only be compensated for their expenses. I don't know what this budget is but it may be $50million. ISG has been ongoing for about a year now - far longer than the 9/11 Commission with its trivial budget that was intended to make the 9/11 Commission fail. Fail - as stated by both Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton.