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<P><A name=2>2. <B>Bush says Ridge will not testify</B></A><BR>By Keith Koffler,
CongressDaily
<P>The White House flatly rejected congressional demands Monday that Homeland
Security Director Tom Ridge come to Capitol Hill to testify, even as Senate
Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., suggested he might compel Ridge's
appearance by subpoena.
<P>White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer pointed to the tradition that the
president's White House advisers do not have to testify before Congress, in
contrast to Cabinet officials.
<P>"This is an important line to draw, and the president has drawn it,"
Fleischer said. "There is a longstanding bipartisan tradition that Congress
should not violate." Fleischer noted that the practice had been upheld "in times
of war and in times of peace."
<P>Full story: <A
href="http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0302/031902cdam1.htm">http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0302/031902cdam1.htm</A>
</P><A name=2><B></B></A></DIV>
<DIV>_____________<BR>Lutfi M. Hussein<BR>Department of English<BR>Arizona State
University<BR>Tempe, AZ 85287-0302, USA<BR>Email address: <A
href="mailto:lutfi.hussein@asu.edu">lutfi.hussein@asu.edu</A><BR>Homepage: <A
href="http://www.public.asu.edu/~lutfiawa/">http://www.public.asu.edu/~lutfiawa/</A></DIV></BODY></HTML>