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| Congress discussing new oversight following latest revelations |
| 2005-12-18 |
| After a series of embarrassing disclosures, Congress is reconsidering its relatively lenient oversight of the Bush administration. Lawmakers have been caught by surprise by several recent reports, including the existence of secret U.S. prisons abroad, the CIA's detention overseas of innocent foreign nationals, and, last week, the discovery that the military has been engaged in domestic spying. After five years in which the GOP-controlled House and Senate undertook few investigations into the administration's activities, the legislative branch has begun to complain about being in the dark. On Friday, after learning that the National Security Agency was eavesdropping on conversations in the United States, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said that the activity was "wrong and it can't be condoned at all," and that his committee "can undertake oversight on it." That same day, the House approved a resolution that would direct the administration to provide House and Senate intelligence committees with classified reports on the secret U.S. prisons overseas. Democrats have long complained about a dearth of congressional investigations into Bush administration activities, but their criticism has been gaining validation from others after the botched response to Hurricane Katrina, problems in Iraq and ethical lapses. Lawrence B. Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, said this fall that "the people's representatives over on the Hill in that other branch of government have truly abandoned their oversight responsibilities [on national security] and have let things atrophy to the point that if we don't do something about it, it's going to get even more dangerous than it already is." In an interview last week, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, said "it's a fair comment" that the GOP-controlled Congress has done insufficient oversight and "ought to be" doing more. "Republican Congresses tend to overinvestigate Democratic administrations and underinvestigate their own," said Davis, who added that he has tried to pick up some of the slack with his committee. "I get concerned we lose our separation of powers when one party controls both branches." Democrats on the committee said the panel issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002, at a cost of more than $35 million. By contrast, the committee under Davis has issued three subpoenas to the Bush administration, two to the Energy Department over nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, and one last week to the Defense Department over Katrina documents. Some experts on Congress say that the legislative branch has shed much of its oversight authority because of a combination of aggressive actions by the Bush administration, acquiescence by congressional leaders, and political demands that keep lawmakers out of Washington more than before. "I do not think you can argue today that Congress is a coequal branch of government; it is not," said Lee H. Hamilton, president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman and vice chairman of the Sept. 11 commission, told reporters this month: "It has basically lost the war-making power. The real debates on budget occur not in Congress but in the Office of Management and Budget. . . . When you come into session Tuesday afternoon and leave Thursday afternoon, you simply do not have time for oversight or deliberation." Last week, Democrats in the House denounced their GOP counterparts for failing to pursue investigations. Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, criticized Chairman Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) for his handling of an inquiry into former committee member Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned after acknowledging he took bribes. Hoekstra's decision to proceed with existing committee staff without the House counsel or inspector general "threatens to compromise our ability to conduct a thorough, expeditious and bipartisan investigation," she said. Democrats demanded that Davis, who heads the select committee investigating the Katrina response, issue subpoenas to get e-mails and communications of White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. and three other White House officials. "Congress will never understand why the federal response failed unless we obtain access to the e-mails and communications of Andrew Card and other senior White House officials," committee Democrats wrote Davis. Last month, House Democrats tried to pass a measure criticizing the GOP for a "refusal to conduct oversight" of the Iraq war. In the Senate, Democrats forced the chamber into a closed session to embarrass Republicans for foot-dragging on an inquiry into the alleged manipulation of Iraq intelligence. "The House has absolutely zero oversight. They just don't engage in that," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said in an interview last week. Specifically, Democrats list 14 areas where the GOP majority has "failed to investigate" the administration, including the role of senior officials in the abuse of detainees; leaking the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame; the role of Vice President Cheney's office in awarding contracts to Cheney's former employer, Halliburton; the White House's withholding from Congress the cost of a Medicare prescription drug plan; the administration's relationship with Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi; and the influence of corporate interests on energy policy, environmental regulation and tobacco policy. Meanwhile, the House ethics committee has not opened a new case or launched an investigation in the past 12 months, despite outside investigations involving, among others, Cunningham and former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In most cases, Republicans have said that Democrats are motivated by partisanship rather than fact-finding. After Democrats forced the closed Senate session last month over the slow pace of the inquiry into alleged manipulation of Iraq intelligence, Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) railed: "They have no conviction. They have no principles. They have no ideas. This is a pure stunt." Among the most visible oversight battles is Davis's Katrina inquiry, which most Democrats have boycotted as a "sham." Davis said he would "bet my reputation" that the committee will disprove doubts. At times, Davis has been irritated by administration intransigence. At a hearing last month, he condemned the "lack of production of documents from various executive branch offices" and warned: "We're not going to be stonewalled here." Democrats, who have tried to get Davis to subpoena the White House for Katrina documents, are not impressed. "Republicans have made a mockery of oversight," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (Calif.), the committee's ranking Democrat. "There was nothing too small to be investigated in the Clinton administration and there's nothing so big that it can't be ignored in the Bush administration." Davis said his reluctance to issue a subpoena is practical. The select committee faces a Feb. 15 deadline, and a subpoena -- even if approved, as required, by the entire House -- would be tied up in court by the administration until the committee's writ had expired. Issuing a subpoena would do nothing "except embarrass" the White House -- which Davis has not ruled out doing. "As of right now, I'm not satisfied" with White House cooperation, he said. Davis said his Government Reform Committee has investigated the administration's handling of bioterrorism defenses and preparing for avian influenza and held four hearings on Halliburton's contracts -- after the House Armed Services Committee refused to do so. Similarly, Davis called hearings on the administration's policy on mad cow disease after Agriculture Committee Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte (R-Va.) declined. "They said it would embarrass the administration," Davis said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #20 RG, you're hollering at the wrong person. Again: Dan's not the guy who wrote the article. He knows it's political posturing as well as you do. He's a valued poster and a moderator here. Conservatives are perfectly capable of apologizing when they're wrong. An "Oops, sorry, thought you were somebody else" would be perfectly appropriate. |
| Posted by: Fred 2005-12-18 22:06 |
| #19 And there's the second pitch.. and it's strike two... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-12-18 20:42 |
| #18 Fire discipline, RG. Fire discipline. Nobody's saying not to shoot the bastards. But you might want to take at least the basic precautions to make sure it's not friendly fire you're shooting off. AND .... there are plenty of posters here who are either current or retired military or military spouses. Tell us - I'm one of the latter - what we don't already know about young men and women losing limbs and lives on our behalf. I personally have stood at the grave of several in the last few months. And one I care about very personally is about to deploy. 'nuff said. |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-12-18 17:16 |
| #17 "frankly RG - you owe Dan an apology" - Frank G. I am tired of watching conservatives apologizing. I am tired of a bunch of people calling themselves "conservatives" raising hell about the libs at their favorite conservative blog on the internet and then demanding others conservatives apologize to them if one of them steps on anothers toes and then looking for the TV remote. NEVER confronting a liberal and demanding an apology. I am tired of having a majority in the house, the senate, the oval office asking our 18, 19, 20, 21 year sons and daughters to go over there where the terrorists are and DOING SOMETHING, even to the extent of getting their arms and legs blown off if not out right killed fighting terror while this majority of conservatives on the hill allows these liberals run amuck since Vietnam, liberals standing up for any enemy of America that comes along. Regarding Darling. Each evening I go to conservative and even Iraqi blogs and see highly orchestrated attacks on the war on terror by CAIR, MOVEON.ORG, George Soros, Green Peace, etc., etc. etc.. These people constantly posting articles such as Dans. Until that post I did not know Dan. He appeared to me to be one of those many libs at other sites dropping in posting an article to support their "cause", which they are doing EVERY DAY NOW in swarms at many of the other conservative sites. If a platoon is coming under a hell of a lot of fire and a stranger you do not know walks up with a notice that you ass is going to be kicked some more that stranger may find himself dancing to the tune of a 30 round clip. But there are a group of us who are doing a hell of a lot more than posting or commenting and then looking for the TV remote. We are trying to as much as we can to support those permanently disabled kids coming in from the battle field who look at you and say, "What did you do for me while I was over there losing my arms and legs for you?" I am tired of conservative apologies. If people can post a bunch of comments and articles here, they can post comments at their representatives sites, or at the sites of their party in support of getting things changed on there area. If all you can do is ask other conservatives for apologies, and not actively pursue the libs for an apology - NO - not anymore. Not this conservative. |
| Posted by: RG 2005-12-18 17:07 |
| #16 If every member of Congress placed greater value on to the safety and security of the US than they do on the stroking of their massive political egos, or their constant state of apology for American foreign policy, or their desire to be liked internationally, they might be trusted with information. As long as America's security comes second, third, or so below the meter as to be unmeasurable, questionable secrecies will abound. |
| Posted by: jules 2 2005-12-18 15:58 |
| #15 Everyone is pissed off at the traitors in Congress, RG. Especially here at Rantburg. More like the Fury level of the emot-o-meter. These traitorious overfed, overbribed pigs are trying to snatch victory and security away from all of us. Take a deep breath, count to a number between 10 and 10,000, and start coming up with some rational solutions on how to get this government unstuck off stupid. We do not need internal personal attacks, we need solutions, and we will need them in a timely manner. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-12-18 14:59 |
| #14 frankly RG - you owe Dan an apology |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-12-18 13:50 |
| #13 LOL. Classic comedy. In which one character is completely out of touch and brings on much hilarity. Obviously Case Latella. |
| Posted by: Spavin SPemble1218 2005-12-18 13:27 |
| #12 Steve, "we are moderators" big bad dog. You suddenly don't like rant, crawl under your bed, son. White puts the pitch down the middle, RG swings, and it's ssstrike one... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-12-18 12:27 |
| #11 Looks to me like "RG" is confused: he thinks Dan is the article's auther. Clue to RG: the name you see at the bottom of an article here on Rantburg, where it says "Posted by..." is **NOT** the author of the article; it indicates the person who **FOUND** the article and posted it on Rantburg for us to throw darts at, laugh at, or whatever. In this case, the author of the article is a Washington Post professional jerkoff and moonbat named Dana Millbank. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2005-12-18 08:54 |
| #10 Angry at Congress - fine. I can barely say the word lately without spitting, myself. But a shitstorm on Dan is not only uncalled for, it suggests an appalling ignorance and/or basic lack of housetraining on RG's part. Dan is scarcely on the side of the anti-war weenies. That's why his stints here, at Winds of Change and elsewhere won him an internship at the American Enterprise Institute with Michael Ledeen and now a position with the Manhattan Institute. And RG, if you don't know who they are, or what positions they take on this stuff, google is a good way to keep from embarassing yourself with more attacks on Dan and others here. Or you can search through the RB archives to see what other things Dan has posted - and what he's said about them. |
| Posted by: lotp 2005-12-18 08:21 |
| #9 RG is angry at the Congress, but taking it out on DD. While I would not shoot the messenger, I do empathize with his fury at the fecklessness of Dhims. They are going to get a lot of innocent Americans killed. When that starts, the revolutions is here. I think RG's sentiments represent a growing segment of the people, but he has the wrong target today. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2005-12-18 08:06 |
| #8 RG |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-12-18 05:26 |
| #7 Who the f*ck stepped on you. jeebus RD, did Dan disagree with you? must be stuck on stupid this morning, it ain't like you. |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-12-18 04:05 |
| #6 ? |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-12-18 03:58 |
| #5 One more thing "DARLING". Congress has too much oversite NOW. That is how this was leaked! America elected this President for a second term becuase he promised to do this very type of security effort on behalf of America against terrorists, and if these morons, oh lets not let STEVE hear that, might hurt his wimpy ears, who are trying to alert Al Qaeda where there boys are being held, or that we are monitoring their conversations being made locally, then we need LESS oversight. A whole hell of a lot less! They've been prosecuting not only the WOT but our leadership involved in the WOT since these Dhimi's lost the election! |
| Posted by: RG 2005-12-18 03:19 |
| #4 "...with regard to the prosecution of the WOT..." Thats right. Prosecute the HELL out of the War on Terror. You give 500 congressmen and women the likes of Pelosi, Kerry, Kennedy, Conyors, and Murtha, "oversight" on the war on terror that they want stopped, immediately, you might as well ignore the voters that put them in a minority. Steve, "we are moderators" big bad dog. You suddenly don't like rant, crawl under your bed, son. |
| Posted by: RG 2005-12-18 03:09 |
| #3 RG: I know that Congress already knew about it - I posted the article saying just that the other day. All the same, we need to be aware of what's happening on Capitol Hill with regard to the prosecution of the WOT even if we don't like it, especially if the result of this stuff is another Church Commission or an attempt to make us fight a war by committee. |
| Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-12-18 01:21 |
| #2 Hey! Dan's reporting the news. You don't like it, do something about it. Dan's also a moderator here, and we mods don't take kindly to name-calling. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2005-12-18 01:11 |
| #1 Well Dan Darling, If you get your head out of butt long enough to listen to everything that came out today indicating that congress knew all about this from day one, but no, the liberal BS flows. Won't stick dirtbag. |
| Posted by: RG 2005-12-18 01:00 |