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Senators Call for Bipartisan Iraq Consulting Group
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ShareDecember 08, 2006 2:10 PM
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee held a press conference to float the idea that committee leaders from both parties with a hand in Iraq policy should be meeting. And on a regular basis.
Connecticut Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman suggests this body be called the "Senate Bipartisan Iraq Consultative Group" (though technically, since Lieberman is an Independent Democrat, perhaps it should be "tripartisan.") The group would not have a staff or funding or "the ability to enact legislation", but "it will inform the existing committee process... providing much-needed dialogue and trust between both sides of the aisle and both ends of Pennsylvania avenue." The aim of the group would be to elevate the formulation of Iraq policy above the "dueling partisan press conferences" Lieberman says are standard now.
You might be thinking to yourself that this is a no-brainer -- that members of Congress would automatically be talking privately between parties and committees about Iraq policy. Not so, says Lieberman and Maine Republican Susan Collins, who said that leaders from the Defense, Intelligence, Foreign Relations, Government Reform and Appropriations committees, "we've never gotten together before to talk together in a bipartisan way about what we should do." Collins said lawmakers need to "put the elections behind us and work on the issues."
Lieberman argued that if lawmakers learn anything from the midterm elections, in which Republicans lost power of both houses of Congress (and Lieberman lost his Democratic party to an anti-war candidate, forcing his current Independence), it is that Americans want their government to work together in a constructive, bipartisan way. But Lieberman's ideas about Iraq track largely with those of President Bush. Many Democrats, to the contrary, have argued that the election was more a refutation of current Iraq policy.
December 8, 2006 | Permalink | User Comments (8)
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Aren't congressional committees supposed to be bi-partisan anyway? So, why the need for all this "Bi-partisan" chatter now that the Congress has switched hands? The country doesn't need more rhetoric; we need a Congrees that attempts to solve problems instead of posturing for future ambitions.
Posted by: Jason | Dec 8, 2006 2:38:34 PM
WMD
9/11
Hussein
Democracy
American security
Victory
Winning
Stabality
Graceful exit
Any exit
See, Bush never was "Stay the course". He had a new excuse every week.
Posted by: RH | Dec 8, 2006 2:51:42 PM
Another useless congressional committee?
I say we need more men like Australian's Prime Minister who appears committed to seeing this through and being successful.
Posted by: Ann B | Dec 8, 2006 5:37:34 PM
Pure baloney. The Republicans had 6 years of opportunity to engage in a bi-partisan approach - since they didn't have to (until it was too late), they chose not to. The re-introduction of congressional oversight and accountability is the only thing which will improve this - Mr. Lieberman can engage in that process and contribute to a solution or else continue to offer a fig-leaf to those failed policies which brought us to this point in the first place.
Posted by: Dirik Lolkus | Dec 8, 2006 6:50:38 PM
The "boy George" at the White House never had to worry about oversight and accountability with the 109th. Do nothing and rubber stamp Republican Congress. About time all these change with the 110th. Congress. That idiot and arrogant "dime store cowboy" in the White House should be brought down a couple of noches.
Posted by: Joe Beltran | Dec 11, 2006 2:31:26 AM
Maybe what Washington needs to look at is what Mr. Friedman of the NY Times said recently. I paraphrase:
'Was Iraq the way it was because of Sadam Hussein or Was Sadam Hussein the way he was because of Iraq.' If the former we should have gone in, if the latter we should have gone to bed and got up on the morrow and see if we still had the urge.
Posted by: Ray A Chambers | Dec 11, 2006 10:54:20 AM
The Senators desperately need to wake up and review their constitutional mandate.
The Senate is not Constitutionally authorized to conduct any war. We have a “Commander in Chief” vested with the Constitutional authority and responsibility to prosecute wars and set USA International policy.
Posted by: J Stein | Dec 19, 2006 7:02:19 AM
Liberman... forget it! Another committee, why don't you volunteer to be chair, to set meeting dates and times. NO WAY.
Liberman is simple to understand... self, bush & SELF.
Your time to pull back and basically shut up is at hand.
Posted by: c | Dec 21, 2006 3:10:00 AM
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