Committee Watch: Trade-Off Time

Congress is hammering out the specifics of a new strategy in Iraq. Committees are holding hearings and gathering information, leaders are proposing specific policies, and representatives are listening to their constituents. Now is the time to contact your Congresswomen and men about Iraq. Let them know what YOU think. It just may change the course of history.

Many of us want to educate ourselves before we contact our leaders, and rightly so; an educated public is a powerful public.

Learn about possible Iraq strategies, and what committees are up to. Then contact your representatives with your ideas.

Possible Iraq Strategies

What everyone does agree on is that Iraq is in crisis. The details of the crisis are many and easy to spot: the open warfare between Shiites and Sunnis in the Arab population, the armed groups, both militias (private armies) and insurgents (armed rebels) that have not been controlled by the Iraqi government, and the lack of jobs, electricity, and government action about sharing the money from sales of oil.

But agreement ends there. President Bush believes that a troop surge is needed, while others - including Senators Biden, Hagel, Warner, Clinton, Obama -advocate troops reduced, redeployed to the borders, reassigned to logistics and training, and phased troop withdrawal with target dates. Most of the opposition, in both parties, agrees with the Iraq Study Group that immediate regional diplomacy is the key action. For detailed information about possible Iraq strategies, click here.

Committee meetings

At least four major committees are tackling the crisis in Iraq from different angles: The Foreign Relations Committee, the Intelligence Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and the Armed Services Committee.

Each of these has its own history and jurisdiction. Looking at Iraq through a specific lens allows members of each committee to take advantage of their particular strengths-- approaching the problem from their own area of interest and expertise.

Foreign relations

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is chaired by Joseph R. Biden, Democrat of Delaware, and oversees U.S. foreign policy agencies, particularly the State Department. One of the oldest committees in the Senate, it reviews and considers all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to U.S. foreign policy.

As a result of the Democratic victory in the midterm elections, the committee heard testimony from the Co-Chairs of the Iraq Study Group, James A. Baker III (who served in both the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations) and Lee H. Hamilton (who serves on the Homeland Security Advisory Council and was in the House for 34 years.) This hearing put the spotlight on the fact that the administration has conspicuously ignored the Study Group’s recommendation to use diplomacy with Iran and Syria.

Baker and Hamilton reiterated and clarified the major points of the Iraq Study Group Report. In particular, they emphasized the need to follow all 79 recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, stressing the need to use diplomacy along with shifting military tactics to training Iraqis. With Baker warning that the White House must not treat the panel’s report, "like a fruit salad, and say, 'I like this, but I don't like that.'"

Intelligence

As its name suggests, the Intelligence Committee deals with secret information from a number of sources. Sixteen agencies send their information to this committee which, in turn, submits proposals for legislation concerning the gathering and use of intelligence. The committee, therefore, must make sure that the appropriate government departments and agencies provide informed and timely intelligence to the executive and legislative branches so that they can make sound decisions affecting the security and vital interests of the Nation. They also provide oversight over intelligence activities, making sure they conform with the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Because so much of the information and the way it is gathered must be classified, the Intelligence Committee holds many closed hearings, for example on the regional neighbors of Iraq and their influence on the war.

Judiciary

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has one of the broadest jurisdictions in the Senate, including power over government information and constitutional issues. The current chair of the committee is Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont.

In January 2007, the Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Iraq Study Group recommendations on Iraq’s police and criminal justice systems.

One of its most serious responsibilities is to judge the power of Congress to end a war.

Armed Services

The Armed Services Committee, Chaired by Carl Levin (D- Michigan), deals with the development of weapons systems and military operations of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. They review defense policy and act as a check on the President’s power as Commander-in-Chief.

At the end of January, the Armed Services Committee endorsed the nomination of Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus to receive a fourth star and become the head of the multinational force in Iraq. They also approved draft legislation that would authorize intelligence spending for fiscal 2007. The committee also had several closed-door hearings on Iraq policy and the costs and problems of maintaining military equipment in Iraq.

Connect to committees

For more information about committees and tradeoffs, listen to our radio show.

With so many committees dealing with the Iraq war, there is a good chance that your representatives could be on one of them.

Click here to see if your Senator is on the Committee on Armed Services

Click here to see if your Senator is on the Foreign Relations Committee

Click here to see if your Senator is on the Committee on the Judiciary

Click here to see if your Senator is on the Select Committee on Intelligence

Look up your representatives and their committees- and then weigh with them RIGHT HERE:

You can also discuss details with other WomenMatter readers on our blog.

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