10 April 2008
Four Congressional Committees Hold Hearings on War in Iraq
Hearings are valuable tools in Congress’ oversight of government operations
Washington -- On April 8 and April 9, four congressional committees questioned U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus, who commands military forces in Iraq, on progress of the mission of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq over the previous six months.
Hearings like these give Congress an opportunity to oversee various government activities. Committee members collect information, hear testimony and ask questions aimed at improving their own knowledge and ultimately that of the American public on issues of national interest. The hearings help accomplish the centuries-old constitutional mandate for Congress to oversee the operations of the U.S. government.
The April hearings sought to determine if the surge of additional troops in 2007 resulted in accomplishing the goals established by President Bush, and what courses of action the United States should pursue in the coming six months.
Crocker and Petraeus began their testimony on the morning of April 8 before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and then appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the afternoon. Hearings of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee followed on April 9.
The hearings likely will factor into the campaign for the U.S. presidential election, still seven months away. The three leading contenders for their political parties' nominations attended the hearings as committee members. Senator John McCain is the presumed Republican nominee, and Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are the Democratic contenders.
McCain is the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and Clinton is also a member of that committee. Obama is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.
SURGE TO BE EVALUATED
"Last September, Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus testified about the status of the surge [in Iraq]. They told us the surge would start to wind down this spring -- and that they would come back to recommend to the president and to Congress what should come next," Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden said April 3 in advance of the hearings.
Biden, himself a former presidential candidate, conceded that the level of violence in Iraq has subsided since the surge in U.S. ground forces began last year, but the political unity that also was to occur in the Iraqi government has not reached a satisfactory level.
"Iraq is not happening in a vacuum. Every extra day we stay at these levels, the price we pay gets steeper: the risk to our soldiers; the strain on their families; the drain on the treasury; the impact on readiness; and the damage to our standing in the world," Biden said.
Even though the president is commander in chief of U.S. military forces, money to fund military operations must be authorized by Congress. Information gathered in hearings helps legislators make decisions about specific bills.
"Congress has a responsibility to listen to the testimony and base our actions on the facts," House Minority Leader John Boehner said.
Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin said he does not expect much change occurring unless the Senate can come up with 60 votes to force a change in policy. The Senate is narrowly split between Democrats and Republicans, with Democrats holding a slight edge. Democratic Party leaders are optimistic that advantage will increase as a result of the 2008 election.
OVERSIGHT AUTHORITY
Congress's oversight authority is derived from "implied" powers in the U.S. Constitution, public laws and the rules of the House of Representatives and Senate. Oversight "is an integral part of the American system of checks and balances," according to Frederick Kaiser of the Congressional Research Service.
It is the long-held belief in the American political system that the Congress, which is the legislative branch of the U.S. government, routinely should review, monitor and supervise the operations and activities of the other branches of government and specifically the executive branch, which is led by the president and includes numerous departments and agencies.
In any one year, hundreds of hearings are held by congressional committees and subcommittees, which receive thousands of pages of testimony and reports not only from government officials, but also from outside academic and professional experts.
