WP: Incoming Democratic Chairmen Ready to Investigate Bush Adm. Actions in War, Counterterrorism

[DeepModem Mom]

Incoming Chairmen Ready to Investigate
Democratic-Led Panels to Probe Administration's Actions in War and Counterterrorism
By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 16, 2006; Page A05


Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.) said he is prepared to issue subpoenas. (By Jamie Rose-Getty Images)

Incoming Democratic committee chairmen say they will hold a series of hearings and investigations early next year to build the case for their call for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for possible action against defense contractors found to have wasted billions in federal funds.

The emerging plans to grill administration officials on the conduct of the war are part of a pledge for more aggressive congressional oversight on issues such as prewar intelligence, prisoner treatment at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the government's use of warrantless wiretaps.

Among the most eager incoming chairmen is Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), a lawyer with a professor's demeanor and a prosecutor's doggedness. As head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Levin, 72, will be his party's point man on the Iraq war and on the Democrats' call to begin withdrawing troops in the coming months.

Levin said he also plans inquiries into "documentation of waste and fraud and abuse in the contracting areas" of the military. Aggressive oversight "is not just a budget issue," he said, but at some point "becomes a significant moral issue." In the House, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), another leading advocate of a phased withdrawal, has vowed to use his Appropriations subcommittee chairmanship to investigate the Iraq war, holding "two hearings a day for the first three or four months . . . to find out exactly what happened and who's been responsible for these mistakes."

In committee after committee next month, the gavel will be handed by Bush allies to ardent Democrats deeply frustrated by what they see as the GOP-led Congress's refusal to conduct meaningful oversight and to hold the executive branch accountable....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501680.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Popcorn anyone?

:popcorn:

[William769]

2. Why would we need popcorn?

Who on earth would be against investigations? Except maybe Republicons.

[truthisfreedom]

3. And they've been obviated. So they count about as much as yesterday's news.

But watch 'em whine, and watch the conservative media struggle to find ways to make them seem important.

Nebbishes.

[tanyev]

10. Oh, I think popcorn will simply enhance our viewing pleasure

as we watch the long-overdue spectacle unfold.

Extra butter, please!
:popcorn:

[shraby]

21. I earlier said this will be the "Year of the Popcorn"

what would better go with all the hearings to watch? Make mine super-size. :bounce: :popcorn: :popcorn: :applause: :applause:

I'll bet we hear a lot of :nopity: from the perps when they :cry: that they didn't know anything.

[aggiesal]

22. Remember this phrase, ...

"I don't recall"

It will be used plenty during any and all hearings.

[radfringe]

33. no popcorn - we do a buffet

[indepat]

4. Let's find out how well trillions of dollars have been spent in the war on terra

[demnan]

5. See

All the nay saying around here about how the Democrats weren't going to do anything once they got in is for naught. They've been quietly biding their time until the take over. You're going to see some real ass-whooping then.

[Mechatanketra]

9. I see more.

The game may be lost before it begins.

Democrats start investigations.
Republicans stonewall.
Democrats issue subpoenas.
Republicans ignore them, and cite "executive privelege".
Democrats take it to court.
Republicans appeal it until it gets to the Supreme Court.
If the Supreme Court backs Bush, end of story. Rinse, lather, repeat for each future issue.

The problem here was that the time for the Democrats to "do something" was when Bush was appointing justices. (After all, we spent like 4 years listening to people assure us the Democrats were "biding their time" for that.) Right now, Bush has a rock-solid foursome on the bench, so basically the fate of the country lies on the strength of Justice Kennedy's conscience. And while Kennedy has been sending out an "old man trying to get into heaven" vibe recently ... I'm not counting chickens.

[Red1]

11. Agree

The time during the shrub justice appointee cycle was critical for the course of this country.

However, I favor in depth investigations into this nazi administration if for nothing else to
place that stigma into the minds of the citizens of America.

Maybe, if nothing else, a law to inform people as to the where abouts of these criminals could
be introduced, kinda like for sex offenders.

I can see it now, Crawford Texas newspapers runnin a burp about bushes location and his conviction
of a baby killer, ie. innocent, collateral damage Iraqi citizens.

[badgerpup]

27. In any case involving this administration, especially Bush...

...wouldn't Alito and Roberts be legally obliged to recuse themselves?
They were jammed down our throats appointed by Bush, so their willingness and ability to rule by law and not by loyalty would be suspect at the very least.

[WePurrsevere]

6. Pardon me while I simply sit & admire that headline for a moment. It is truly a thing of beauty.

After all the lying, manipulation and cover ups the neo-Con's nightmare has come true. Dems are in charge and we're going to be doing what that they have fought against and even outright refused to do over the last few years.

[rodeodance]

14. yes, lovely headline on a cold damp day in Wisconsin.

[babylonsister]

7. You KNOW they must be quaking in their lil booties!

:applause: :woohoo: :applause: :popcorn: :evilgrin: :patriot:

[rodeodance]

15. Jr says he is sleeping well.

[davhill]

8. Undo the damage

Investigations are fine but the real work is going to be undoing all the damage that has been done to our nation in the last six years and finding ways to pay for the mess.

[jazzjunkysue]

12. 2 hearings a day for 3 or 4 months! WoooHooo!!!! The press coverage!

This will bury the GOP for the next forseeable future. You thought Lewinsky hurt the dems? That's a scratch on the titanic. This will keep the GOP out of office forever, and hopefully, give us the presidency.

Do you hear that, John Edwards? We're paving the road for you!

[senseandsensibility]

26. Do you think the "media" will cover the hearings?

I would hope so, but I think it's far from certain. Then there's "covering" and "covering", you know. One kind of coverage is reserved for Dems who commit minor personal offenses, and another kind is for repugs who commit serious crimes. The corporate media is a branch of the repug party and will do everything within its' power to minimize the impact of these hearings.

[jazzjunkysue]

32. If the sitting admin is going to jail, yup. I think so. We never got

coverage before because we had no power. Now, we can haul in anyone to answer questions, and it's already an election year....Yup. This time, we'll get coverage. The oval office hangs in the balance, and the major media know they can't dodge that. It's everything.

[mogster]

13. What they will find:

[pacalo]

18. Hahaaa!

That's the perfect visual! Shows what can happen when adult supervision has been missing for too long.

(Poor doggies -- they could use more interaction with their humans.)

[aggiesal]

23. How do you add a picture to your post? Thanks, n/t

[kimsterdemster]

28. I don't post often, but...

When I do I use photobucket.com

[SHRED]

16. Incoming Chairmen Ready to Investigate

----

This is great news.
This is exactly what the Bush Crime "Family" fears and what "we the people" need.
Excellent.


---

Incoming Chairmen Ready to Investigate
Democratic-Led Panels to Probe Administration's Actions in War and Counterterrorism

By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 16, 2006; A05

Incoming Democratic committee chairmen say they will hold a series of hearings and investigations early next year to build the case for their call for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for possible action against defense contractors found to have wasted billions in federal funds.

The emerging plans to grill administration officials on the conduct of the war are part of a pledge for more aggressive congressional oversight on issues such as prewar intelligence, prisoner treatment at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, and the government's use of warrantless wiretaps.

Among the most eager incoming chairmen is Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), a lawyer with a professor's demeanor and a prosecutor's doggedness. As head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Levin, 72, will be his party's point man on the Iraq war and on the Democrats' call to begin withdrawing troops in the coming months.

Levin said he also plans inquiries into "documentation of waste and fraud and abuse in the contracting areas" of the military. Aggressive oversight "is not just a budget issue," he said, but at some point "becomes a significant moral issue." In the House, Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), another leading advocate of a phased withdrawal, has vowed to use his Appropriations subcommittee chairmanship to investigate the Iraq war, holding "two hearings a day for the first three or four months . . . to find out exactly what happened and who's been responsible for these mistakes."

MORE:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/15/AR2006121501680_pf.html


----

[SharonRB]

17. I attended a town hall with John Conyers last night

Here's a link to my summary of what he talked about:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2929675

[pacalo]

19. I read that...

& was first to recommend.

[SharonRB]

20. Thanks!

It needs a couple more votes to get to greatest page.

[tblue37]

24. The Republicans never really thought they would have to face

investigations, because they were assured the fix was in, that Karl Rove had "THE math."

They didn't count on the public's anger being so great that a tsunami of votes would make it impossible to completely steal the election. The fix undoubtedly WAS in, and I am quite certain that some Republicans took seats where the votes actually went Dem, only not enough to overcome the fix in the machines and the active supression of Democratic votes.

We have been saying it all along: we cannot afford close elections, because they can fix those too easily. We need huge landslides to balance out the suppressed and stolen votes.

If they had ever had the slightest inkiling that Dems could end up with subpoena power, I think the corrupt Republican players would have made a better effort to cover their tracks. But they were sure they were safe from investigation, so they went completely nuts, and now they will have to pay the piper.

There isn't enough popcorn in the world, guys!

[conscious evolution]

25. One of DO's own

is gonna be in on this.


'Levin said he also plans inquiries into "documentation of waste and fraud and abuse in the contracting areas" of the military.'

CorpGovActivist is up to his eyeballs in this.Read his journal here on DU athttp://journals.democraticunderground.com/CorpGovActivist
Also read this guys journal http://journals.democraticunderground.com/IdesOfOctober

[focusfan]

29. i really hope this blows up in Bush's Face

and he and Cheney leave in hand cuffs. 

[Zorro]

30. They better be prepared for scorched earth politics

This administration will fight against every request for information, and their enablers in Congress will back them up.

I think they will resist providing information on everything, just because that's what complete assholes do; compromise in their eyes is capitulation.

[Octafish]

31. Carl's just the man for the job.

Incoming Chairmen Ready to Investigate.

I've been waiting almost six years for that headline. So have Levin and a whole big bunch of good Democrats.