Hurricane Katrina will get "Joint" Review Committee not "Independent" one

[RSchewe]

This must be a joke...

(...)

Yesterday, congressional Republicans tried to get a head start, announcing the formation of an investigative commission that they can control.

They rejected Democratic appeals to model the panel after the Sept. 11 commission, which was made up of non-lawmakers and was equally balanced between Republicans and Democrats. That commission won wide praise for assessing how the 2001 terrorist attacks occurred, and for recommending changes in the government's anti-terrorism structure.

House and Senate GOP leaders announced the "Hurricane Katrina Joint Review Committee," which will include only members of Congress, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats by a yet-to-be-determined ratio. The commission, which will have subpoena powers, will investigate the actions of local, state and federal governments before and after the storm that devastated New Orleans and other portions of the Gulf Coast.

(...)

A Republican-led Congress cannot be trusted to make a thorough investigation of a Republican administration, said Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). "Democrats strongly prefer that the response to Hurricane Katrina be investigated by a commission of independent experts like the 9/11 commission," he said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the new commission "is not truly bipartisan, will not be made up of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, cannot write legislation and will not have bipartisan subpoena power."

(...)

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/07/AR2005090702125.html

So much for accountability. These Dems should just refuse to participate in this format. I see no reason to even give the Republicans the satisfaction of leading this kind of circus with the Dems following on the back end in the caboose.

[ixion]

1. Unacceptable.

An INDEPENDENT review should occur. Nothing less should be settled for.

[Art_from_Ark]

2. "Joint review committee" = Cover-up committee

[RSchewe]

3. First the President was going to run the investigation, then Republican...

Congress, who are they going to throw out there next to do it, Newt Gingrich?

These people have no shame.

[halobeam]

4. If not in our lifetime, then in our kids.... the people are going to HAVE

to revolt. It's inevitable, considering the direction this is all going, obviously unless things change. If this doesn't do it, I shutter to think what might.

[OregonBlue]

5. NPR reported joint review committee but Dems do not have

equal supoena power. I already wrote to Reid asking him to refuse to have the Dems go along with this. Repugs would look bad having an investigation in which not one Democrat participates. Also asked him to please get the talking points together for all Dems. Repugs are so good at that, keep repeating over and over and over and pretty soon people believe it. Dems all need to speak with one voice now!

[RSchewe]

6. Then what is the use?

This will be just another whitewash.