Gates Hearings Have New Urgency.....Robert Parry (good read)

[KoKo]

By Robert Parry
December 3, 2006

Gates Hearing Has New Urgency

Secrecy

Plus, as Defense Secretary not only would Gates be in charge of managing the Iraq War and the broader “war on terror” but he would oversee the National Security Agency’s electronic spying operations and the new military tribunals which amount to a parallel legal structure existing outside U.S. constitutional safeguards.

In all these areas, Bush has resisted any meaningful congressional oversight – and is likely to continue asserting executive secrecy when the Democrats try to conduct informational hearings after taking control of Congress in January.

The Bush administration has made clear it won’t submit to congressional subpoenas if it considers the information privileged or overly sensitive.

Thus, it makes sense for Bush to push through Gates’s confirmation during the lame-duck session when the Republicans are still in charge. Quick confirmation would deny the Democrats one of their few pressure points – approval of Gates – that they could use to extract some cooperation from the White House in the planned oversight hearings.

Once Bush secures the Senate’s consent on Gates, the only practical moves left to Congress – besides time-consuming subpoena battles fought through the federal courts – will be withholding money from the war effort or impeachment – two drastic steps that the Democrats have signaled they won’t do.

more at......
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/120306.html

[H2O Man]

1. Nominated.

Thank you for a very important article.

Here's another, by Ray McGovern:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120506J.shtml

[KoKo]

3. Thanks for McGovern article...will check out. n/t

[KoKo]

5. I wonder if Kennedy, Byrd, Akaka and Kennedy can postpone Hearings til January?

Ray McGovern suggested that and I wonder if Dems could hold together to postpone? Or, do Repugs still have power to ram him through? :shrug:

[KoKo]

6. Full Committee Members of Senate Armed Services Committee:

(Is there a Repug we could count on here on the list...and how many Dems might hold strong to postpone the hearings?)

---------------

FULL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

REPUBLICANS

John Warner (Virginia)
Chairman

John McCain (Arizona)
James M. Inhofe (Oklahoma)
Pat Roberts (Kansas)
Jeff Sessions (Alabama)
Susan M. Collins (Maine)
John Ensign (Nevada)
James M. Talent (Missouri)
Saxby Chambliss (Georgia)
Lindsey O. Graham (South Carolina)
Elizabeth Dole (North Carolina)
John Cornyn (Texas)
John Thune (South Dakota)


DEMOCRATS

Carl Levin (Michigan)
Ranking Member

Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts)
Robert C. Byrd (West Virginia)
Joseph I. Lieberman (Connecticut)
Jack Reed (Rhode Island)
Daniel K. Akaka (Hawaii)
Bill Nelson (Florida)
E. Benjamin Nelson (Nebraska)
Mark Dayton (Minnesota)
Evan Bayh (Indiana)
Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York)

[aquart]

2. Oh, it's going to be time-consuming subpoena battles either way.

Just beef up the staff and get 'em ready for it.

[G_j]

4. nominated

some very important points made here

[KoKo]

7. Anyone know if this is the only day of hearings for Gates? n/t

[KoKo]

8. He's not Confirmed by Full Senate Yet...so let's see what he's about!

We still have some time...only the "Armed Services Committee" confirmed the guy...read what Parry and McGovern say and then think about why the Senate shouldn't join in the confirmation. :shrug: