On July 11, 2006, Representative Christopher Shays (Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations) held a hearing to examine the Bush Administration’s National Strategy for Victory in Iraq (see the Subcommittee’s briefing memorandum). In his prepared opening remarks, Representative Shays stated:
"I am not afraid we will lose the war in Iraq, in Iraq. I am deeply concerned we will lose the war in Iraq here at home. Our efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power and help bring democracy to the most troubled part of the world is truly a noble effort that must succeed, because as Ambassador Khalilzad said, “What happens in Iraq will shape the future of the Middle East, and the future of the Middle East will shape the future of the world."
However, Representative Shays’ strong words (which were fired at the anti-war movement, including his challenger, Diane Farrell), are completely overshadowed by the recently released General Accounting Office’s report GAO Report which contends that the Bush Administration's National Strategy for Victory in Iraq is flawed in several ways, such as its lack of details concerning which agencies are responsible for the various efforts in Iraq, the evolving nature of the U.S. role as Iraqi forces assume greater control, and, most importantly, that the Bush Administration has failed to provide Congress with enough information on the estimated costs and funding sources for reconstruction.
The hearings have to be deemed a failure for the Shays campaign, and a victory for his opponent, Diane Farrell, who has time and time again stressed that the Bush Administration’s (with the unwavering support of Representative Shays) Iraq policy is significantly flawed and that Congress has continually failed in its oversight role. (See this letter letter from Ms. Farrell to Representative Shays on July 10, 2006).
Sources
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform (website: http://reform.house.gov) (last visited July 12, 2006)
General Accounting Office (website: www.gao.gov) (last visited July 12, 2006)
Diane Farreell for Congress (website: www.farrellforcongress.com) (last visited July 12, 2006)
3 comments:
Please-Another day, another blog entry attacking Republicans here at Ct Liberal Politics.
Can we get something good, like something about Ned Lamont????
Are there even any other races this year besides Lamont vs Grumpy Joe????
TG,
Please don't mischaracterize Farrell's position on Iraq. Yes, she has one and yes it goes beyond criticism.
* Farrell on Iraq
* Farrell on Iraq and Terrorism
Also, bear in mind that the importantance of electing Farrell goes beyond her personal view as a candidate. Her campaign is crucial to larger effort to remove the Republican majority that has supported the Bush and the neo-con/PNAC policies.
TG: in order for the hearing to "hurt Shays" (as the title of your post states) one has to presume that the voters will (1) be knowledgable about the GAO Report and (2) agree with your assessment that it "completely overshadow[s]" Rep. Shays' words. I think those are large presumptions.
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