Mar 3, 2008
Obama and the Foreign Relations Committee
Among the most extraordinary allegations made recently by Hillary Clinton--and the subject of her most recent television ad, in Texas--is that Barack Obama has shown his insufficient commitment to dealing with Afghanistan because he didn't convene any hearings in the Subcommittee on European Affairs, which he chairs.
Leave aside, for a moment, the question of whether such subcommittee hearings could have influenced this administration, which has shown little inclination to consider congressional oversight. Primary jurisdiction for Afghanistan lies not with Obama's subcommittee but with the Armed Services Committee (which has oversight authority over military matters) and with the FRC's Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs--on which Obama isn't even a member. Obama's subcommittee, at best, has a limited type scope (intra-NATO questions) on anything dealing with Afghanistan.
Incredibly, the press--the same press that the Clinton campaign alleges is treating her unfairly--hasn't challenged the campaign's assertion that the Subcommittee on European Affairs is a critical arm of oversight for Afghanistan events. Indeed, take this line from a just-filed AP report:"Clinton launched a new 30-second ad in Texas that criticizes Obama for failing to hold hearings as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on European Affairs, which has oversight for Afghanistan."
Leave aside, for a moment, the question of whether such subcommittee hearings could have influenced this administration, which has shown little inclination to consider congressional oversight. Primary jurisdiction for Afghanistan lies not with Obama's subcommittee but with the Armed Services Committee (which has oversight authority over military matters) and with the FRC's Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs--on which Obama isn't even a member. Obama's subcommittee, at best, has a limited type scope (intra-NATO questions) on anything dealing with Afghanistan.
Incredibly, the press--the same press that the Clinton campaign alleges is treating her unfairly--hasn't challenged the campaign's assertion that the Subcommittee on European Affairs is a critical arm of oversight for Afghanistan events. Indeed, take this line from a just-filed AP report:"Clinton launched a new 30-second ad in Texas that criticizes Obama for failing to hold hearings as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on European Affairs, which has oversight for Afghanistan."