Claire McCaskill

McCaskill: House GOP Is Skirting Its Own Earmark Ban

Igor Bobic | May 19, 2011, 4:40PM

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO)

When it comes to earmarks, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is accusing House Republicans of wanting to have their cake and eat it too.

House Republicans, she told reporters earlier this week, have added numerous line items for special projects into the defense-authorization bill, and thus, are violating their own self-imposed earmark moratorium.

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War Powers Act

Angry Lawmakers Grill Gates On Libya And War Powers Act

Susan Crabtree | March 31, 2011, 1:52PM

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, got a browbeating from Congress today over the White House's decision to ignore Congress and forge ahead with air strikes aimed at ousting Libyan Leader Muammar Qaddafi and supporting rebel forces.

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, Gates defended the administration's decision to intervene and retooled earlier comments that the U.S. didn't have a vital interest in the North African country after a rash of criticism.

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David Petraeus

Dem Rep Accuses Petraeus Of Using 'Charlie Sheen' PR Strategy On Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | March 16, 2011, 1:50PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) accused Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, of employing a "Charlie Sheen" strategy in trying to convince the American public to stay the course in Afghanistan.

"General Petraeus is giving us the Charlie Sheen counter-insurgency strategy, which is to give exclusive interviews to every major network, and to keep saying 'we're winning' and hope the public actually agrees with you," Woolsey said during a speech on the House floor Wednesday.

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Guantanamo Bay

Republicans Move To Strip Detainee Authority From Holder And Future Attorneys General

Susan Crabtree | March 8, 2011, 6:47PM

Attorney General Eric Holder

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are teaming up with Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee to write legislation that would take decisions about trying detainees out of the attorney general's hands and hand that power to the secretary of defense.

In the wake of the White House's new executive order allowing Guantanamo detainees to be held indefinitely, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) unveiled legislation that would, among other things, affirm the military's right to detain, hold and interrogate detainees at its discretion without Department of Justice or Attorney General Eric Holder involvement.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

McKeon, Wilson Call For 'Comprehensive Oversight' Of DADT Report

Eric Kleefeld | November 30, 2010, 2:46PM

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Reps. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Joe Wilson (R-SC), who will hold key chairmanships on military policy in the next Congress, have released a joint statement on the Pentagon report calling for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military -- with these two House Republicans instead calling for "comprehensive oversight" of the recommendations.

McKeon will be the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Wilson will be heading up the subcommittee on Military Personnel. They note in their statement that they were briefed earlier today on the contents of the report, which said that there would be no serious disruption from an orderly repeal.

As McKeon says: "Today's briefing and the release of the Pentagon's report are the first steps in what should be a comprehensive process to study whether implementing these recommendations would undermine military readiness or negatively impact the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Wilson chimes in, as well, strongly opposing any effort to pass the repeal immediately, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for: "Using the last days of a lame duck Congress to hastily repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' would be highly irresponsible. Today's Pentagon report must be thoroughly examined by the committees of jurisdiction to determine potential impacts on military recruitment, readiness, and morale. Lawmakers and military leaders need to have as much information as possible before any action is taken on such a significant military policy."

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