Democrats Reject GOP Attempt to Compel McChrystal Testimony

The Politico ran a piece October 1 reporting that Senate Democrats had rejected a Republican move to compel testimony from the top military commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. Republicans wanted McChrystal to testify before Congress prior to the completion of President Obama's Afghanistan strategy review, while Democrats want time for the review to be finished before hearing from McChrystal. The measure was voted down along party lines.

The story says, "Defense Secretary Robert Gates opposed the demands, saying the Pentagon budget amendment put himself and his commanders in an 'inappropriate' position. And Democrats argued that they had never demanded such testimony from Iraq commanders when President George W. Bush spent months in 2006 deliberating the surge of troops in early 2007."

I have to go with Senate Democrats on this one. The President and the President alone is the commander-in-chief of the U.S. armed forces, and he should be afforded the courtesy of considering the advice of his military commanders in the process of his strategy review without having to worry about Congress grilling those commanders before any decisions have made. He has to be able to consider all options and all advice without interference from those without authority or responsibility for making a decision. There will certainly be time for question and answer sessions after the President makes up his mind about the way ahead.

The Politico adds: "But implicit in the debate was a warning from the chief proponent, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), that Republican patience is wearing thin with the administration's internal debate and that an almost fish-or-cut-bait mind-set has taken hold regarding the U.S. military commitment to Afghanistan. 'We're not in on the takeoff. A lot of us therefore may have trouble being in on the landing.'"

The story continues, saying, "In the case of Afghanistan, McChrystal is seeking an increase in forces but also has given the president his own reassessment of U.S. strategy that is now part of Obama's deliberations. Levin faulted McCain's amendment for being too narrowly focused on the troop commitment question and not the larger policy. McCain, a strong supporter of Obama's policy to date, countered that Levin was leading the Senate in a direction that abrogated its constitutional responsibilities."

Levin offered an alternative that requires hearings with McChrystal, but only after a Presidential decision on Afghanistan has been made. The Levin proposal was adopted with the support of one Republican, George Voinovich of Ohio.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27817.html#