Rep. Ike Skelton knows what he will do in one of his first acts as chairman of the Armed Services Committee in the Democratic-led House: resurrect the subcommittee on oversight and investigations panel was disbanded by the Republicans after they won control of Congress in 1994.
What arrogance it took to disband this critical subcommittee, a key component to the congressional checks and balance power. Calls for investigations on Halliburton and the "no bid" contracts, the lack of adequate equipment for our troops, and other pressing issues slipped completely under the radar by the Republican controlled houses of Congress.
Although I certainly hope the Democratic leaders do not get "punch drunk" and issue subpoenas all over the place, certainly some investigations are mandated. Criminal wastes of our money allocated to major Iraq war suppliers, loss of personal freedoms, including surveillance without warrants, these are the tips of the iceberg. The following quote says it all...
"This could be remembered as a historically unique period in which an administration got immunity from Congress to engage in errors with impunity," said Charles Tiefer, a University of Baltimore law professor and a former House counsel.
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