Care to explain why Obama had no oversight on Afghanistan?

[MojoMojoMojo]

Obama plans to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
He is planning to shift the Iraq troops to a different arena.
But he has had no oversight for the past year .
IMO the Hillary ad pointing this out is very effective,because there is no excuse for Obamas irresponsible lack of oversight.

[anonymous171]

1. That's rich

Pro-Iraq war Hillary accusing Obama of lack of oversight. Yeah. Right.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. another senate committee has that task, not his.

Hillary's efforts to attack him are just so much hot air. she really has no ethical or moral bone in her body, does she?

[cloudythescribbler]

8. Actually, it's another SUBcommittee -- chaired by Kerry nt

[Wayjose]

12. Yes, John Kerry has already explained it

[cloudythescribbler]

19. Sure -- but how widely known is that -- even among wonks on DU?

[TwilightGardener]

3. Because he's the head of the Europe subcommittee, and Afghanistan is not in Europe?

[FrenchieCat]

4. But of course, you know that Europe is Europe, Right?

[ellenfl]

5. sure. as i have heard it explained,

SUBcommittees, like the one obama chairs, do not hold oversight hearings. the committees they are sub to, hold the hearings. anything else you want to know?

ellen fl

[karynnj]

13. Actually they can - though on the biggest issues the oversight will be in the full committee

Here - it is also true that his sub-committee is not the natural committee for that: Kerry's Near East and South Asia committee is, which is why Biden, Kerry and Hagel are the ones who went to Afghanistan.

[malta blue]

6. Well, for one, something

as major as NATO’s role in Afghanistan should bebefore the full Foreign Relations Committee, rather than Obama’s European subcommittee, and the Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Afghanistan in January IIRC.

I am not a supporter of either one, so please do not pigeon-hole me into the Obama camp...

[krispos42]

7. For the same reason I haven't had any oversight on Afghanistan

I'm not on the Senate Committee in charge of Asian affairs.

Neither is Obama.




And just to make myself abolutely clear, Afghanistan is in Asia.



A question like that is like asking why the Minnesota DOT is not patching up the potholes in North Dakota.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

9. attention fellow billy goats: do not cross the bridge

[here_is_to_hope]

10. If your cheap ass would donate, you could search out the answer...n/t

[MojoMojoMojo]

11. So NATO has nothing to do with Afghanistan?

[karynnj]

15. Of course they do - but Obama would be a complete showboater

to call a hearing on the role of NATO in Afghanistan. The full committee just had such a meeting on Jan 30 (closed door) and January 31. In addition, Kerry's subcommittee - for Near East and South Asia had one on Afghanistan as well. Given that it is only the beginning of March - it would seem 3 hearings in the SFRC is reasonable.

By the way, there were 2 in the Armed Services committee as well - that HRC missed. (though I assume she had a staffer there to get info.)

[democrattotheend]

21. They need to put Kerry out there explaining that

Or did he on Meet the Press yesterday? I have been saying for days that they should ask him to refute this nonsense.

[karynnj]

22. I quite agree - Kerry has been exceptionally good simply stating the truth.

He was on Wolf Blitzer on Sunday - but the questions were far from that. He was on MSNBC yesterday. I am impressed how much effort he has put into helping Obama.

[beachmom]

14. Why did Hillary miss the Armed Services Committe hearings on Afghanistan? nt

[Oilwellian]

17. Too busy running her campaign?

And something else about Hillary on the Armed Svcs. Cmte...where is her oversight & leadership on finding out what happened to the billions of dollars missing from the funding of this war? Where is her oversight and leadership on no-bid contracts and the piss-poor quality of goods and services for our troops in Iraq & Afghanistan? Just what has Hillary done with her powerful position on the ASC to end this gross mispending of our tax dollars?

[Mags]

16. he said he hasn't had time because he is running for President

[Monty__]

18. Because he's not on the subcommittee

that oversees the region that Afghanistan is in. He's on the sub-committee for Europe.

[indimuse]

20. I've read the drug

production and Taliban is outta control now, more than ever before!