Hearings, Hearings and more Hearings. What a week!

[TayTay]

There are a ton of hearings going on this week in Congress. The Senate Armed Services Committee has 3 hearings to get an update on the status of Iraq. Then we have Senate Foreign Relations hearings, Commerce hearings and Finance hearings. So, Let me list these by the committee and then on the "day of" these hearings we can have threads on them, if there is interest.

[TayTay]

1. Armed Services Comm hearings on Iraq for April 8-10th, 2008

April 8, 2008 - FULL COMMITTEE - To receive testimony on the situation in Iraq and progress made by the Government of Iraq in meeting benchmarks and achieving reconciliation.

April 9, 2008 - FULL COMMITTEE - To receive testimony on the situation in Iraq and progress made by the Government of Iraq in meeting benchmarks and achieving reconciliation.

April 10, 2008 - FULL COMMITTEE - To receive testimony on the situation in Iraq, progress made by the Government of Iraq in meeting benchmarks and achieving reconciliation, the future U.S. military presence in Iraq, and the situation in Afghanistan.

All these hearings start at 10 AM and they should be on C-Span 3. More info at: http://armed-services.senate.gov/hearings.cfm?h_month=4#month

[TayTay]

2. SFRC: Petraeus & Crocker testify, 4/8/08 2:30 pm

IRAQ AFTER THE SURGE:
WHAT NEXT?

HEARING
before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/hearings/2008/hrg080408p.html

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Time: 2:30 P.M.
Place: 216 Hart Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Biden



Witnesses:

+The Honorable Ryan C. Crocker
Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq
Department of State
Washington, DC

+General David H. Petraeus, USA
Commander,
Multi-National Force-Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq

[TayTay]

3. SFRC: Long term prospects in Iraq , 4/10/08 9:30 am

NEGOTIATING A LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH IRAQ

HEARING
before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/hearings/2008/hrg080410a.html

Thursday, April 10, 2008
Time: 9:30 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Biden



Witnesses:

Panel 1:

+The Honorable David Satterfield
Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State
and Coordinator for Iraq Department of State
Washington, DC

+The Honorable Mary Beth Long
Assistant Secretary of Defense
for International Security Affairs
Department of Defense
Washington, DC

+Ms. Joan Donoghue
Principal Deputy Legal Adviser
Department of State
Washington, DC

Panel 2:

+Michael J. Matheson
Professor
George Washington University Law School
Washington, DC

+Michael J. Glennon
Professor of International Law
Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy
Tufts University
Medford, MA

[TayTay]

4. Finance: Iran Counter-Proliferation 4/8/08 10 AM

S. 970, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007

Info on S 970

April 8 , 2008, at 10:00 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing040808.htm


Member Statements:
Max Baucus, MT
Charles Grassley, IA

Witness Statements:

Phillip Gordon, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

William A. Reinsch, President, National Foreign Trade Council, Washington, DC

Orde Kittrie, Visiting Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, MD and Professor of Law, The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

Danielle Pletka, Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC

[TayTay]

5. Finance Committee: S-Chip 4/9/08 2:30 pm

Covering Uninsured Children: The Impact of the August 17 CHIP Directive

April 9, 2008, at 2:30 p.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing040908.htm


Member Statements:
Max Baucus, MT
Charles Grassley, IA

Witness Statements:

A witness list will be provided at a later date.

[TayTay]

6. Finance Comm: Identity Theft Issues 4/10/08 10 AM

Identity Theft: Who’s Got Your Number?

April 10, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing041008.htm



Member Statements:
Max Baucus, MT
Charles Grassley, IA

Witness Statements:

The Honorable Douglas H. Shulman, IRS Commissioner, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, DC

Linda Stiff, IRS Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, DC

Nina Olson, IRS National Taxpayer Advocate, Internal Revenue Service, Washington, DC

The Honorable J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Department of Treasury, Washington, DC

Rebecca Spencer, Enrolled Agent, Benedict’s Laser Tax Service, Billings, MT

[TayTay]

7. Commerce Comm: Reauthorizing the FTC, 4/8/08 10 AM

Federal Trade Commission Reauthorization

Full Committee

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
10:00 AM
SR - 253

The hearing will be an oversight hearing reviewing the performance of the Commission. The Committee will also receive testimony on pending FTC reauthorization legislation.

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=96c0a67d-3e93-4705-be4a-67c01e6d2d05

Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1
The Honorable William E. Kovacic
Chairman
Federal Trade Commission

The Honorable Pamela Jones Harbour
Commissioner
Federal Trade Commission

The Honorable Jonathan Leibowitz
Commissioner
Federal Trade Commission

The Honorable J. Thomas Rosch
Commissioner
Federal Trade Commission

[TayTay]

8. Commerce Comm: Coal Gasification, 4/9/08 2:30 pm

Coal Gasification Technologies and the Need for Large Scale Projects

Science, Technology, and Innovation
Chaired by Sen. Kerry.

Background news on this: Energy Secretary Scraps FutureGen Clean Coal Project

Wednesday, April 9, 2008
02:30 PM

Coal gasification can provide an efficient, clean, and versatile way to generate electricity and other energy products from coal as an alternative to traditional generation methods. The process allows for the removal of pollutants such as sulfur and nitrogen compounds that contribute to smog and acid rain, and the capability to capture carbon dioxide without releasing it into the atmosphere. The Subcommittee will examine coal gasification technologies, including the challenges and advantages over traditional technologies, and the need for large scale integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) demonstration projects that feature carbon capture and sequestration.

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=a6be2602-97d5-4232-9aaa-4ba84d8c66fa

Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Panel 1
Dr. John Marburger III
Director
Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President

Mr. James Childress
Executive Director
Gasification Technologies Council

Dr. Joseph P. Strakey Jr.
Chief Technology Officer
U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory

Mr. Michael J. Mudd
Chief Executive Officer
FutureGen Alliance, Inc.

Mr. David Hawkins
Director, Climate Center
Natural Resources Defense Council

Mr. John Novak
Executive Director, Federal and Industry Activities, Environment and Generation
The Electric Power Research Institute

[Muttocracy]

9. Thanks for this great list - will post a link in the Biden group

:patriot:

[TayTay]

10. Armed Services and SFRC are doing parallel hearings on Iraq

That will have a lot of intersections. Plus, the Presidential contenders will be on The Hill this week and will each have a chance to question Gen. Petraeus and Amb. Crocker. It should be an interesting week.

Please invite people over to post on the SFRC hearings. (Or we could guest post on the Biden site.) These are critical hearings and I fear the only thing that the news media will take away from them is the confrontation between McCain, Clinton & Obama and the witnesses. Sigh, no discussion on the merits, just on style points.

[gateley]

11. Hi -- and thank you!

Joe Is One Of Us gave us (Biden group) this link.

Since last week I've typed "in last week's SFRC Iraq hearings..." a zillion times in posts. Barely any interest.

And I'm in agreement with your feelings about what the result of The Three's appearances may be. In last week's SFRC Iraq hearings :7, I felt we got to see what the players and Committee really felt - good dialogue. My concern is that The Three will be in their Presidential-Candidate-Speak mode and couching everything they say in how it will translate to a sound bite.

Thanks for the invite to participate! And thanks for your excellent coverage here.

And as always, thanks to Joe Is One Of Us for taking care of the Bidenites. :hug:

[TayTay]

13. My pleasure!

I am very, very interested in these hearings on Iraq. I think that Sen. Biden and staff did a great job last week with their witnesses. Those were some of the best Iraq hearings of this 110th Congress. The witnesses were, ah, honest and very forthright with what should happen next.

I will try and watch as many of the Iraq hearings as I can. (Ironically, my work is one of the worst places to watch hearings. It's too noisy.) (Background story: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=273&topic_id=132555)

I hope that the media does start to pay attention and I hope it's not because the War is getting more violent and deadly. Sigh, I fear that might happen though.

[gateley]

18. Wow -- LOVED the Novella!

What a dream job - as though it was fashioned expressly with you in mind. And I guess it was!

Kerry has an invaluable addition to his team in you -

I'm so happy for you!! :applause:

[Muttocracy]

12. yeah, I just responded to someone about the issue of UN involvement

Why isn't anyone talking about it. I had to go into my listen to the Senate hearings! rant.

[jillan]

14. Thanks for posting all of this Tay Tay!

I am really looking forward to these hearings.

[Inuca]

15. CSPAN

currently says that the armed forces committee hearing will be carried on CSPAN1. To the extent that what appears on their web site can be trusted... Also the news channels may carry it (I heard some intimation of it on CNN yesterday, but it wasn't very clear), but I guess that even if they do they will get tired by the afternoon for the SFRC meeting. And video streaming is not really an option for me with my crappy satellite connection that dies on me (fairness policy!!) after a disgustingly low number of MB per day :-(.

[TayTay]

16. That's too bad about the connection problems.

The Armed Services Comm and the SFRC will probably come at the same testimony from different angles. The hearings last week were an excellent background on the current situation in Iraq.

Damn, those were sobering hearings. Gen. Odom's testimony in particular sticks with me. There is a copy of Gen. Odom's written testimony available as a .pdf doc at http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2008/hrg080402a.html Just click on the blue outline of the General's name and the doc will open for you. The main thing to come out of the SFRC hearings were these Generals with massive experience at the US War College, the NSA and Military Academy saying that the US has to begin a troop withdrawal. Ah, these are not exactly the peacenik crowd and the things they talked about were extremely "hrad truths" to accept.

I am very curious to see how Sen. McCain will question Amb. Crocker and Gen. Petraeus. I saw McCain on TV yesterday and he seemed to be brushing aside the recent events in Basra and Baghdad that indicate the central government is weak in order to push the rosy scenario that the "surge is working." Given the testimony of last week, how can he do that? As Inuca and others have pointed out here, the Republican Senators were aking tough and probing questions last week that were anything but accepting and rosy about the future of Iraq. I guess we shall see.

[gateley]

17. I got the impression that

pretty much everybody on the SFRC (Reps included) have HAD IT with the Surge bullshit. It may just be me, but I felt the focus had almost turned to -- We're getting out, period. How can we best go about it. Maybe my glass is half full, though...

[Inuca]

19. That's exactly the feeling I got

from last week's hearings as well. We shall see tomorrow... republican nastiness is much better represented in the armed services committee than in SFRC.