Senate Democrats Would Put U.S.-Iraq Agreement to a Vote

[babylonsister]

Senate Democrats Would Put U.S.-Iraq Agreement to a Vote
By John M. Donnelly, CQ Staff


Influential Senate Democrats will push next year for congressional ratification of a U.S.-Iraq security agreement that would govern the future presence of U.S. troops in that country.

Virginia Democrat Jim Webb said Wednesday that he would push for the Senate to approve a bill requiring congressional approval of this security pact. Senior lawmakers, such as Joseph R. Biden, Jr. of Delaware, the Democratic vice presidential nominee and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Appropriations Chairman Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, and Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin of Michigan have indicated in the past their support for such a bill.

Webb has been a leading advocate of the view that Congress has a right and responsibility to vote its approval or disapproval of the pact. The 110th Congress instead has declined to assert that role and has insisted only that they review the agreement.

Although Webb is a first term senator, the former Navy secretary and member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations panels exercises considerable sway over his colleagues on national-security issues.

“Even if this agreement is signed by the administration and the Iraqi government, does it really have the force of law from the perspective of the U.S. government?” he said in an interview Wednesday.

Webb does not think Congress will change its position during a lame-duck session expected to occur in November. But he said that he plans to press on in early 2009 for a requirement that Congress ratify the pact.

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002978000

[EC]

1. Well according to the CONSTITUTION treaties are

to go before the legistature...

[babylonsister]

2. Why wouldn't both parts of the Congress get a say? nt