CARL LEVIN: He wants Iraq policy shift, greater oversight: 11/10/06
By Kathleen Gray
Detroit Free Press
The day he learned the Democrats took the Senate and he was suddenly a bigger player than he already was, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin showed none of what might be expected for such a big shooter.
No entourage to offer coffee, water or a ringing cell phone to the boss. Even the vintage Frigidaire in his 18th-floor office in Detroit was the real deal, not a decorator’s tribute to kitsch.
Then there was Levin himself — the slightly wrinkled, usually disheveled politician with the familiar grey comb-over and reading glasses perched on his nose.
Wednesday, he was one of the most sought after guys on the planet, poised to become the chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee.
Democrats had just gained control of the U.S. House and Senate. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had just resigned. National and local media were clamoring for words from someone who could have a huge impact on the course of the war in Iraq: Levin.
He gets the respect of senators from both parties, especially for his encyclopedic knowledge of all things military. His national conference call Wednesday drew 65 reporters.
“The American people spoke with great force and with clarity on the need to change course in Iraq,” Levin said. “I hope that Secretary Rumsfeld’s departure will lead to a change in policy.”
Levin won’t have the power to change the course of U.S. Iraq policy. That’s President George W. Bush’s job.
“We can’t have 535 commanders in chief. We can’t have military decisions being made by committee,” said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who also serves on the Armed Services Committee.
But Levin will speak with greater authority for his own recommendation — a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops, shifting the focus from U.S. soldiers as an occupying force to a role of counterterrorism experts and trainers for the Iraqi army. His real clout will be control over money spent to support the military.
Colleagues expect Levin to lead the committee with tenacity and grace.
“He’s a gentleman and represents the best traditions in the Senate,” Graham said. “We have found much common ground. But … I’m sure there will be fundamental disagreements.”
As chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when Democrats had power in the Senate from 2001-03, Levin held hearings on everything from high gas prices, to the Enron scandal, to offshore tax havens.
“There are a lot guys at the Pentagon who are going to be getting lawyers,” said Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. “He’ll be a very aggressive chairman and will … dig up as much dirt as he can.”
Levin said he wants to have more oversight over the military, including investigations into alleged waste and fraud in war contracts.
“I want to make sure we’re not wasting taxpayer dollars,” he said.
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