Sen. Snowe to visit Iraq to assess progress herself

AUGUSTA – Sen. Olympia Snowe will be in Iraq this weekend to assess the military and political situation as Congress prepares to debate the future of U.S. involvement there.

“The ultimate mission of our trip will be to determine whether or not the Iraqi government and its political leaders have the ability to produce political resolution and settlement of the major issues,” the Maine Republican said in an interview. “I did not hear in the testimony that was presented by both General [David] Petraeus and Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker any indication that the elected officials were any closer to reaching a political resolution.”

Snowe said her trip, along with several other senators, will allow her to get a “firsthand” view of what is happening in Iraq. She agreed with Petraeus that the military surge has improved the stability of parts of the country but said the reason for the additional troops was to facilitate political progress.

“The original purpose in providing an additional 30,000 troops in Iraq was for the express purpose of achieving the political settlement that can only be achieved by the Iraqi political leaders and the Iraqi people themselves,” she said.

Snowe was the co-author of legislation that required an assessment by the Government Accountability Office on whether the Iraqi government had achieved 18 political benchmarks she said are “critical and essential” to stability in Iraq. The report, released last week, indicated success in only one measure: protecting the rights of minority political parties.

“Forming a constitutional review committee, holding provincial elections, enacting and implementing de-Baathification reform and an oil revenue-sharing law continue to languish,” she said. “There’s been too little progress by the Iraqi government. This report confirms some of our worst fears.”

The Baath Party was the political party of Saddam Hussein. Elements of it continue to hold positions in government and the bureaucracy of Iraq, the GAO report said.

Earlier this week, news reports from Iraq indicated that legislation allocating oil revenues, announced last February, has started to unravel and is undermining attempts to build political stability.

“If the Iraqi people themselves are not given the assurance that they will have the full protection of the law and be part of the power-sharing arrangement, then clearly it is not going to engender the confidence that the government is working for a unified Iraq,” Snowe said.

Snowe acknowledges that she is one of the GOP moderate senators who have been targeted as swing votes on Iraq. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday that he believes there will be the votes to pass amendments to the defense authorization bill next week given the number of GOP senators who have said there needs to be a change in Iraq policy.

“We’re reaching out to the Republicans to allow them to fulfill their word,” he said at a news conference. “I am confident we will be able to move forward.”

Snowe is hopeful that the Senate can craft a compromise and avoid the gridlock that led to an all-night session in July. She said given President Bush’s public and private statements, getting 60 votes to end debate on a measure is not enough.

“There needs to be a plan that can garner 67 votes to override a veto,” she said. “Hopefully, the plan that is finally passed will get the president’s support.”

Snowe said she hopes Reid does not tie the debate on Iraq policy to the defense bill. She said Congress needs to adopt both the defense authorization bill and the appropriations measure this month and that adding language to either that sets policy in Iraq will slow passage of the bills, which are needed for the national defense.

“Ultimately we should bring about a change in mission for our troops in Iraq,” she said. “To do that means achieving a consensus. That has to be our goal.”

Snowe said her exact schedule in Iraq is still classified, but she does expect to spend time outside Baghdad meeting with both military and civilian leaders.