At a hearing on Iraq convened by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congressman Jack Murtha offered a preview of how he plans to rein in the Bush Administration, from the perch of his chairmanship of the Defense Subcommittee on the House Appropriations Committee.
Murtha announced his intention to use the power of the purse try and close US prisons at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, eliminate the signing statements President Bush uses to secretly expand executive power and restrict the building of permanent bases in Iraq.
Allies of the President claim that the war effort should not be “micromanaged.” But Murtha says that’s exactly what is necessary as the US reaches its fourth year in Iraq. “The Defense Department needs to be micromanaged,” he says. “They have been out of control.”
