Armed Services Committee news stories on Newser

Lawmakers, Afghan Leaders Welcome Petraeus

Rob Quinn — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 05:52:33 CDT

President Obama's choice of David Petraeus to replace Stanley McChrystal has met near-universal praise in Washington and Kabul. Democrats and Republicans alike say the general is guaranteed a swift Senate confirmation to take charge of the Afghanistan war, Politico reports. The general's confirmation "may be the fastest in the history...

CIA to Brief Congress on Syria-North Korea Nuke Pact

Peter Fearon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:05:00 CDT

Details of a suspected secret pact between North Korea and Syria to supply Damascus with nuclear weapons technology will be revealed in closed-door CIA briefings of lawmakers, Reuters reports. The pact is apparently linked to an Israeli air raid on a suspected nuclear site in Syria last year. The briefing...

Petraeus Foils Senators Seeking Exit

Jason Farago — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:09:00 CDT

David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker head back to Capitol Hill this morning after a grueling day of testimony that was short on substance and clear goals, writes the Washington Post . Pressed repeatedly yesterday to describe what "conditions" they would like to see before recommending a troop withdrawal, the general and...

Clinton and Obama: A Tale of Two Senators

Kevin Spak — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:25:00 CST

The Senate isn’t a powerful presidential launching pad, but Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama arrived there amidst whispers of executive ambitions, and each charted a very different course, the LA Times reports. Clinton swiftly established herself as an inside operator, forging alliances and focusing on her state, while Obama traded...

Dems Willing to Deal on Troop Pullout

Peter Fearon — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:20:30 CDT

Senate Democrats are signaling they are willing to compromise with Republicans on a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The Democrats, who pushed before the summer recess for a pullout deadline next spring, have been undercut by some progress in Iraq and the success of the White House in maintaining...

GOP Senator: Start Bringing Troops Home

Caroline Zimmerman — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:12:50 CDT

In a significant break from his previous support for the White House's Iraq policy, John Warner said today wants to see some US troops home by Christmas. The influential ex-chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has opposed Democratic attempts to force withdrawal, CNN reports, but now says a partial...

Corporate Donors Snub McCain

Peter Fearon — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 05:49:29 CDT

John McCain is lagging far behind his GOP primary rivals in fundraising, in part because he's alienated so many big corporate donors in his Senate career. All that straight talk about minimizing the influence of money on politics has taken its toll, the New York Times notes. One defense industry...