I mentioned earlier my concern about what seemed like assigning the National Security Council (NSC) an operational role in the Iraq occupation. It appears I'm not the only one to whom that concern has occurred.
William Safire has observed:
[I]n the Pentagon, you have the operational responsibility for what's going on in Iraq. Now there's a tendency in administrations to try to, whenever there's friction, to try to pull it all into the White House. And that, on a bureaucratic box looks fine and Condi Rice is now the chairman of the coordinating committee.
The last time I remember it all being pulled into the White House was under Admiral Poindexter and it led to something called Iran-Contra. So have you to be careful how you rearrange these things.
The House Appropriations Committee is proposing a Congressional ban on the role that the Administration has announced for National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice in coordinating the occupation:
[T]he Republican-led House Appropriations Committee quickly rebuked the White House by voting to bar Rice from disbursing any of the $87 billion sought by the White House for military operations and reconstruction over the next 12 months in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla., chairman of the powerful House panel, pushed through the measure late Thursday in a move that bolsters Rumsfeld's hand -- at least symbolically.
Young's amendment doesn't mention Rice or Rumsfeld but the impact is clear. None of the $87 billion may be spent if the spending is "coordinated by any officer of the United States government who is not confirmed by the Senate," Young's amendment said.
I realize this puts me momentarily in the company of rightwing Republicans trying to defend Rummy over his disastrous management of the Iraqi occupation. But structures do matter.
The National Security Adviser is not an official requiring Congressional approval. Congress has critical responsibilities in defense and foreign policy. Putting operational power in the NSC is a prescription for abuse of power and evasion of Congressional authority.
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