Democrats plan Iraq hearings
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Incoming Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, has tentatively scheduled a hearing on Iraq for January 11th, with newly installed Defense Secretary Robert Gates as the sole witness.
Levin has not set the date in stone, because he is waiting for President Bush to first outline his plan for Iraq.
The Michigan Democrat also tentatively plans to hold hearings on January 18th and 25th, with additional military, administration, and expert witnesses to discuss Bush's plan, according to Levin spokeswomen Tara Andringa.
Levin's planned hearings come a week after Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, who is about to take over the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced he will hold a series of Iraq hearings starting Jan. 9. Biden said he has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify before his panel, and the Delaware Democrat said she has agreed but has not confirmed a date. Biden added that Rice told him she wouldn't commit until she knew when the president would make his decision.
http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/01/democrats-plan-iraq-hearings.html