The Foreign Service Journal, February 2007

from 2001 through 2002 when Democrats briefly held the Senate. Whether he has been the chair or ranking minority member, however, Biden has generally worked closely with his counterpart, Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., on most issues. This cooperation reflects the Foreign Rela- tions Committee’s traditionally bipartisan approach. Like Lantos, Biden backed the 2002 resolution autho- rizing the war in Iraq, but has since been a leading Democratic war critic, skewering the administration for poor planning, faulty intelligence and sending too few troops. Biden has long harbored presidential aspirations, mounting a short-lived run for the White House in 1988 that was derailed over charges he plagiarized a speech by British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock. He has said he will run for president in 2008. Political analysts view Biden as a long shot in an already-crowded field, but some believe he could become Secretary of State in a Democratic administration. Asking Questions and Seeking Changes in Iraq The Iraq War was the defining issue of the 2006 midterm elections, and most analysts believe voter dis- content over it pushed Democrats into power. As a result, Iraq will be the dominant issue in the 110th Congress and the heads of each chamber’s foreign policy committees are likely to be crucial in shaping it. Lantos has vowed to use his gavel to call the Secre- taries of State and Defense and the administrator of the Agency for International Development before his com- mittee to explain postwar reconstruction failures. “The administration’s three-year program of postwar Iraq reconstruction has been riddled with waste, fraud and abuse. The Republican Congress has failed miserably in conducting oversight over this reconstruction,” says Lantos, who may write legislation to increase oversight. Lantos seems more likely to push for diplomatic solu- tions in Iraq than to call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces. However, he has said he supports, and F O C U S F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 23