Brownback to Iraq

LJWorld.com weblogs Congressional Briefing

Posted by Joel Mathis February 18, 2005 at 8:59 a.m.

Sen. Sam Brownback will visit Iraq next week with other members of a Congressional delegation, reports [Associated Press.][1]"The delegation will focus on observing the capability of Iraqi security forces and discussing democracy, stability and human rights with Iraqi officials, Brownback spokesman Brian Hart said Thursday."The delegation will spend the first day of the Feb. 24-28 trip in Kuwait for a day of briefings before heading to Iraq. They plan to meet with U.S. government officials to discuss the Iraqi elections and other U.S. policies in the region. "Hart declined for security reasons to specify which Iraqi leaders would meet with the delegation. Hart said the delegation would also visit U.S. troops and wounded soldiers."Other links:Pat Roberts links [(Pakistan Dawn) US pressed Pakistan for access to Khan:][2] "The director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday told the US Senate that the Bush administration had 'pressed' Pakistan to allow an American representative direct access to Dr A.Q. Khan (father of Pakistan's atomic bomb) but he would not say if the access was given or denied. ... It was the committee's chairman, Senator Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas, who first raised the issue during the hearing which focused on the war in Iraq and the US efforts to fight terrorism."Sam Brownback links [(Focus on the Family) Cut Federal Spending, Coalition Urges:][3] "With U.S. debt continuing to soar, there is a new move afoot to cut wasteful spending in the federal government. It's been tried before, but now some feel a reduction in spending simply has to happen. Toward that end, some members of the Senate and the House joined with the White House to push for what they call 'significant cuts' in federal spending. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., intends to reintroduce legislation that would establish the federal Commission for Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies.:[(Cox News Service) Diplomatic veteran Negroponte picked as intelligence director:][4] "A bipartisan group of 11 senators urged Bush on Thursday to tighten sanctions on Syria. ... The letter was signed by Republican Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, Sam Brownback of Kansas" and others.How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][5] [1]: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/10924660.htm [2]: http://www.dawn.com/2005/02/18/top3.htm [3]: http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035562.cfm [4]: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/nation/stories/0218_INTEL_CHIEF.html [5]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed