Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 2007, page 24

Congress Watch

Mid-Term Elections Will Have Mixed Effects on Middle East Issues

By Shirl McArthur

While the 2006 mid-term elections represented a major upheaval in U.S. politics, their effects on matters of interest to Washington Report readers may be less decisive. The effect on the Israel-Palestine conflict will probably be negligible to non-existent. However, the new Congress will be quicker to question and try to modify the administration’s foreign adventures and civil rights violations. Especially, it likely will see the elections as a mandate to demand serious changes to the administration’s policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All four Arab-American members of the House—Reps. Charles Boustany (R-LA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Ray LaHood (R-IL), and Nick Rahall (D-WV)—handily won re-election. In addition, Keith Ellison (D-MN), who is not of Arab descent, became the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. However, Ellison may not be a positive factor on Middle East issues. During the campaign he was endorsed by a Jewish newspaper based in the Twin Cities.

Most Democratic members of Congress are equally as predictable as Republicans in their blind support of Israel. For many years AIPAC has contacted nearly every candidate of both parties “to educate political candidates on the value of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” extorting from each of them a position paper giving their views on U.S. Middle East policy. Few, of course, are foolish enough to say anything other than to pledge their undying support for Israel.

Shortly after the Nov. 7 election, with several races still undecided, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported that Jewish senators had increased their number from 11 to 13, and at least five new Jewish House members were elected, in addition to the 24 Jewish incumbents reelected. All the new or incumbent Jewish members of Congress are Democrats except Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).

The new Jewish senators are Reps. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), replacing retiring Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT), and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), replacing retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD). While in the House, Cardin was a member of this magazine’s most recent “Hall of Shame” (see Sept./Oct. Washington Report, p. 41), while Sanders’ record was balanced, with one positive mark and one negative one in the report card. Offsetting the pick-up of Cardin, two members of the Senate “Hall of Shame” were defeated, Sens. George Allen (R-VA) and Rick Santorum (R-PA). However, the Senate “Hall of Fame” also lost two members, Jeffords and Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI). Earlier the JTA reported that Sen.-elect Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who defeated Chafee, had received an estimated $1 million in pro-Israel contributions (see November Washington Report, p. 32).

In the House, there was almost no change in either the “Hall of Fame” or the “Hall of Shame.” Only Cardin was lost from the latter, and the only loss in the “Hall of Fame” was Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), who was defeated in the primary election.

New Committee, Subcommittee Chairmen

The effects of the elections will be most apparent with the changes in committee and subcommittee chairmanships, because it is the chairmen who decide what hearings will be held, who the witnesses will be, and, in many cases, which bills will be forwarded to the full House or Senate. And, of course, the Democratic chairmen will be under no obligation to heed the wishes of the Republican White House.

In the Senate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) will take over from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. This change likely will have little effect on Middle East issues, with the exception of Iraq. Both men are intelligent moderates, and both scored two out of three positive marks, with no negatives, in this magazine’s scorecard. However, two other Senate committees important to this magazine’s readers will be chaired by members of the “Hall of Fame.” Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) will chair the Appropriations Committee and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who has a good record on civil rights matters, will chair the Judiciary Committee.

The change in the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) will not be positive. Outgoing chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) was relatively balanced on Middle East issues. But Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), who likely will replace Hyde as chairman, is a long-standing member of this magazine’s “Hall of Shame,” and he and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) are considered the House’s foremost knee-jerk supporters of Israel, regardless of the effects on U.S. national interests. In addition, while Ros-Lehtinen will no longer head the HIRC Middle East subcommittee, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), her probable successor, is also a staunch defender of Israel’s interest. However, he likely will not be as single minded as was Ros-Lehtinen in pursuit of Israel’s interests.

Rep. David Obey (D-WI), another member of the “Hall of Fame,” most probably will head the House Appropriations Committee. However, the foreign aid subcommittee will likely be headed by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), a member of the “Hall of Shame.” More positively, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), a staunch defender of civil liberties and a member of the “Hall of Fame,” will likely chair the Judiciary Committee.

109th Congress Will Punt Appropriations Bills Over to the 110th

The authoritative Congressional Quarterly reported after Congress recessed for its two-week Thanksgiving holiday that outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) had told incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) that the Republican leadership had decided not to finish the remaining FY-07 appropriations bills, including the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Operations bills, before adjourning in mid-December. Instead they would pass a continuing resolution (temporary spending measure) to last through the month of January.

Democratic leaders are not happy about this, because it means they will have to take final action on spending measures drafted and passed by the Republicans. Interestingly, the Republican administration also is not happy about this development, because it hampers its ability to start putting together its FY-2008 budget requests.

Shirl McArthur, a retired U.S. foreign service officer, is a consultant based in the Washington, DC area.

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