Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September/October 2008, pages 20-33

Congress Watch

Eight Senators, 33 Representatives in 110th Congress’ “Hall of Fame”

By Shirl McArthur

WITH THIS Fall’s elections rapidly approaching, the Washington Report presents its scorecard for the members of the 110th Congress. Again, an effort was made to balance positive issues with negative ones. However, in the case of H.R. 1400, the draconian “Iran Counter-Proliferation” bill, which the House passed in September 2007 with 326 co-sponsors, those members who resisted AIPAC’s pressures to co-sponsor are recognized positively.

For the House, five positive and three negative items were chosen. Recognized as members of the “Hall of Fame” are the 33 representatives who appeared in all five positive columns and not more than one negative one, or four positive columns with no negative marks. On the other side, 23 representatives registered in all three negative columns, with not more than one positive mark, and they are listed in the “Hall of Shame.”

For the Senate, four positive and four negative items were chosen. Three of the negative items received large support, so the eight senators who registered in no negative columns with at least one positive mark, or three positive marks with not more than one negative one, are recognized in the “Hall of Fame.” Seventeen senators with all four negative marks and not more than one positive one, or at least three negative marks with no positive ones, earned listings in the “Hall of Shame.”

The Issues

HOUSE: The Positives

1. Gaza. In January 2008, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and 10 other representatives wrote to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging her to use her influence to lift the blockade of Gaza. Similarly, in May, Reps. Ray LaHood (R-IL) and David Price (D-NC), with 50 other representatives, wrote to President George W. Bush expressing their concern that violence in Gaza and southern Israel was hampering progress toward Palestinian-Israeli peace. Signers of these letters are recognized in column 1.

2. Iran Sanctions. As mentioned above, H.R. 1400, the “Iran Counter-Proliferation” bill, which was all sanctions and no incentives, passed with 326 co-sponsors. Those who resisted pressures to co-sponsor are shown in column 2.

3. No Attack on Iran. No fewer than seven measures were introduced in the House saying that no military action should be undertaken without the consent of Congress. Co-sponsors of the four measures receiving the most support are shown in column 3.

4. Middle East Diplomacy. Similarly, no fewer than eight measures were introduced urging implementation of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) recommendations, or expanding diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, including appointing high-level special envoys. Co-sponsors of the five receiving the most support are shown in column 4. In addition, Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR), with 26 other representatives, wrote to Bush in December 2007 saying that the National Intelligence Estimate that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program indicated that it is time for direct, unconditional negotiations with Iran. These co-signers are also shown in column 4.

5. No Iraq Security Pact. Four measures were introduced saying that the Bush administration should not conclude a long-term security agreement with Iraq without the consent of Congress. Co-sponsors of these measures are recognized in column 5.

HOUSE: The Negatives

6. Blockade Iran? In late May 2008, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced H.Con.Res. 362 regarding the “threat” posed to peace and stability in the Middle East and to “the vital national security interests” of the U.S. by “Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons” (see p. 19). “Resolved” clause 3 could easily be read as “demanding” a blockade of Iran (an act of war), although Ackerman and Pence circulated a letter to their colleagues saying that “these assertions are absolutely false and, frankly, utter nonsense.” More than half the House members have co-sponsored H.Con.Res. 362, and they are shown in column 6.

7. Jerusalem. In February 2007, Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY) introduced H.R. 895, his perennial bill that would effectively recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That April Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced H.Con.Res. 131, ostensibly “congratulating” the people of Israel for the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem (i.e., winning the Six-Day War). However, the measure also calls upon the president to affirm that it is U.S. policy that Jerusalem “must remain the undivided capital of Israel,” and it urges him to stop using the waiver authority in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Co-sponsors of these measures appear in column 7.

8. Condemn Hamas. Several measures have been introduced condemning Hamas. One, H.Res. 1069, would condemn Hamas for using TV to indoctrinate Palestinian children. H.Res. 1110 would condemn Hamas “as a foreign terrorist organization responsible for the murders of 26 U.S. citizens.” Co-sponsors of these two measures are shown in column 8.

SENATE: The Positives

A. Two-State Solution. In June 2007, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced S.Res. 224, updated that September as S.Res. 321. Both measures would confirm the Senate’s commitment to a solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on “the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.” Co-sponsors of these measures are recognized in column A.

B. No Attack on Iran. No fewer than five measures were introduced in the Senate saying that no military action should be undertaken without the consent of Congress. Co-sponsors of these measures are recognized in column B.

C. Implement ISG. In June 2007, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) introduced S. 1545 “to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group.” The bill’s 16 co-sponsors are shown in column C.

D. No Iraq Security Pact. In December 2007, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced S. 2426 “to provide for congressional oversight of U.S. agreements with the Government of Iraq.” The bill’s 14 co-sponsors are recognized in column D.

SENATE: The Negatives

E. Iran Sanctions. The Senate’s marginally less drastic counterpart to H.Con.Res. 362, urging more sanctions on Iran for developing a nuclear program, was S.Res. 580, introduced in June 2008 by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). Its co-sponsors appear in column E.

F. Palestinian Sanctions. In March 2007, Sens. John Ensign (R-NV) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), joined by 77 other senators, wrote to Rice urging that there be “no direct aid and no contact with any member of a Palestinian government that does not explicitly and unequivocally recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce terror, and accept previous agreements.” Signers are shown in column F.

G. Sabotage Annapolis. Prior to last Fall’s Middle East conference in Annapolis, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), joined by 77 other senators, wrote to Rice saying that the success of the conference would depend on cooperation from the larger Arab world, but then listing preconditions that would effectively preclude Saudi Arabia and Syria, in particular, from attending. Signers are shown in column G.

H. Jerusalem. In April 2007, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced S.J.Res. 12 “providing for the recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel before the U.S. recognizes a Palestinian state.” Co-sponsors are shown in column H.

Click here for the Report Card for the 110th Congress.

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