Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 | 8:15 a.m.
SESSION WITH CLOSED DOORS
1. On a motion made and seconded to close the doors of the Senate, on the discussion of any business which may, in the opinion of a senator, require secrecy, the presiding officer shall direct the galleries to be cleared; and during the discussion of such motion the doors shall remain closed.
2. When the Senate meets in closed session, any applicable provisions of Rules 29 and 31, including the confidentiality of information shall apply to any information and to the conduct of any debate transacted.
WASHINGTON -- Taking the national stage more dramatically than perhaps ever before, Sen. Harry Reid on Tuesday surprised Senate Republicans with a creative parliamentary move that put the White House on the defensive over some tough, unanswered questions about Iraq.
If Reid's move that forced an unusual closed session of the Senate proves any more than a one-day inside-the-Beltway story, he could become the voice and face of growing skepticism over whether the Bush administration built a false case for invading -- and remaining in -- Iraq.
But if Senate Republicans regroup after being outmaneuvered by Reid, they, along with the White House, could try to marginalize his minority leadership even as the Senate prepares to tackle a Supreme Court confirmation battle and a handful of other high-profile issues.
"This was a gamble," UNR political science professor Eric Herzik said.
Coming a day after President Bush nominated a conservative judge for the Supreme Court, Reid's move appears to have set the tone for what is expected to be a partisan fight.
Reid's move "may have been a warning from the Democrats that they are not going to roll over on anything, including (Judge Samuel) Alito's nomination," Lew Gould, an emeritus professor of American history at the University of Texas, told Cox News Service.
But it's a big risk. Reid angered Republicans, who tried to dismiss his action as a stunt.
The normally even-tempered Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said the Democrats had "hijacked" the Senate and said he had essentially been "slapped in the face" by Reid.
"They (the Democrats) have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas," Frist said. "But this is the ultimate."
The bottom line, Frist said: "I can't trust Sen. Reid."
During a press conference, Reid was asked about the charge that he hijacked the Senate. A feisty Reid said it was no different than the "obstructions thrown up every step of the way" by Republicans.
That was "the real slap in the face," he said.
Several observers said Reid may have been trying to direct attention back onto last week's indictment of Vice President Dick Cheney aide Lewis I. "Scooter" Libby.
In prepared remarks delivered on the Senate floor, Reid said the indictment "provides a window into what this is really about: how the administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who challenged its actions."
Democrats have seethed for more than a year at what they call foot-dragging by GOP committee members handling the investigation, specifically targeting Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan. Reid accused panel Republicans of stalling at the behest of the White House. Democrats have charged the administration with overstating the threat posed by Iraq before the war.
"This Republican Senate does no oversight -- none. None!" an animated Reid said at his press conference.
Roberts said the investigation was nearing an end, perhaps as early as next week.
But Reid disagreed with Republicans who said they were making progress on the probe. He said the secret session was the only way to get their attention -- and to get probe results.
"It was our way of getting to the bottom of something that was long overdue," Reid said.
The question now is how the Senate will move forward.
The working relationship between Frist and Reid is now "up to him," Reid said later. "I'll continue to work with him. I try to get along with everyone."
But Reid's dramatic move won't be soon forgotten.
Former Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Reid's surprise move was an affront to Frist. The action amounted to "settling an old score," a disgusted Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said.
"This is purely political," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said. "This is pre-2004 election politics. For some reason, they (Democrats) can't move on."
Democrats would have been better off quietly watching Republicans engage in self-destructive behavior, said Patrick Basham, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington.
"They want Congress to be all over the investigation, they want to pour as much fuel on that fire as possible," he said.
But "Reid's play might be seen as too much too soon," he said.
Reid's move was risky because on one hand, beating up the Republicans over the war could score him political points, Herzik said. On the other, the public could view it as more partisan bickering initiated by Reid.
"At some point, the public throws up its hands and says, 'A pox on both your houses,' " Herzik said.
Sun Washington reporter Suzanne Struglinski contributed to this report.
Benjamin Grove can be reached at (202) 662-7436 or [email protected].
archive
