Senators Vote to Delay Afghanistan Testimony from Top Generals

After a heated debate between the top Democrat and the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate voted Thursday to delay the testimony of top American military commanders until President Obama has announced his new strategy for the war in Afghanistan.

Tensions have been building over congressional testimony from the generals as the president and Capitol Hill informally debated plans for continuing operations in Afghanistan, including how many combat troops should be deployed there. Republicans generally support additional troops to address escalating violence, while Democrats say recent increases in troops levels should be sufficient until Afghan police and Army officers take a more active role in security.

Obama had argued for a troop surge in Afghanistan during the 2008 presidential campaign, but said over the summer he would wait for Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, to make a recommendation on a strategy before deciding on troop levels.

However, this week's Senate debate over Pentagon funding, along with news of McChrystal's urgent request for up to 40,000 more troops, combined to force a decision on when Congress would hear directly from McChrystal and other top brass.

During Thursday's debate, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) offered an amendment to delay the testimony until the president announces his strategy. Levin argued that, as the commander-in-chief, the president has the right to receive confidential recommendations from the military.

"That was the approach we used when President Bush, for three months, had under consideration an Iraqi surge," Levin said. "Nobody tried to have a hearing at that time to bring in his commander while the president was deliberating."

Levin went on to say that Congress should not try to disrupt the talks between Obama and McChrystal. "We should not try to intrude upon it or to put the commander in the field in a position where he is testifying in public relative to what he is advising his commander in chief."

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, opposed the Levin amendment and offered his own to compel the generals to testify to Congress before Nov. 15.

"We don't have any input into the decision-making process," McCain said. "We don't get to hear from the secretary of defense on down while the decision is being made by the president as a coequal branch of government. This is bizarre. I have never seen a requirement that we can't call witnesses and won't call witnesses on an issue about sending young Americans into harm's way."

McCain went on, "We aren't going to have a hearing on one of the most pressing and incredible emergencies of our time? We aren't going to have any witnesses before the appropriate committees until after the decision is made? I am not ready to abrogate those responsibilities that I have to the citizens of Arizona who are in harm's way. I urgently ask colleagues to vote against this bizarre amendment."

The Senate supported Levin's amendment by a vote of 60 to 39. One Republican, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, voted with the Democrats, as did independents Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.).

Friday morning, word came from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that McChrystal met privately with President Obama aboard Air Force One on the ground in Copenhagen Friday.