From today's Roll Call:
A bipartisan fact-finding mission to Iraq slated to include the Senate’s top two party leaders was scrapped this past weekend after Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) was unable to receive a commitment to meet with senior Iraqi officials.Instead, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) was joined by GOP Sens. Bob Bennett (Utah) and John Ensign (Nev.) Saturday on the trip to the war-torn nation. Daschle and Frist met several times last week to discuss a proposed schedule, keeping the discussion private because of security concerns. Coalition forces, led by U.S. troops, have been battling daily with Iraqis loyal to cleric Moktada al-Sadr, as well as foreign fighters responding to al Qaeda’s call to arms.
When it came time last week to commit to the trip, Daschle withdrew because the itinerary was uncertain, but an aide said he plans on making a trip to the country in the future.
“Senator Daschle had some specific things he wanted to see and do in Iraq, and at the time when he had to make a final decision the schedule was still fluid,” said Todd Webster, a spokesman for the South Dakota Democrat. “He decided it would be better to reschedule the trip at a later date this year.”
This was the second time a trip by Daschle and Frist was canceled. The first fact-finding mission was called off for security reasons.
Daschle’s office would not speak directly to what specifically he wanted to see or who he wanted to meet with, only indicating he hoped to visit with members of the Iraqi Governing Council. The council disbanded on Tuesday when United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi chose an interim president and prime minister in the lead-up to the June 30 handover of power to the Iraqis.
Weird. Obviously, once again, there's a lot more to this story than is being said.
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