Hot spot for junkets? Iraq
Members of Congress clamor to get a firsthand look at the war.
By ANITA KUMAR
Published March 13, 2007
WASHINGTON - It's the other surge.
After years of taking junkets to vacation spots like Hawaii and Paris, members of Congress are lining up for a new destination: Baghdad.
The threat of violence and 100-plus degree heat haven't deterred them from adding their names to a growing waiting list.
Hundreds of members have been to Iraq since the war began in 2003, but in recent months the country has become a must-see as lawmakers debate the U.S. role in the increasingly unpopular war.
The carefully scripted trips, hosted by the military, give lawmakers a firsthand look - albeit a limited one mostly confined to the fortified Green Zone - and allow them to assess troop morale, observe the rate of rebuilding and get a feel for the constant violence.
Some members use the visits to bolster their argument. Others return with a change of heart.
Most come back with recommendations. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., returned from his third trip in 2005 with a recommendation that "fresh eyes" should look into the U.S. role in Iraq - the basis for the Iraq Study Group.
All of them come back with the political credibility to score points with colleagues on Capitol Hill and voters back home.
"I don't know how you can form judgments about Iraq unless you have been there," said Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., who has been a record 15 times. "Seeing the conditions. Smelling the air. You can never see enough."
This spring, Shays hopes to make another trip. So far, though, he hasn't found an opening.
"It's very hard to go now," he said. "Everyone wants to go."
Baghdad in a day
Days begin as early as 4 or 5 a.m. and can end at midnight.
Lawmakers wearing bulletproof vests are shuttled around in heavily guarded Black Hawk helicopters or Humvees. Many report hearing blasts they later realized were bombings.
"It was far more violent, more dangerous than I ever thought," said Rep. Ric Keller, R-Orlando, who went last year for the first time. Forty people were killed the day he was in Baghdad.
The trips last a day or two but always include classified military briefings, talks with the prime minister and U.S. ambassador, and, of course, meals in the mess hall with troops from their state.
The trips may also include visits to hospitals, schools, police training facilities and power plants. Many also a stop at a mass grave of victims of Saddam Hussein.
Sometimes they visit areas outside the Green Zone, but usually it's to talk to troops, not see the cities. It's too dangerous to walk the streets, so they don't have an opportunity to talk to Iraqis.
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who led the Armed Services Committee, said his October 2006 trip was far more limited than his previous seven.
"We just did not have the freedom and the ability to travel to places where I have been in years past," he said.
Until recently, lawmakers weren't even allowed to sleep in Iraq. Instead, they would spend the night in four-star hotels in Kuwait City or Amman, Jordan, and fly into Baghdad for the day.
Now they usually stay in the Green Zone, sometimes with the military in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces.
Ted Galen Carpenter, a defense expert at the Cato Institute, called the congressional trips only "marginally useful" because they are merely a "guided tour by the military."
Eager freshmen
Lawmakers began regularly traveling to war-torn regions after five senators - armed with knives - embarked on a secret 65-day tour of military bases during World War II.
During the Vietnam War, visits often served to boost opposition to the war. But trips to Iraq are much more controlled and until recently appeared to reflect support, not opposition.
As of March 2006, more than half of the 535 members of the Senate and House had flown to Iraq since the war began. The Pentagon announced a year ago that 309 of them had taken 522 government-paid trips. A handful of others, including Shays, traveled to Iraq with relief groups or on their own.
"To me, it was absolutely imperative that I go," said Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, who took a second trip in 2006 and is considering going again. "I encourage all of them to go."
Just as Republican leaders did, Democratic leaders now encourage members to visit.
Since January, at least four groups totaling 17 lawmakers have traveled to Iraq, one led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The freshman class, including Florida's five new members, want to go. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, is on a waiting list.
"Of all the places Congress goes, this is one where I don't think you can criticize," said Douglas Foyle, a government professor at Wesleyan University. "It clearly fits the role."
Travel is approved through congressional leaders or committees. But the military limits how many members can go at one time and at times has halted trips for security reasons.
Until two years ago, the Pentagon encouraged congressional visits. But last year, the Defense Department stopped releasing information on trips and inviting members to speak at Pentagon news conferences on their return.
Was it worth it?
Lawmakers say they want to travel to Iraq to balance conflicting views - negative stories in the media vs. positive stories touted by the White House.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said his December trip helped convince him that a military solution would no longer work.
"I was pretty well persuaded that what was happening in Baghdad was sectarian violence," he said. "Additional troops are not going to do any good."
For many, though, it depends on what they see:
Some see troops who don't want to come home, stores open for business, buildings in the midst of repairs; others see troops ready to come home, a lack of drinking water, not enough equipment.
Last month, two Arizona lawmakers talked to the same people and saw the same sights on their joint trip to Iraq. Their reactions upon returning were opposite.
The Democrat, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: "I came away more convinced than ever that we must move quickly and responsibly to end our country's presence in Iraq."
The Republican, Sen. Jon Kyl: "I returned home more convinced that stabilizing Iraq is the only acceptable outcome in this struggle."
Times researchers Angie Drobnic Holan and Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Anita Kumar can be reached at akumar@sptimes.com or 202 463-0576.
Fast Facts:
Who goes there?
Number of trips to Iraq by Florida delegation
Six times: Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla
Twice: Sen. Bill Nelson; Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville; Adam Putnam, R-Bartow; Ander Crenshaw, R-Jacksonville; Kendrick Meek, D-Miami; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami; Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar; Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay
Once: Sen. Mel Martinez; Reps. Ric Keller, R-Orlando; Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala; Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami; Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami
Never: Reps. C.W. Bill Young; R-Indian Shores*; Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville; John Mica, R-Winter Park*; Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston*; Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers; Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo; Kathy Castor, D-Tampa*; Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor*; Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key*; Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton*; Tim Mahoney, D-Venus*; Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton; Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello
*Members who want to go
By the numbers
309 members of Congress who traveled to Iraq as of March 2006. They have taken 522 government-paid trips.
14 Florida members who have been to Iraq at least once.
$4,381 Per-hour cost of C-130 plane used to fly members into Baghdad.
$1,500 Per-hour cost of a Black Hawk helicopter used to fly members around Baghdad.
$1,200 Per diem for lawmakers' room and board in Kuwait. In Jordan it is $800. (Note: Officials refuse to provide figure for Iraq.)
A typical itinerary
U.S. Rep. Ric Keller, R-Orlando
May 26, 2006: Departed Andrews Air Force Base.
May 27: Arrived Luxembourg. Stayed overnight.
May 28: Arrived Amman, Jordan. Met with leaders and visited a training facility for Iraqi police.
May 29: Arrived in Baghdad. Met with military and Iraqi leaders, toured the Green Zone, visited with U.S. troops. Overnight in Bahrain.
May 30: Arrived Islamabad, Pakistan. Met with Pakistani leaders, including the president.
May 31: Arrived Afghanistan. Met with Afghan leaders, including the president, and U.S. military leaders.
June 1: Traveled to Spain. Stayed overnight.
June 2: Returned Andrews Air Force Base.
Source: Congressional office and Times research