A Soldier's Perspective

A Battle for the top Republican spot on the House Armed Services Committee

Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) is leaving the post to perhaps become the new Secretary of the Army.  In his wake, he is a leaving a race for the highly coveted top Republican spot on the House Armed Services Committee.  The three Republicans vying for the role are Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX).  A vote on the replacement should be made on Tuesday, 9 Jun, by the Republican Steering Committee.  Numerous political implications are at stake with this decision.  All three are campaigning heavily for the job, but Bartlet is senior guy and he is adamant that the choice should reflect such.  Here we are with that again.  Regard seniority or years of attendance while disregarding what may be the best choice for the job.  In order to filter this, I wanted to take a look at each man and make some points.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlet is 83 years old and has been in the House of Representatives since 1992.  He plans to run for reelection in 2010.  He was one of seven House Republicans to vote against the Military Commissions Act of 2006 which suspended habeas corpus for Americans that were deemed "enemy combatants".  He had been up for the top Republican spot on the committee before and was not chosen by fellow Republicans.

Rep. Buck McKeonis 70 years old and has been in the House since 1993.  He is a strong advocate of missile defense and wants to restore funding to that initiative.

Rep. Mac Thornberry is 50 years old and has been in the House since 1995.  He was a framer of the legislation that eventually led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.  A point he prides himself on is that he has no earmarks spending.

I am of the mind that seniority should not grant you automatic acceptance to a position.  It should be based on merit and performance.  What will be importance is someone who is in place to provide balance to the committee and will fight, not just talk, for the platforms of the Republican Party.  In a time when defense cuts are already happening and will continue to happen under this administration, it will become very important to have the right people on the Armed Services Committee.