Former Secretary of State James Baker is the public face of the Iraq Study Group, a panel charged with making recommendations on Iraq policy. Few realize, however, that Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., was the force behind the group’s formation.
“I had been [to Iraq] two times before without any military escort,” Wolf told The Examiner. “The third time [in late summer 2005] … there were some things that I saw were better, some things that I saw were worse.”
This prompted Wolf to propose the 10-member bipartisan commission, led by Baker and 9/11 commission chairman Lee Hamilton in March. Other panel members include former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger and former Virginia Sen. Charles Robb.
Wolf said it was clear after his third visit that the United States needed “fresh eyes on the target. We need a second opinion to make sure what you’re doing is working.”
The panel’s recommendations do not have the force of law, but are simply policy suggestions.
However, after the Democratic takeover of the House and because of public discontent with the war in Iraq, the group’s recommendations have taken on greater weight and have become greatly anticipated.
Recommendations are expected to be delivered to the White House and Congress in December.
Wolf said he anticipates hearings once the recommendations are made public.
“There was a conscious effort of not seeking press” on the panel’s deliberations, Wolf said. “All of the decisions have been made without the glare of the media.” This added to the anticipation of the group’s work product, he added.
Wolf said he hopes the group’s recommendation will be unanimous, “a consensus policy which the nation can come together to support.”
George Washington University political scientist Steve Balla said while the recommendations will be helpful, it will ultimately be politics and the situation on the ground in Iraq that drive administration policy.
“The course in Iraq will change, but I think it will be driven by what’s happening on the ground,” Balla said. “It’s not this group that will drive that. I don’t think this group is going to make a big difference.”
“Even the most impartial analysis, when it’s brought to the policy makers, is interpreted through the lens of politics,” he added.
“Democrats will jump on some particular item in the report that would suggest a quicker pullout or withdraw, while Republicans will jump on the points that say we are doing well.”
