Nearly 60 years ago, freshman Senator Harry S. Truman stirred things up in Washington when he called for a new commission to investigate war profiteering. The investigations of what came to be known as the Truman Committee sought to root out wasteful spending during World War II.The American people were looking for the same independence when they sent me and 8 other freshmen senators to Washington. Today, we would have made Harry Truman proud.
I campaigned on the promise of establishing a new, modern-day Truman Committee. I'm delighted to announce that the amendment Senator Jim Webb and I offered to the Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2008 that would establish a wartime contracting commission passed in a voice vote in the Senate tonight.
Following a debate on the Senate floor between Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and former Chairman John Warner (R-VA), I attempted to step in to reason with Senator Warner myself. I explained the merits of our amendment and addressed his concerns. By the end of our lengthy dialogue on the floor, he was open for discussion.
"I must say having been on this Armed Services committee for 29 years with my good friend Senator Levin, we old bulls, as we're referred to, are very impressed with our new member and her vigor and her foresight and her determination to get things done. You've stirred us up, I think, in a very constructive way if I may say," Senator Warner said on the Senate floor.
With commitment to bipartisanship and dedication to change, I worked closely with Republicans who had misconceptions about the amendment and guaranteed them that our intent was genuine, not political. Sadly, this appeared to be somewhat of a foreign concept to some involved in the process.
Late tonight, our work paid off.
Finally, a major step toward real accountability in Iraq ... a change in course ... a change in the way we do business. This is a step in the right direction. Let's keep moving forward.
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