The Senate This Week (Feb 6-10, 2006)

Here’s the major committee hearings to watch in the Senate this week:

• The Judiciary Committee will hold hearings to examine wartime executive power and the NSA's surveillance authority. Why we care: This may provide the bombs necessary to swing the mid-term elections and, if we’re really lucky, toss Bush and Cheney out on their ears. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales makes excuses for the Lawbreaker-in-Chief today.
  

• Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs resumes hearings to examine Hurricane Katrina response issues, focusing on managing law enforcement and communications in a catastrophe. Why we care: May also provide revelations helpful in this year's elections and will hopefully lead to better future responses from FEMA.

• The Armed Services Committee meets to examine the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2007 and the future years defense program. Why we care: These are always good hearings in which military professionals sometimes slip, actually tell the truth, and totally contradict the White House.

• Foreign Relations will hold hearings to examine Iraq stabilization and reconstruction. Why we care: May provide a glimpse of how things are really going in Iraq.

• The Finance Committee meets to look at implementation of the new Medicare drug benefit. Why we care: Do we even know how horrible this plan has really been for America’s seniors in just a few short weeks? Let’s find out.