Whose duty were generals on while House debated

Congressman questions DOD presence

By ERICA WERNER
The Associated Press
Friday, May 16, 2008; 3:57 PM

WASHINGTON -- An anti-war Democratic congressman is demanding to know why there were uniformed Defense Department personnel watching House proceedings from a public gallery Thursday, who they were and what they were doing.

"If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," Northern California Rep. Pete Stark asserted Friday in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper, said he observed the contingent of 20 or so officers, apparently Army generals, in the gallery for a couple of hours while the House debated and voted on an Iraq war spending bill.

"At a time when our nation is at war, our troops are overextended, and the administration is literally asking for emergency military spending, what good to the 'war on terror' is having U.S. generals and other top-ranked officers _ who were likely accompanied by staff and escorted by their chauffeurs _ spending hours sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives?" Stark asked.
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Seems like a reasonable thing to ask. Were they on duty or not? If they were on duty, then why were they there listening to congress instead of out trying to figure out a way to deal with all the problems they have on their hands?