In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Republican leadership yesterday proposed the creation of a bipartisan oversight committee to monitor the progress of President Bush’s Iraq plan.

“I write today to request and enlist your support for the creation of a bipartisan select committee — chaired by a member of the Majority and seated with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans — to oversee the implementation and progress of the president’s new strategy for success in Iraq,” the letter, dated Jan. 22, said.

Republican appointees would include the ranking members of security-related committees, including the heads of the Intelligence and Armed Services committees.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) acknowledged the need for congressional oversight of Bush’s strategy, including the decision to deploy more than 20,000 troops to the region. 

“I support the president’s plan but we have a duty to candidly and honestly assess whether the new strategy will be effective and ultimately successful,” Boehner said during a press conference yesterday.

As part of the oversight process, the committee would define a series of benchmarks and the president would be required to submit a report to the committee every 30 days indicating whether they had been met.

Military benchmarks identified by Republicans would require assessments of Iraqi government cooperation based on several factors.

Political and social benchmarks are listed as reforming the judicial system, adopting reforms to “promote democracy and the rule of law,” ensuring that resources are accessible to all Iraqis developing a strategy to promote “tolerance, peace and coexistence.”

The oversight committee also would monitor Iraq’s cooperation with neighboring countries.

The Republican plan also addresses the proposed withdrawal from the region, saying pullout would require “an interagency assessment on the impact withdrawal would have on our national security and homeland interest” and the effect it would have on countries in the surrounding regions.

Pelosi rejected the proposal, expressing confidence that the committees already in place could exercise oversight effectively. “Committees in the 110th Congress are already underway on Iraq oversight,” said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill. “She had the upmost confidence in their ability.”