Smith eyes seat atop diplomatic committee
Would Influence Foreign Policy
1/30/06

BY RAJU CHEBIUM
GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON — One congressman from central New Jersey wants to have a bigger say in how the United States deals with the rest of the world.

Republican Rep. Christopher H. Smith, who came to the House 25 years ago and is the longest-serving member in New Jersey's congressional delegation, is vying for the coveted post of chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

The chairman plays a role in setting U.S. foreign policy and dealing with issues such as promoting human rights and combating terrorism, something that hits home for New Jerseyans who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

To the 52-year-old Smith, whose district includes large sections of Monmouth and Ocean counties, these are not esoteric objectives. Making the world safer will make New Jersey more prosperous by allowing companies to do more business with peaceful democracies overseas, he said.

"Democracies don't invade democracies. They trade with them," he said. "They send students back and forth. Tourism flourishes."

As one of 24 House committee chairmen, Smith would also gain bargaining power that he could use to help address issues important to his constitu-ents even as he pursues an international agenda, said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker.

"While the subject matter doesn't have an impact on the daily concerns of people in Ewing Township, chairmanships give you bargaining power with members of other committees," Baker said. "There is a prestige factor involved. You become a part of a select group of House leaders."

Who will succeed retiring chairman Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., won't become clear until after the November elections. Despite being the panel's vice chairman, Smith himself acknowledges he is an underdog to get the post.

Three other Republican members — Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, Ed Royce of California and Dan Burton of Indiana — also are seeking the position, according to those lawmakers' aides.

Only Ros-Lehtinen has a political action committee, which politicians use to raise money they can contribute to other candidates as a way to build support and curry favor. She had $364,000 in her PAC as of January, according to federal records analyzed by the campaign finance watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics.

Besides, Smith isn't exactly a darling of the House leadership, which decides who gets to head what committee. He was removed as chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee in January 2005 after bucking the leadership by demanding more money for the Department of Veterans Affairs to help former soldiers at a time the GOP was trying to hold the line on spending.

It turned out he was right. Last summer, the agency said there was a $2.6 billion shortfall to pay for veterans' benefits.

Tom Malinowski, who heads the Washington operation of Human Rights Watch, said Smith is respected in the foreign policy circles because of his knowledge and willingness to focus on issues others ignore.

For instance, India-U.S. relations have been improving rapidly under President Bush, and most lawmakers are focusing on the growing trade in computer software, nuclear energy and military equipment between the two democracies. Smith, meanwhile, held a hearing recently on the Dalits, a minority group considered "untouchable" by members of India's upper castes. He said he wanted to raise awareness of the issue and shame the Indian government into cracking down on the oppression.

Next month, he will hold a hearing on U.S. Internet companies like Google and Yahoo Inc. that do business in China. Smith accused the popular search engine companies of helping the Chinese quash freedom of speech by agreeing to censor the results when Chinese citizens type queries into the search engines.

This month, President Bush signed into law a Smith-sponsored bill that expands the federal role in helping victims of human trafficking, a growing problem worldwide in which women are kidnapped and forced to work as prostitutes.

"He is a very serious, very sincere person who does tend to focus on the moral issues that come up with foreign policy," Malinowski said. "He is a very independent voice. He's not an ideologue. He's more of an idealist."