By David Olive, The Hill

Washington
,
Jun 17, 2008
 –
When George Washington announced in 1783 that he was voluntarily giving up his reins of power and retiring as commander in chief of the Continental Army, an incredulous King George of Great Britain remarked, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

King George understood that relinquishing power was — and is — a rare event. If members of Congress would follow Washington’s example more often, they might be held in higher esteem. And there is no better place to start than in adopting the only one of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations yet to be addressed: Congress should create a single, principal point of oversight and review for homeland security instead of the multiple committees that currently exist.

When Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff met with a group of bloggers earlier this year, he was asked about impact of Congress’s conspicuous failure to streamline its oversight functions:

Read the full column here.