In October of 1990, Senator Alan Simpson, the Republican whip, emerged from an all-night negotiating session with his House counterparts on a series of clean-air regulations. What insights had he gained? “I learned that Henry Waxman is tougher than a boiled owl,” he said, referring to California’s long-serving Democratic congressman.
Years later, George W. Bush and his administration would learn the same. In 2007 Waxman became chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a panel with powers unique across Congress: to issue subpoenas requiring witnesses to produce documents, testify at hearings, and show up for depositions. The irascible Californian exercised his powers masterfully. Recall the explosive testimony of former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, who first appeared on camera before Waxman’s committee; the investigation into the death in Afghanistan of NFL safety turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman by what turned out to be friendly fire; and the hearings on the security contractor Blackwater, which thrust the company’s business practices into the national spotlight and ultimately led to its demise.
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