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America's Best Senators - Carl Levin: The Bird-Dogger
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| Parent(s) |
Candidate
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| Contributor | Monsieur |
| Last Edited | Monsieur Jan 27, 2008 06:50pm |
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| Category | Profile |
| Media | Weekly News Magazine - TIME Magazine |
| News Date | Saturday, April 15, 2006 12:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | No one would accuse Carl Levin of looking like Hollywood's version of a U.S. Senator. He's pudgy, balding and occasionally rumpled, and he constantly wears his glasses at the very tip of his nose. Still, the Michigan Democrat has gained respect from both parties for his attention to detail and deep knowledge of policy, especially in his role as a vigilant monitor of businesses and federal agencies. In 2002, a subcommittee he led hauled in Enron's board of directors to question them about the company's shady accounting practices; in hearings a year later, he was one of the chief challengers of large accounting firms that had created illegal tax shelters. Congress passed laws in the wake of both scandals in an effort to prevent the abuses from happening again.
Levin, 71 and first elected in 1978, says he considers congressional hearings a critical part of his job, spending as much as 20 hours prepping for each one so an evasive witness won't outwit him. The former civil-rights lawyer is known for forcing embarrassing admissions from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Bush Administration officials through his precise questioning. "You've got to be very blunt and truly listen so you know when the b.s. is flying," Levin says. |
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