More than three-fourths of U.S. senators have been to Iraq, many in the past 12 months.  Leading the pack is Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., with 10 visits as of Aug. 1, 2007. 

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden has visited Iraq seven times (plus one visit to Afghanistan) and plans to go back before September.  This will be his first visit since finding out that his son, military lawyer Beau Biden, will be sent to Iraq in early 2008.

Last night at a house party for the presidential hopeful, Biden gave me an earful when I asked why he needs to be in Iraq so much.  He prefers to gather information directly from the troops, “when you get in their Buffaloes, and their Humvees, and their Hueys, and their Cobras, they tell you the truth.  They are not reluctant to level with you…I’m not so smart, I just listen to people.”

He said that the troops he talks to come from all ranks, and “They will tell you that there is no real political solution and the moment we leave, the place is going to spin apart.”

Last week, Biden received notice as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he would not be allowed to question Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker or Iraq Commander General David Petreaus.

In the past, Crocker has been held out of Senate questioning by the State Department during a time in which the ambassador has appeared on Fox News, National Public Radio and in several print media interviews.

Instead, Biden would have to rely on a White House report on Iraq, a source he clearly doesn’t trust.

“I have absolutely no confidence, based on seven years of experience, [in] a White House report.  I do have confidence in the honesty and integrity of Ambassador Crocker and the honesty and integrity of Petreaus.  I disagree with their positions so far, but they will tell the truth if you ask the right question.”

[Iowa Independent reporter Lynda Waddington contributed to this story.]