WASHINGTON — It’s never too late for a lawmaker to get a first-hand view of the Iraq war.

As the war continues in its fifth year, Nevada’s Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley is planning to make her first trip to Iraq during the December holidays.

Berkley is the only member of Nevada’s congressional delegation yet to visit the war zone. She turned down past opportunities to travel, saying she didn’t want a photo op.

“I didn’t want to walk around a heavily militarized bazaar, and have photographer follow me, and say, I’m shopping,” Berkley said Wednesday.

The trips have increasingly come under scrutiny, as the Washington Post has reported, along with the New York Times in April and August.

But this trip, Berkley said, makes sense. She had wanted to go for some time, and sought an invitation to travel in the congressional delegation led by Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. His background, she believes, will lead to frank discussions.

“I want people — our generals and our civilian leaders in Iraq — to feel comfortable enough to level with us,” she said. “I think Ike Skelton would get that response.”

The trip is scheduled for Dec. 22-28.

Republican Jon Porter is planning his fifth trip to Iraq in early 2008.