Confirmations for Valenzuela and Shannon Delayed (COHA via Scoop)

[struggle4progress]

Saturday, 31 October 2009, 11:04 am
Opinion: Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Critical Confirmations for Valenzuela and Shannon Remain Delayed as Senator DeMint Trivializes Process
by COHA Research Associate Nicholas Maliska
COHA

... Obama’s nominations for Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, and Ambassador to Brazil, Dr. Thomas Shannon, have been placed on “hold” by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) over objections to the Obama administration’s handling of the coup in Honduras. Senator DeMint has stated that he will release his hold on the confirmations of Valenzuela and Shannon only after the U.S. affirms that it will recognize the upcoming November elections in Honduras.

Now that an accord brokered by U.S. diplomats has been signed between the de facto leader Roberto Micheletti and ousted President Manuel Zelaya, DeMint must release his destructive holds. The agreement reached on October 29, maintains that the Supreme Court will make a recommendation, but that ultimately Congress will make the final decision on whether Zelaya can return to power to finish out his term through January. In the meantime, a power-sharing government will be created, and both sides must recognize the results of the upcoming elections. DeMint’s rationale for his holds are no longer valid as the U.S. will recognize the elections if both sides hold up their ends of the bargain. DeMint’s obstinacy has critically damaged U.S.-Latin American relations, and if he maintains his holds through the elections, the Senate and the Obama administration must employ an alternative solution to maneuver around DeMint in order to fill the void in regional policy makers.

On October 22, Senate leaders were reminded of the urgency of confirming the diplomats when nine former Assistant Secretaries of State for the Western Hemisphere sent a letter imploring Senate leaders of both parties to confirm Valenzuela and Shannon. They emphasized that their inaction is sending Latin America the harmful message that the “Senate does not consider our hemisphere an important priority.” However, thus far, DeMint has ignored all rational offers to bring the confirmations to a floor debate in the Senate, which would give him the opportunity to express his grievances and allow other Senators to assess their validity.

A senior staff member working for a Democratic Senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee nevertheless said that they “remain confident” that Valenzuela and Shannon will be confirmed and that “everybody is aware of the options.” One of these options could be for Senate Democrats to invoke cloture in order to force an end to DeMint’s holds on the two nominees, which would allow a simple up or down vote on the Senate floor to confirm them. This process, which requires 60 votes, already has been employed successfully for one Obama nominee, Cass Sunstein, which enabled her to begin her work over the summer as the head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Another approach, thus far unused by the Obama administration, would be to have the White House make recess appointments of Valenzuela and Shannon if the objections of DeMint and some of his Republican colleagues continue to frivolously undermine this country’s Latin American policy ...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0910/S00445.htm

[Judi Lynn]

1. God knows Bush took full advantage of recess appointments to bring onboard

real scum Democrats refused to confirm for absolutely correct reasons.

[Peace Patriot]

2. It wasn't about Honduras. It was about the SEVEN new US military bases in Colombia.

And it looks like Obama caved to that--part of the Bushwhacks' oil war plan for South America--so he will likely get Jim DeMint's blessing, as long as Shannon and Valenzuela have also promised not to interfere with the war booty. (Honduras is a war booty issue, too, but Colombia is a much bigger one, and it abuts Venezuela's main oil reserves.)