[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 107 (Friday, July 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S8147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, we had a very unfortunate story appear 
in the Washington Post this morning by Helen Dewar.
  The first paragraph:

       President Clinton had ``some choice words'' about the pace 
     of Senate action on administration nominations during a 
     Wednesday night meeting with Senate Democrats.

  And then it quotes our distinguished minority leader:

       Daschle estimated there are 30 ambassadorial nominations 
     awaiting action for countries that, according to a Senate 
     list, include Britain, France, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia 
     and, as of Tuesday, Mexico.

  This is ill-placed and irresponsible criticism and does not serve the 
efficient management of these nominations. I read the article while I 
was conducting a hearing that we had hurried to deal with the 
nomination of the Ambassadors for Guyana and Paraguay. I have just left 
a meeting with the potential nominee for Ambassador to France, and I 
spent the better part of the last month doing everything we might do to 
get our Ambassador to Canada, which, I might add, has been without an 
ambassador for over a year and a half. We just received the nomination 
for that Ambassador on July 2--July 2--of this year. The vacancy began 
in April 1996--Canada. And there have been extended vacancies in 
Germany, Moscow, et cetera.
  To clarify, this year, we have had 56 nominations received by the 
Foreign Relations Committee; 14 have been confirmed, 9 are pending on 
the Executive Calendar; 33 are pending in the committee. That sounds 
like a lot. But the issue is, 26 of the 44 we have just received in the 
last month. I repeat, there are 44 pending in the committee; 26 of them 
we have just gotten.
  The problem here is not in the Senate, nor is it in the Foreign 
Relations Committee. The problem with ambassadorial nominations is at 
the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
  I point out that Tokyo has been vacant since December, and we have no 
nominee. South Korea has been vacant since December, and we have no 
nominee. These are not just incidental relationships, I might add. We 
are talking about Japan and South Korea.
  So, Mr. President, I think those were unfortunate words, and they 
paint an improper and inappropriate picture, and they do not help 
anything. I assume they are just ill-informed. But when you are going 
to make accusations of this kind, and you are the President of the 
United States, the word travels far. I think it would be more prudent 
to have your own description of the condition before you start hurling 
spears, because this kind of thing only confuses the process and makes 
the work of both the Senate and the administration much more 
complicated.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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