[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S14296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DORRANCE SMITH
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, earlier this week, the Committee on Armed
Services favorably reported the nomination of Mr. Dorrance Smith to the
full Senate. Mr. Smith is an experienced and highly accomplished
television executive, who has been nominated to be the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. I have a copy of Mr. Smith's
biography, and I would note that he is a four-time Emmy award winning
television producer who spent 9 months in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 where
he served as Senior Media Advisor to Ambassador Paul Bremer. I have met
with Mr. Smith on several occasions. I believe him to be highly
qualified, and I fully support his nomination.
At a full Armed Services Committee hearing on October 25, 2005, and
later, at an executive session of the Armed Services Committee on
December 13, at which Mr. Smith was present, he fully and respectfully
answered all questions posed to him. Many questions focused on an op ed
article he wrote as a private citizen that appeared in the Wall Street
Journal on April 25, 2005. In this article, based on his ``in the
trenches'' experience as Ambassador Bremer's senior media advisor in
Baghdad, Mr. Smith questioned the practice relied on by major media
outlets in the United States of airing video of insurgent attacks
supplied by the Arab satellite news channel Al Jazeera. I am satisfied
with Mr. Smith's responses. I would note that no major media outlet,
except Al Jazeera, expressed any concern about Mr. Smith's op ed.
The post of Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs has been vacant
since June 2003. Mr. Smith is an outstanding nominee. I urge favorable,
rapid action by the full Senate on his nomination.
I ask unanimous consent that the above-referenced biography be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Dorrance Smith
Dorrance Smith is a four-time Emmy award winning television
producer, political consultant, and media strategist who has
worked over 30 years in television and politics.
Mr. Smith spent nine months in Iraq in 2003-2004 where he
served as Senior Media Adviser to Ambassador Paul Bremer. He
was responsible for developing a state of the art
communications facility in Baghdad for the Coalition
Provisional Authority and a public diplomacy strategy for the
United States government. In addition, Mr. Smith was asked to
overhaul the fledgling Iraqi Media Network. By April, 2004
this effort was deemed so successful that the terrestrial
channel--Al Iraqiya--was launched on satellite. For his
efforts he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for
Exceptional Public Service.
More recently he has been a consultant to the Joint
Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the 2004
Republican National Convention.
A four time Emmy Award winning ABC News and Sports
producer, he has held a number of positions at the network,
including serving as the first executive producer of ``This
Week with David Brinkley.''
From 1989 until 1991, Smith was the executive producer of
ABC News ``Nightline.'' During his tenure he was responsible
for the weeklong ``Nightline'' series originating from South
Africa, which covered the release of Nelson Mandela. The
broadcasts won an Emmy award. In addition he served as
executive producer of the prime time special ``Tragedy at
Tiananmen--The Untold Story,'' which was honored with the
duPont Columbia University Award, the Overseas Press Club
Award and an Emmy. ``Nightline'' also won an Emmy in 1991 for
outstanding news coverage of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Prior to his work on ``Nightline,'' Smith was the executive
producer of the number one rated Sunday public affairs
program, ``This Week with David Brinkley,'' a post he held
from the program's inception in 1981 until 1989. During his
tenure the broadcast received the first Joan Barone Award,
the George Foster Peabody Award, and was named the Best
National TV Interview Discussion Program by the readers of
the Washington Journalism Review.
In 1991 Smith left ABC News to become Assistant to the
President for Media Affairs at the White House. In this
capacity Smith handled all television and radio events
involving President Bush, members of the White House staff
and Cabinet. In addition his office handled all regional
media; coordinated media strategy for administration
officials seeking confirmation; and organized the debate
preparation during the 1992 political campaign.
In 2001, Smith was designated by FEMA Director Joe Allbaugh
to handle all media following the events of September 11th.
In this capacity Smith was responsible for FEMA's media
strategy for print, radio and television. Smith organized and
distributed the now famous FEMA video feeds from Ground Zero.
He reorganized the Public Affairs Office to meet the post
September 11th media demands.
At ABC News, Smith became executive producer of all weekend
news programming in 1980. He was responsible for the
production and programming of ``World News Saturday,''
``World News Sunday,'' ``The Weekend Report,'' and ``The
Health Show.''
Prior to his weekend assignment. Smith was Washington
producer of ABC News' ``The Iran Crises: America Held
Hostage.'' He also served as ABC News Senior Producer at the
1980 Winter Olympics, the 1984 Winter and Summer Games, and
the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
From 1978-1979, Smith served as ABC News' White House
producer. Smith joined ABC News as a Washington producer in
1977. Previously he was staff assistant to President Gerald
Ford.
He began his broadcasting career at ABC Sports in 1973 as
an assistant to the producer. In 1974 he was made Manager of
Program Planning for ABC's Wide World of Sports.
Smith is a member of the Advisory Council for the George
Bush Library in College Station, Texas.
He graduated from Claremont Men's College in 1973 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree. He lives in McLean, Virginia.
____________________