Kathleen Stephens Nomination Woes Deepen
In March, I explained why I believe that Kathleen Stephens is the wrong person to be our next ambassador to South Korea. In April, I explained why Senator Sam Brownback had placed a hold on Stephens’s nomination, effectively blocking it. Brownback announced his opposition by going to the Senate floor to deliver an impassioned speech — “Google Earth has made witnesses of us all” — that made use of my own satellite image grabs of Camp 22.
State had applied considerable pressure to Brownback following his courageous decision to defy his president and follow his conscience, but Brownback held firm. Now, the Joongang Ilbo reports that other Republican senators have joined Brownback, which means that her nomination is in deep trouble.
Senators Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) agree with Brownback. They sent a joint letter to President George W. Bush urging him to more aggressively promote human rights in North Korea.
The White House and U.S. State Department are still supporting Stephens, but the situation may change if they continue facing staunch opposition from conservative senators.
It’s unfortunate that the Joongang Ilbo doesn’t tell us much about when the letter was sent or what, if anything, it says about the Stephens nomination in particular. If the article refers to this letter, it does suggest that President should put some spine behind his rhetoric about human rights, but it does not explicitly oppose the Stephens nomination. There may be another letter I haven’t seen.
In a phone interview with Yonhap News, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) said he would withhold support “until we can get some human rights movement taking place in the six-party talks, or some clear commitment to deal with the human rights issues.” [Joongang Ilbo, Kang Chan-Ho]
I can vouch for the sincerity of Brownback’s willingness to be swayed by “some clear commitment,” but what could State possibly offer in the closing days of a lame-duck Administration after four years of flouting the law? Nothing that State could say today could be complete, verifiable, or irreversible; in fact, the gossip I’ve heard is that State will send Congress its 45-day notice that it will remove North Korea from the terror-sponsor list just in time for the August recess. In light of rising controversy over State’s intentions, such a cynical move would only exacerbate the ill will the State Department created by stonewalling Congress about North Korea’s proliferation to Syria.
State, apparently recognizing its predicament, is said to be looking for another nominee. I have to presume they’re looking for someone who isn’t so closely tied to Chris Hill and his see-no-evil views. Whether the same drama plays out with the next nominee may depend on who State nominates and how State’s policy takes shape over the following months.