Stand With Sam Brownback
According to my latest information, which is just short of a day old now, the nomination of Chris Hill was to go to the Senate floor yesterday, where it was expected to get more than enough votes to close debate. Under Senate rules, Senator Brownback now has his chance to go to the floor and speak, to see if he can change a few more minds. I’ve passed him as much ammunition as time has allowed. Now, the rest is up to the Senate. The odds heavily favor Hill’s confirmation today, but Brownback is prepared to go down fighting.
I often hear conservatives say that their party has run aground because it doesn’t know what it stands for. Christopher Hill typifies the rudderless, unprincipled, and failed Republocrat foreign policy that mislabels itself as “realism.” Brownback was the man who tried to stand in its way then, when Bush was in office, and he’s doing the same now that Obama is in office. Plenty in the press see fit to ridicule Brownback for being principled, because they happen to disagree with the principles themselves. History will continue to reveal that Brownback is right, and the rest of them are wrong.
I’m going to contact both of my liberal Democratic senators today, knowing full well that it’s unlikely to matter and that Hill — America’s most conspicuously unsuccessful diplomat — will probably be confirmed anyway. If this quixotic cause matters to you, I hope you’ll do the same. Here’s what I will be writing:
Dear Senator Mikulski, Please vote against the confirmation of Christopher Hill as Ambassador to Iraq until you have an opportunity to study Hill’s extensive record of disregard for the law, for dishonesty with Congress, and for professional incompetence in his dealings with North Korea that have made North Korea a greater danger to the United States. Some of Ambassador Hill’s efforts to mislead Congress about his diplomatic efforts to deal with North Korea are detailed at this article:
http://newledger.com/2009/04/christopher-hill-deep-kimchee-for-iraq/
Among Ambassador Hill’s deceptions furthered his efforts to avoid raising the issue of North Korea’s horrific concentration camps with that country’s government, which you can learn more about here:
I am also gravely concerned that Hill’s nomination results from his personal friendship with Richard Holbrooke, rather than his record or qualifications. Ambasador Hill has no middle eastern experience and speaks no Arabic. His prior qualifications do not suggest that he is prepared for the political, military, or cultural challenges he will soon confront. Many other, better qualified candidates could do this job better than Christopher Hill. I urge you to study Ambassador Hill’s record of failure carefully before voting on his confirmation.
I agree that we need an Ambassador in Baghdad as soon as possible, but let’s choose the best qualified person for such an important job.