US
Nominees to
Norway &
Argentina
Bungle, State
Spins, Sends
Later - To
Some
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 7 --
How are US
ambassadors
selected? The
current
nominee as US
ambassador to
Norway George
Tsunis called
a member of
the ruling
coalition a
"fringe"
party; the
nominee for
Argentina Noah
Mamet has
never even
been to the
country.
State
Department
spokesperson
Jen Psaki,
when asked,
hearkened back
to past
non civil
servant
ambassadors
like Walter
Mondale and
Pamela
Harriman. She
said, "We work
closely with
ambassadors."
(Previously,
Inner City
Press covered
the nomination
as Ambassador
to the
Netherlands of
a notorious
subprime
lender. Money
talks.)
Earlier
in
the February 7
briefing,
Reuters had
given Psaki
advice on how
to
improve State
Department
security. This
continued on
Argentina,
intervening to
defend Mamet's
failure to
visit
Argentina (or
apparently
read) during
the one year
his nomination
has been
pending.
In
response,
Psaki said she
would send
something "to
all of you
afterward."
She said the
same thing
recently about
Sri Lanka and
Inner City
Press, which
closely covers
that country,
e-mailed her
to
ask
that it also
receive
whatever was
sent out and
be put on the
list. The
answer was yes
-- but no
information
ever arrived.
Not, after
acknowledging
receipt, has
the State Department
yet provided
documents
response to
Inner City
Press' Freedom
of Information
Act request
concerning the
Atrocities
Prevention
Board.
In
New York, the
US Mission to
the UN did not
respond to a
Press
question
about the Free
Syrian Army
appearing in a
UN report as
recruiting and
using child
soldiers,
despite having
asked that the
question be
put in writing.
Instead, the
Mission
emailed out to
some
statements
about Samantha
Power and
Pussy Riot.
It's
understood
that advocacy
is a major
part of their
job. But isn't
answering
questions, and
providing
access on an
equitable
basis, also
part of the
mandate? We'll
see. Watch
this site.
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