chris hill

Read this great New York Times piece for a taste of how intractable the difficulties with reconciliation in Iraq are. To fully understand it, let’s imagine that instead of human beings, Iraq and the United States were populated by super-intelligent machines. Were you a RationalBot8000, you would say to your Iraqi counterpart, RationalBot8001, that the [...]

The Senate, which overcame a meager attempt yesterday by Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) to stop Chris Hill’s nomination to be ambassador to Iraq, just voted to confirm the new top diplomat to Baghdad. Here’s Sen. John Kerry’s (D-Mass.) statement:
“It took much longer than it should have, but I am pleased that Chris Hill has finally [...]

Or maybe it won’t take so long. The Senate just voted 73-17 to close debate on Chris Hill’s nomination to become U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kans.) presented his case against Hill and said that he’d introduce his bill to reintroduce sanctions against North Korea tomorrow, alongside the final vote on Hill. Barring [...]

As I noted earlier this month, the Senate takes up Chris Hill’s nomination to become ambassador today — right now they’re voting on some Justice Department nominees — and Laura Rozen reports that this is going to be as melodramatic and drawn-out as possible.
With a cloture vote expected possibly later tonight on the nomination of [...]

The North Koreans have kicked out the International Atomic Energy Agency, insisted they’re going back to nuclear weapons and declared the six-party talks over because the United Nations was mean to them. No one is taking this as anything more than a temper tantrum. For instance:
“I’m sure North Korea thinks they can get a better [...]

Here’s a just-released statement from President Obama after meeting in Iraq with Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. forces there. First he says he’s there to thank the troops. Then:
I’ll have the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Maliki and President Talabani while I’m here. Obviously we’ve spent a lot of time trying to [...]

Apparently, Chris Hill’s testimony this morning didn’t change Sen. Sam Brownback’s (R-Kans.) mind. On the Senate floor just now, Brownback delivered a blistering denunciation of the Obama administration’s ambassador-designate to Iraq, owing to what he called Hill’s “dishonesty” and even lawlessness when Hill was the Bush administration’s envoy to the six-party talks with North Korea. [...]

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) ends things after one round of questions without objection. “It’s critical to get you in place” before the Easter congressional recess, he tells Chris Hill. “People need to review this record today and expedite the nomination this week.” Kerry says Hill has “shown today why you’re the right man [for the [...]

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) asks Hill what the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement and Strategic Framework Agreement require of the United Statesfor long-term commitments. “You’re talking about the drawing down of forces instead of the withdrawal of forces,” he says, and starts quoting from the SOFA. “There’s quite loose language when we’re talking about a [...]

So here’s the first on-panel GOP resistance to Hill: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) takes up Brownback’s North Korea questioning. What about the “assurance” Hill gave Brownback in a public hearing? Hill says he’s reviewed the transcript. “Words are very important,” Wicker says. “Did it occur to you that perhaps you needed to get back to [...]