Chris Hill Is Wrong Choice for Iraq ; His Failed Record, Hotdog Diplomacy Bode Ill

Summary

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Christopher Hill, the president's nominee for ambassador to Iraq, is a disconcerting choice to head America's largest embassy, located in the most dangerous region in the world. Hill is a neophyte in dealing with the complexities of Middle East politics and Islamic terrorism. The Baghdad assignment is no post for on-the-job training. Furthermore, as the current assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, he presided over negotiations with North Korea that deliberately minimized focus on the bleak human rights record of that country, ignored its nuclear proliferation, and had the practical effect of affirming its nuclear weapons capability. Hill also has a troubling hotdog tendency to play by his own rules, to the detriment of U.S. diplomacy.

Today Hill goes before the Senate for his confirmation hearing. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) has threatened, with good reason, to use Senate rules to stall Hill's appointment, as reported by The Washington Times' Eli Lake. A letter signed by Brownback and four other senators notes Hill's "evasive and unprofessional activities" including "sidelining key officials" and "breaking commitments" to Congress. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have also separately expressed their misgivings about Hill.

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Chris Hill Is Wrong Choice for Iraq ; His Failed Record, Hotdog Diplomacy Bode Ill

Hill's go-it-alone approach was illustrated in July 2005 when he violated U.S. policy and express orders from superiors by meeting with North Korean Vice Mini...

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