Paula Dobriansky is a well-liked, talented international attorney who now serves as Under Secretary for Global Affairs at the Department of State. Previous to this position, she directed the Washington operation of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is close to many neoconservatives and realists in foreign policy but would make a far better Ambassador to the United Nations than John Bolton.
She achieves her goals, is quite a tough negotiator, and doesn’t suffer fools, but yet she has none of the behavioral shortfalls of Bolton. As far as I know, Dobriansky never had a team of Armitage-assigned handlers watching her every move in case she did something to sabotage — purposefully or accidentally — official Bush administration policy.
Thursday will be quite a day — and there is lots of room to win this battle on behalf of restored American integrity and leadership in global affairs.
I have a ton of items to post and on their way and will try to keep them brief — but don’t believe anyone on other side of this debate if they tell you the battle has been won.
It’s 50/50 tonight — and the White House is hoping for the Dems to start caving. Not going to happen. As far as I can tell, the State Department all of a sudden is at least pretending to cooperate.
Moderate Republicans who want to be known as leaders have the opportunity to call this one the right way and encourage the White House to nominate Dobriansky or someone else. The Democrats have the evidence on their side.
More later.
— Steve Clemons
