Status of OTTO REICH'S nomination Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit [This update is from the Center for International Policy:] source - "Julio V. Ruiz, M.D." Status of OTTO REICH'S nomination - Oct 10 Before the September 11th attack, Otto Reich's nomination to be assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs was dead and he was preparing to withdraw his name. In the wake of the attacks and the surge in President Bush's popularity, Reich has decided to make a final effort to win confirmation. He and his supporters have launched a campaign to pressure Senators Joseph Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Chris Dodd, who chairs the committee's Western Hemisphere subcommittee, to abandon their opposition to Reich's nomination. The opening salvo of the campaign was the lead editorial in the October 1 Wall Street Journal personally attacking Senator Dodd, arguing that his opposition to Reich's nomination was an effort to "settle old scores." The editorial attacked Senators Dodd and Biden for refusing to schedule a hearing, when the real reason for the delay is Reich himself, who has refused to supply the committee with an acceptable plan to avoid conflicts of interests resulting from continuing financial ties with clients of his lucrative lobbying business, including Bacardi, Lockheed Martin and the British American Tobacco Company. Moreover, the committee has requested hundreds of documents from the State Department, the CIA and US AID, few of which have been supplied. Otto Reich and his right-wing supporters are trying to stampede Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee into swallowing their objections and allowing the White House and Jesse Helms, ranking Republican on the committee, to ram Reich's nomination through the committee with only a perfunctory hearing. In addition to Senators Biden and Dodd, Senator John Kerry, also a member of the Senate Foreign relations Committee, is leading the opposition to Reich's nomination. Reich's supporters are increasing the pressure on these three senators, and it is essential that they hear as well from opponents of Otto Reich's nomination. They need to hear that given the current circumstances the United States is in, it is still not in their best interest to put him in this position. Please contact Senator Biden, Senator Dodd, and Senator Kerry and let them know that you support them in their opposition to the nomination of Otto Reich for assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs. Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) United State Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5042 Fax: 202-224-0139 Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) United States Senate Washington D.C., 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2823 Fax: (202) 228-1683 Senator@dodd.senate.gov Senator John Kerry (D-MA) United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2712 Fax: (202) 224-8525 john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-10.10.01-14:39:48-8595