POTUS with 67: Out at a Picnic Table


President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

I’m not sure if she looks tired or unhappy about something in this photo. What went on April 9? Here is the original photo at (3500 x 2719).

POTUS with 67: Out at a Picnic Table


President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

I’m not sure if she looks tired or unhappy about something in this photo. What went on April 9? Here is the original photo at (3500 x 2719).

SFRC Website Make Over – When?

screencapture 4/29/2009

In late January, Steve Clemons of The Washington Note wrote about the need for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to overhaul its website (see Jan 28 2009, 9:24AM). The same day, he got a response from the new Senate Foreign Relations Committee Communications Director and former FSO, Frederick L. Jones II (see Jan 28 2009, 11:55AM) saying that an overhaul is in the works and it is a “top priority.” On February 3, the SFRC webmaster, Brian Young posted that “we’re already in the process of redoing the site.” (see TPM, February 3, 2009, 6:44AM)

Okay – that’s about three months ago …sigh!

SFRC Website Make Over – When?

screencapture 4/29/2009

In late January, Steve Clemons of The Washington Note wrote about the need for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to overhaul its website (see Jan 28 2009, 9:24AM). The same day, he got a response from the new Senate Foreign Relations Committee Communications Director and former FSO, Frederick L. Jones II (see Jan 28 2009, 11:55AM) saying that an overhaul is in the works and it is a “top priority.” On February 3, the SFRC webmaster, Brian Young posted that “we’re already in the process of redoing the site.” (see TPM, February 3, 2009, 6:44AM)

Okay – that’s about three months ago …sigh!

Holbrooke on the Pak Side of Af/Pak

Today, Wednesday, April 29,This has been moved to Tuesday, May 05, 2009, 12:00 PM. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke will be at the Rayburn House answering questions from the full House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) members. HFAC chairman, Howard L. Berman (D-CA) is holding an open hearing on the Pak side of Af/Pak — From Strategy to Implementation: The Future of the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship.

Tomorrow, April 30, Ambassador Holbrooke will be at the Dirksen Senate Building to testify at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC). Senator John Kerry is also holding a hearing on the Pak part of Af/Pak — US Strategy Toward Pakistan. (Update 4/29 @ 8:50 pm: It seems only a matter of time; this one has also been postponed. Will update when this is rescheduled).

You know CSPAN will be covering it as well as a few more media outlets because like Strobe Talbott says, he’s “the diplomatic equivalent of a hydrogen bomb,” okay? And speaking of Holbrooke — In the Loop’s Al Kamen has written earlier this week about Holbrooke’s Growing Orbit.

I will not repeat the joke that has migrated from the Balkans to Foggy Bottom , but Holbrooke is reported to “have announced to a meeting of career Foreign Service folks in the South and Central Asia bureau (SCA) that they were now working for him, something that stunned more than a few of them.”

If true, boy oh boy — does that mean the incoming Assistant Secretary for SCA, Ambassador Robert Blake, also works for him? Hmmn….hmmnnn..

Ambassador Blake has just been announced as the Assistant Secretary nominee for the SCA bureau. If you look at this map, you’ll see that Af/Pak runs right at the center of the South Central Asian region, and some have pointed out that without Afghanistan and Pakistan, the SCA bureau has a shrunken domain. Even then, I thought, well, at least SCA still has India and Kazakhstan, two of the largest countries in the region with their own sets of challenges. But now … one wonders.

It would be interesting to hear how Ambassador Blake sees his role in the big picture; after all he’ll be the one facing a confirmation hearing, not the special envoy. Blake’s nomination has been sent to the Senate and is currently pending at the SFRC (15 nominations in the queue ahead of him at the moment).

I did say back in February that I could not imagine the org boxes to stay the same with Ambassador Holbrooke on the scene. I’m sure there will be more on this later…


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Matthew Kaminski: Holbrooke of South Asia

Holbrooke on the Pak Side of Af/Pak

Today, Wednesday, April 29,This has been moved to Tuesday, May 05, 2009, 12:00 PM. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke will be at the Rayburn House answering questions from the full House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) members. HFAC chairman, Howard L. Berman (D-CA) is holding an open hearing on the Pak side of Af/Pak — From Strategy to Implementation: The Future of the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship.

Tomorrow, April 30, Ambassador Holbrooke will be at the Dirksen Senate Building to testify at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC). Senator John Kerry is also holding a hearing on the Pak part of Af/Pak — US Strategy Toward Pakistan. (Update 4/29 @ 8:50 pm: It seems only a matter of time; this one has also been postponed. Will update when this is rescheduled).

You know CSPAN will be covering it as well as a few more media outlets because like Strobe Talbott says, he’s “the diplomatic equivalent of a hydrogen bomb,” okay? And speaking of Holbrooke — In the Loop’s Al Kamen has written earlier this week about Holbrooke’s Growing Orbit.

I will not repeat the joke that has migrated from the Balkans to Foggy Bottom , but Holbrooke is reported to “have announced to a meeting of career Foreign Service folks in the South and Central Asia bureau (SCA) that they were now working for him, something that stunned more than a few of them.”

If true, boy oh boy — does that mean the incoming Assistant Secretary for SCA, Ambassador Robert Blake, also works for him? Hmmn….hmmnnn..

Ambassador Blake has just been announced as the Assistant Secretary nominee for the SCA bureau. If you look at this map, you’ll see that Af/Pak runs right at the center of the South Central Asian region, and some have pointed out that without Afghanistan and Pakistan, the SCA bureau has a shrunken domain. Even then, I thought, well, at least SCA still has India and Kazakhstan, two of the largest countries in the region with their own sets of challenges. But now … one wonders.

It would be interesting to hear how Ambassador Blake sees his role in the big picture; after all he’ll be the one facing a confirmation hearing, not the special envoy. Blake’s nomination has been sent to the Senate and is currently pending at the SFRC (15 nominations in the queue ahead of him at the moment).

I did say back in February that I could not imagine the org boxes to stay the same with Ambassador Holbrooke on the scene. I’m sure there will be more on this later…


Related Post:


Related Item:

Matthew Kaminski: Holbrooke of South Asia

SFRC Hearings: Nominations of Carson, de Baca

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
111th CONGRESS
1st SESSION

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Time: 9:30 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Building
Presiding: Senator Feingold


Nominees:

The Honorable Johnnie Carson
to be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
(see WH Announcement)

Luis C. de Baca
to be Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
(see WH Announcement)

Updated 4/30: Links to testimonies have just been added. To view the video of this hearing, go here. Then click on the heading “NOMINATIONS,” a small video should pop up. Note that there is blank space here, the hearing starts at approximately 13:05 into the video.

SFRC Hearings: Nominations of Carson, de Baca

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
111th CONGRESS
1st SESSION

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Time: 9:30 A.M.
Place: 419 Dirksen Senate Building
Presiding: Senator Feingold


Nominees:

The Honorable Johnnie Carson
to be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
(see WH Announcement)

Luis C. de Baca
to be Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking
(see WH Announcement)

Updated 4/30: Links to testimonies have just been added. To view the video of this hearing, go here. Then click on the heading “NOMINATIONS,” a small video should pop up. Note that there is blank space here, the hearing starts at approximately 13:05 into the video.

Officially In: Eric Goosby to Global AIDS (S/GAC)

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Eric Goosby, Ambassador at Large and Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC).

Eric Goosby, MD, has been CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation since 2001. He is also Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Goosby has played a key role in the development and/or implementation of HIV/AIDS national treatment scale-up plans in South Africa, Rwanda, China, and Ukraine. He focuses his expertise on the scale-up of sustainable HIV/AIDS treatment capacity, including the delivery of HIV antiretroviral drugs, within existing healthcare systems.

Dr. Goosby has extensive international experience in the development of treatment guidelines for use of antiretroviral therapies, clinical mentoring and training of health professionals, and the design and implementation of local models of care for HIV/AIDS. He has worked closely with international partners on the development of successful HIV/AIDS treatment and treatment-based prevention strategies for high-risk populations. Dr. Goosby has over 25 years of experience with HIV/AIDS. His experience ranges from his early years treating patients at San Francisco General Hospital when AIDS first emerged to engagement at the highest level of policy leadership.

In his role at HHS as the first director of the Ryan White Care Act, Dr. Goosby helped develop HIV/AIDS delivery systems in the United States. During the Clinton Administration he served as deputy director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Goosby has longstanding working relationships with leading multilateral organizations including UNAIDS, the Global Fund and the World Health Organization.

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Officially In: Eric Goosby to Global AIDS (S/GAC)

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Eric Goosby, Ambassador at Large and Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC).

Eric Goosby, MD, has been CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation since 2001. He is also Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Goosby has played a key role in the development and/or implementation of HIV/AIDS national treatment scale-up plans in South Africa, Rwanda, China, and Ukraine. He focuses his expertise on the scale-up of sustainable HIV/AIDS treatment capacity, including the delivery of HIV antiretroviral drugs, within existing healthcare systems.

Dr. Goosby has extensive international experience in the development of treatment guidelines for use of antiretroviral therapies, clinical mentoring and training of health professionals, and the design and implementation of local models of care for HIV/AIDS. He has worked closely with international partners on the development of successful HIV/AIDS treatment and treatment-based prevention strategies for high-risk populations. Dr. Goosby has over 25 years of experience with HIV/AIDS. His experience ranges from his early years treating patients at San Francisco General Hospital when AIDS first emerged to engagement at the highest level of policy leadership.

In his role at HHS as the first director of the Ryan White Care Act, Dr. Goosby helped develop HIV/AIDS delivery systems in the United States. During the Clinton Administration he served as deputy director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Goosby has longstanding working relationships with leading multilateral organizations including UNAIDS, the Global Fund and the World Health Organization.

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