http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070208/pl_nm/usa_negroponte_dc_1WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Thursday approved the nomination of John Negroponte, the outgoing director of national intelligence, to become deputy secretary of state, sending the nomination to the full Senate.
Negroponte, a career diplomat who served as ambassador to Iraq and the United Nations, is expected to be easily confirmed by the full Senate to become the State Department's number two official, a spot vacant since Robert Zoellick left in July.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his appointment on a voice vote. "The 'ayes' have it ... He will be reported to the Senate favorably," Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, told the panel.
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Did ANY of the Democrats on that panel have the guts to grill Negroponte on his nefarious activities (encouraging Central American governments to torture and massacre dissidents) in the 1980s or the sudden appearance of "sectarian violence" soon after he was posted to Iraq?
He's our own Lavrenty Beria.
Did ANY of them vote against him? Did they call a press conference and explain why they could not approve him?
Are they a) uninformed, b) overly eager to appear bipartisan, c) threatened, d) bribed, e) blackmailed f) all of the above? g) various combinations of the above?