GOP seeks to block Obama nominee to El Salvador post over Cuban romance

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

Posted on Sunday, 05.09.10

GOP seeks to block Obama nominee to El Salvador post over Cuban romance
By Juan O. Tamayo
Miami Herald

Senate Republicans are determined to block a Democratic Party activist's nomination as ambassador to El Salvador because of questions about a long-ago boyfriend who had contacts with Cuban diplomats, congressional staffers say.

The FBI cleared Mari Carmen Aponte when the issue of the boyfriend, Cuban-born businessman Roberto Tamayo, first became public after President Bill Clinton nominated her as ambassador to the Dominican Republic in 1998. Aponte withdrew from that nomination after Senate Republicans vowed to ask tough questions about Tamayo. They had dated from 1982 to 1994 and attended social functions with Cuban diplomats in Washington, D.C.

Her Obama administration nomination to the El Salvador job was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations committee April 27, with 10 Democrats endorsing her -- including Cuban-American Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey -- and eight Republicans voting no.

But the Republicans will put a hold on her nomination when it comes up in the full Senate, meaning it will need 60 votes for confirmation unless they lift the hold, said congressional staffers who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the topic.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/09/1620655/gop-seeks-to-block-obama-nominee.html

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http://69.89.25.193.nyud.net:8090/~armandov/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/llaw-1.jpg

Mari Carmen Aponte

[tomm2thumbs]

1. hopefully a recess appointment is in the cards, if this is applicable

Memorial Day Recess
May 31 – June 1

Independence Day Recess
July 5 – July 9

August/Labor Day Recess
August 9 – September 12

Target Adjournment
October 8

[Scuba]

2. GOP attempts to block Obama.... on everything!

The party of NO!

[IndianaGreen]

3. Time to repeal the Senate and switch to a Parliamentary system

This will require a Constitutional convention, for the Senate is the only thing that can't be changed by Constitutional amendment process.

The President will become a figure of national unity, respected by all, but without any powers.

Power will reside in the Prime Minister, who will be elected by Parliament. Proportional representation will be the law of the land.

[Proletariatprincess]

5. Sounds like a good plan. The sooner the better, please.

[Chipper Chat]

7. An alternative plan would be

to campaign like hell in 2010 and 2012 to get rid of many GOP members of Congress. Establish a permanent progressive Democrat majority. Useless wastes-of-skin like Boehner, Cantor, Cornyn, Vitter, and Gohmert would be relegated to the dustpile of history. :)

[1monster]

9. Oh my god NO! A Constitutional Convention today? No way. The corporations will

lobby and pay for their every wish and want to be put in place in the new Constitution and the Bill of Rights will be tossed out first thing.

Imagine your worst nightmare of a new Constitution and you will probably get worse.

Never underestimate the ability of corporations to sell what they want to the people it would harm the most.

[IndianaGreen]

10. The alternative would be a French style revolution

that would literally and figuratively decapitate the ruling class. Unfortunately, this also has unintended consequences for the revolutionaries.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. The GOP can't talk thay have so many rent boys

and they worry about a boyfriend!

[Mr. Sparkle]

6. Another example why the GOP are the equivalent of the American Taliban. n/t

[machI]

8. The GOP - Finding new and interesting ways to say NO to the operation of your government

[Billy Burnett]

11. Brothers and Sisters! Cuba is THE enemy. Cuba has always been the enemy.

[Judi Lynn]

12. You know there's a grudge toward Cuba when you recall the words of the US Undersecretary of War,

John C. Breckenridge, as he wrote in his memorandum Christmas Eve, 1897:

"We must destroy everything within our cannons' range of fire. We must impose a harsh blockade so that hunger and its constant companion, disease, undermine the peaceful population and decimate the Cuban army."

http://www.autentico.org/oa09933.php

[elias49]

13. Yup. That's how the US does international politics.....

make sure that life is absolutely miserable for the average citizen - who only wants to put food on the table for his family, and watch their kids grow up - and hope that enough folks suffer so that they'll 'vote out' the leaders that the US doesn't like. That's why out first offensive is always electrical generating plants, communications, water treatment plants so that children get sick and die by the thousands...
Fuck US imperialism.