Obama nominates leader for USAID

[Forkboy]

Ten months into his administration, President Obama has finally chosen a nominee to run the US Agency for International Development. The delay had prompted growing complaints from development specialists that the administration was failing to live up to its pledge to make global health and development a priority and a pillar of its foreign policy.

Obama yesterday nominated Dr. Rajiv Shah, a 36-year-old former official with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Shah is a medical doctor and was confirmed by the Senate earlier this year for his current role as a senior official at the Agriculture Department dealing with food security, so he has already been vetted and should easily win approval for the USAID job.

Shah’s nomination also formally puts an end to speculation that Obama would tap Dr. Paul Farmer, the global health pioneer and co-founder of Boston-based Partners in Health.

Farmer was said to be a front-runner for the USAID position earlier this year, but his candidacy apparently became bogged down in the Obama administration’s onerous vetting procedures, prompting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to howl publicly about how “ridiculous’’ the nominating process had become.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2009/11/11/obama_nominates_leader_for_usaid/

[Beacool]

1. Well, at least he finally made a decision.

Even if it took him 10 months. Should we expect a decision about sending troops to Afghanistan by this time next year?

:eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

3. Why the hurry? You were thinking of signing up or something?

:shrug:

[arcadian]

2. CIA + World Bank = USAID

[depakid]

4. Oh, come on now...

:eyes: