(Condi and Bolton's hasty) St Dept Reshuffling Put on Hold (by Henry Hyde) [View All]

Washington Post:

State Dept. Reshuffling on Hold
Rep. Hyde Seeks More Information on Reorganization
By Dafna Linzer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 18, 2005; Page A19


Three weeks ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a news conference announcing broad changes to the department's arms control and nonproliferation bureaus. The first office had lost significant responsibilities during President Bush's first term as the White House pulled out of several international arms treaties. At the same time, the nonproliferation bureau's responsibilities tripled as officials handled crises with Iran, North Korea and a nuclear black market run out of Pakistan.

The bureaus had been under the control of John R. Bolton, who was about to be appointed ambassador to the United Nations after an unsuccessful confirmation process. With his departure, Rice said the bureaus would be merged into the newly named Bureau for International Security and Nonproliferation with a revised mission to address concerns such as the nexus between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

But the restructuring, expected to begin this week, has been put on hold by Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), the powerful chairman of the House International Relations Committee, and counterparts on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and State Department officials confirmed this yesterday....

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The State Department notified Congress of the plans Aug. 1, the first day of August recess, and had sought approval by Aug. 15, weeks before Congress returned and had an opportunity to explore the merger....

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On Monday, Bolton's chief of staff at State, Fred Fleitz, briefed staff members on the Senate committee about the merger. Many of the details and structural changes were worked out in private by a small group of political appointees who worked for Bolton....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/17/AR2005081701858.html