FReepmail to be added to the Congress Watch Ping List.
Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being.- Lord Acton
Posted on 10/07/2007 12:47:54 AM PDT by river rat
Liberal Senate Democrats and the U.S. State Department are desperate to get the U.N.'s Law of the Sea Treaty ratified. But Senator David Vitter, a conservative Republican, keeps getting in the way. Through skillful questioning during Thursday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the Louisiana Republican got a leading treaty supporter to acknowledge that America's enemies can manipulate the process of mandatory dispute settlement under the treaty so that the United Nations Secretary-General plays the key role in the outcome. Vitter called this a "recipe for disaster" for America and urged more hearings into the treaty's flaws.
(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...
FReepmail to be added to the Congress Watch Ping List.
Liberty is the prevention of control by others. This requires self-control and, therefore, religious and spiritual influences; education, knowledge, well-being.- Lord Acton
Don’t forget that the UN makes the rules and the UN can change the rules anytime.
Employee? Isn't she in charge? They follow her lead.
bttt
Pure BS. The State Department works for the WH. It is not an independent actor. The State Department represents what the WH wants. If State is trying to "garner support," it is because the WH wants it. I am always amazed how many times people try to make the State Department the scapegoat when they disagree with a WH decision on foreign policy.
Condi does what the WH wants her to do, not what State Department career employees have brainwashed her into doing.
Now, THAT'S the purest BS...
You need to get out more....
I am a retired Foreign Service Officer who worked for the State Department for 28 years. You haven't the slightest clue about how the foreign policy of the United States is formulated and implemented.
That explains a LOT....
This original exchange began when I questioned which STATE the State Department represented.
You responded that the State Department "works for the White House".
The MISSION STATEMENT of the Department of State, reads:
Create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community.
It doesn't say be a rubber stamp for the President - whoever that loony sonuvabitch might be...
I would like to think that they have MORE than a fiduciary responsibility to ensure the best interests of AMERICANS are first best served.
The State Department, like DOD and the CIA, is part of the Executive Branch, which is under the authority of the WH. The State Department is just one of the foreign affairs agencies. It does not have the final or greatest say on the formulation of foreign policy. In fact, the NSC, DOD, and the CIA usually have more influence on foreign policy than State. And the buck stops in the WH Once the policy is determined, State implements it and defends it.
The idea that the State Department is autonomous or can oppose the President publicly is sheer nonsense. In that regard, they are just like DOD. The President is an elected official accountable to the people. And he appoints the top level people confirmed by Congress to run the Department.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.