Too Late, Mr Clinton

THE campaign finance scandal in the White House has claimed its first victim. According to press reports, Frank Wisner, 58, the leading contender to replace the late Pamela Harriman as the US envoy in Paris, not only withdrew his name for consideration for the plum post but has also decided to resign from the foreign service out of sheer disgust at the President's tardiness in reaching a decision. Washington is running scared. Afraid of the media unearthing more dirt and thus dragging the President into further scandal, White House lawyers are laboriously scrutinising the background of all candidates for the 14 US embassies around the world which are currently headless, even though many of these candidates already have access to top secrets and have been vetted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Wisner's reputation is considered impeccable. He is one of America's most respected and experienced career diplomats, holding the rank of career ambassador. He was recently considered as a candidate for heading the Central Intelligence Agency after Anthony Lake withdrew his name following a bruising Senate confirmation process.

A native New Yorker, Wisner was appointed envoy to New Delhi in 1994 after a brief tenure at the Pentagon where he was under secretary of defence for policy. He is also known for his five-year tenure—starting in 1986—as US ambassador to Cairo. He was appointed under secretary of state for international security affairs in 1992 after his return from the Philippines, where he was ambassador.

Wisner was a top candidate for the post in France along with New York investment banker Felix G. Rohatyn. Sources confirm he was tired of waiting for the President to take a decision and opted instead for a job with insurance company American International Group. He is also said to have received attractive offers from the private sector and is reportedly under family pressure to accept them.

Wisner had already informed President Clinton and secretary of state Madeleine Albright that he planned to leave the foreign service. What's not certain is whether it was because of procedural delays, although the New York Times reported it.

Says a source at the State Department: "The correct form in Washington is to hand key postings to the nearest billionaire party donors, whether or not they have experience of foreign affairs or, indeed, a passport. However, sending brash plutocrats to Paris—a discerning sort of place—is a recipe for disaster, especially if they have to follow in the soignee Ms Harriman's footsteps." Harriman died of a stroke on February 5.

"On this occasion, politics has intruded into the usual distribution of the spoils, sowing confusion and anxiety and leaving prospective candidates, like Wisner, hanging in the air with their jobs and honour on the line while Clinton makes up his mind and the lawyers ensure that whatever the President decides will not backfire and land him in more trouble," the source adds.

Three months into President Clinton's second term the selection of the senior diplomatic corps, says the source, "has ground to a complete halt. There are no American ambassadors in important countries like Russia, Japan and Germany." Defending the administration's tardiness, a White House official says: "The President is already under scrutiny for the favours the press claims were granted to donors during last year's campaign. Naturally, our lawyers are going to be more vigilant than ever to scrutinise the background of potential nominees."

바카라 웹사이트Commenting on the extra precaution being taken by the administration, he adds: "Although none of Clinton's ambassadorial appointees appear to be in any danger, the mood in Washington is so partisan these days that we can take nothing for granted. We are being very careful right now in ways that previous administrations have not been in the past." Referring to Wisner's case, he said: "I heard Ambassador Frank Wisner had withdrawn his name for personal reasons. I've no knowledge it was because of any delay in the vetting process. Let me tell you that prolonged jockeying for foreign policy posts is not new to this administration."

A Wisner acquaintance who has recently retired from the administration says he was "appalled by this fear of scandal" and the "arduous background checks" by the White House. "A lot of good people are going to be put off by this snail-like pace in filling senior jobs as well as the endless scrutiny and will choose to remove their names from consideration. I don't blame Wisner. The process has become a disgrace." Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that President Clinton had chosen Felix Rohatyn as the next US ambassador to France. The daily said the White House completed final background checks on the 68-year-old director of the Lazard Brothers investment firm before taking the decision. Hope that confidence pays.