Pete Domenici: “I would like to speak for a few minutes about the pending nomination of Strobe Talbott to be Deputy Secretary of State…”

“I would like to speak for a few minutes about the pending nomination of Strobe Talbott to be Deputy Secretary of State, and the confirmation 15 days ago of Tom Dine. In both cases, I will focus on the issue of United States assistance to Russia and Ukraine. My own experience in directing a tiny part of our assistance toward new civilian roles for Soviet weapons scientists leads me to conclude that our assistance strategy is flawed and that its management needs overhauling. I have seldom encountered such entrenched and unimaginative attitudes as I found among the officials working for Ambassador Talbott and our Agency for International Development's NIS task force. Adjustments are already underway. Ambassador Talbott's recent shift in tone and focus regarding United States relations with Russia is one instance. A new emphasis on assistance for Kazakhstan and Ukraine is another. These changes help, but it is clear that the President's long friendship with Talbott and reliance on his advice has left Talbott with too little time and energy to manage the foreign aid program. The appointment of an experienced and decisive public figure such as Tom Dine to manage AID's efforts in the region is another sign that the administration now recognizes that it will be held fully accountable for the $5 billion that has been appropriated for the former Soviet Union.”