Valenzuela confirmed, Shannon waits

Yesterday the Senate confirmed Arturo Valenzuela as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs. The confirmation comes months after the nomination of Valenzuela to replace current Asst. Secretary Thomas Shannon, whose appointment by President Obama as Ambassador to Brazil had also been blocked by Senator Jim Demint.

Demint had voiced concerns over the administration's policy toward the coup in Honduras, and ironically decided to make the nominees wait until this policy could be clarified. Demint told press yesterday that he believed the administration had "changed course," and quoted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as having committed to him that the US would recognize the upcoming elections in Honduras "regardless of whether former President Manuel Zelaya is returned to office."

This strikes me as a curious moment for reversal, given how up-in-the-air the Honduran situation remains. To me, this suggests that Demint was looking for an face-saving excuse to back down from his blockade of the nominees, and / or to finally divest himself of the slippery Honduran issue which he had taken up as a cause celebre, to little avail.

According to the Latin American Advisor on Friday, Shannon had still not been approved in his new post "due to a new block put on his confirmation." Shannon had graciously accepted an invitation by President Obama to stay on in his current post until Valenzuela could be confirmed.

Either way, congratulations to Dr. Valenzuela on his new post as the top administration official for the region, and don't worry, Dr. Shannon -- you'll be be negotiating clean energy agreements and sipping caipirinhas soon enough.

Sources: Miami Herald, Washington Post, Latin American Advisor