James Oberwetter's Selection to be U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

JAMES OBERWETTER'S SELECTION TO BE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SAUDI ARABIA

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I am deeply disappointed by the President's choice of James Oberwetter to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. My disappointment does not stem from doubts about Mr. Oberwetter's integrity or professional accomplishment. Indeed, in both categories he has my respect and admiration. However, I simply do not believe that Mr. Oberwetter possesses the proper experience to assume what has become one of the most important posts in our Nation's fight against terrorism. And while I will not stand in the way of Mr. Oberwetter's appointment, I believe it is important that the record show that the President's choice could certainly have been better.

Saudi Arabia is one of the primary battlegrounds in the war on terror. This is not simply because 15 of the 19 hijackers from 9/11 were Saudi. Top anti-terror officials tell us that Saudi Arabia is also a hub for terrorist financing and extremist incitement. The inflammatory content of its educational textbooks promotes anti-American sentiment in the Kingdom and its support for extremist madrassas schools in Pakistan, southeast Asia and Africa gives life to institutions that are incubators for the next generation of terrorists abroad.

Given this sad state of affairs, there are several reasons why Mr. Oberwetter should not be our nation's next Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. First, he has absolutely no official diplomatic or anti-terror experience. As I have said many times before, we live in a post-9/11 world where the old rules simply do not apply. Given that Saudi Arabia is one of the most important fronts in the war on terror, our top representative there can no longer be a run-of-the mill political appointee; rather, the American Ambassador to Saudi Arabia must be a seasoned diplomatic expert and someone with an extensive background in combating terrorist financing and religious extremism.

Mr. Oberwetter's more than 25 years as an oil industry insider provide him with no background to assume this key position in the fight against terrorism. Indeed, his oil industry pedigree is another reason why he is an inappropriate choice to serve as Ambassador. While I have no doubts about Mr. Oberwetter's personal integrity, his proximity to the oil industry suggests that commercial rather than security interests appear to have taken precedence in the administration's decisionmaking.

I simply do not understand this business-as-usual approach to diplomatic appointments when American lives are at stake. Surely there is someone more qualified than an oil executive that we could choose from the distinguished ranks of our Nation's diplomatic and security corps to occupy this important post in the war on terror. Mr. Oberwetter's nomination is a disappointment and does a disservice to our national security.