and then there's phillip goldberg, deputy for intelligence and research.this man has served as our ambassador to bol live yarks chief of mission in co kosovo. he is a coordinator of the u.n. security council resolution monitoring the implementation of resolutions on north korea. and he would be head of the bureau of intelligence and research at the department o def state. a big part of their responsibility is to make sure our foreign pals is based -- foreign policy is based on good intelligence gathered around the world to keep america safe and secure. for over 60 years this branch of our government has led the state department's review of sensitive counterintelligence and law enforcement activities. in 2004 the senate select committee on intelligence restleeld this agency was one of the -- revealed that this agency was one of the feud dissenting voices earlier when the c.i.a. and other intel p generals shops overstated the threat of saddam hussein in iraq. this agency got it right. although its primary customer is the state department this agency serves m

clifford stanley, under secretary of defense, laura kennedy, conference on disarmament, phillip goldberg, secretary of state for intelligence, calendar number 615, karen wagner under secretary for intelligence with the department of homeland security. every one of these are very important. i repeat, to the security and safety of our nation. mr. shelby: mr. president? the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. shelby: i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you. i rise to speak in support of the nomination of pa tritricia smith, as the clter solicitor of labor. it is important, a understand we just had a vote again for 40 people here tried to block. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senator ohio. brown brow thank you, mr. president. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. again today we saw where 40 people tried to block the nomination of a key position in the department of labor. this is a position that matters to workers. it is a position that malts to the middle class. it is a position that has remained unfille

month, every hour, and it's hard for me to comprehen to comprehee with impeccable records, like phillip goldberg, an appointee of president bush to be ambassador to bolivia -- he has an outstanding record of doing things for our record -- ande ad he's being objected to. the person assigned by the white house and secretary clinton to be in charge of inte intelligent the state department. karen wagner, eminently qualified. i have never, ever heard anything suggested that there's beebeen anything wrong with ther background or qualifications. yet an objection to her being the person who deals with the safety of our homeland. laura kennedy is the woman to be our united states representative to the conference on disarmament. we're a nuclear power, and the united states doesn't have anybody at these conferences. and then finally, general clifford stanley to be under secretary of defense. this man would be the third-highest ranking person at the pentagon. one of the things he's responsible for is making sure that all of our troops around the world have everything they need. he's responsible for making s

now let me turn to the nomination of ambassador phillip goldberg to be assistant secretary for intelligence and research at the state department. again, the intelligence committee had a hearing. we had unanimously approved ambassador goldberg's nomination on december 10, the same day we reported out ms. wagner's nomination. ambassador goldberg's distinguished 20-year career in the foreign service where he has served as the charge d'affaires and deputy chief of mission in santiago, chile, the chief of mission in pristina, and also in bogota, columbia, and in south africa. he is a graduate of boston university and he worked for the city of new york. from 2006 to 2008, he served as ambassador to bolivia during a period of heightened tensions between our two countries. in mid-september 2008, president morales accused ambassador goldberg of supporting opposition forces, declaring him persona nongrata and expelled him from the country. the intelligence committee carefully reviewed ambassador goldberg's conduct in bolivia. we have found that ambassador goldberg acted appropriately during his tenur