Iraqi Spies and the Voodoo Secret

New at State

Speaking of public diplomacy, Goli Ameri, an Oregon businesswoman and unsuccessful 2004 Republican congressional candidate, started her new job Monday as assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.

The Iranian-born Ameri graduated from Stanford University in 1977 and became a U.S. citizen in 1989. President Bush appointed her to head the U.S. delegation to the U.N. General Assembly in 2005. Ameri succeeds Egyptian American Dina Habib Powell, who left for Wall Street in May. Ameri is fluent in Farsi and French and has a working knowledge of Spanish, according to a State Department announcement.

No Arabic? Oh, well -- Iran is in the same region.

Finland or Fin?

Also on the diplomatic front, Barbara Barrett, who had been talked about last summer as a contender for the top spot at the Federal Aviation Administration, has been nominated to be ambassador to Finland.

Barrett, an aviation lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP nomination for Arizona governor in 1994, is married to Intel Chairman Craig Barrett.

Big problem may be that, with 10 months left for the administration, this is a brutal time for any Bush nominee to get confirmed by the majority Democrats in the Senate. Senatorial holds and such can easily doom late-season nominations. Historically, the best chance of getting through now would be to be part of an omnibus, brokered deal. Even then, political ambassadors might have a tough time of it.

Bridge Battle

Seems that National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark V. Rosenker is sticking to his decision not to hold a public hearing on the causes of last summer's collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis.

This is making Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, most unhappy. Rosenker called Oberstar last week to tell him of the board's decision, saying the staff concluded a hearing wouldn't produce new information.

But in a follow-up letter, Oberstar said he was "highly concerned" that the 3 to 2 board vote was on party lines -- Dems dissenting -- and Oberstar found out from news reports that the staff was concerned about a "political" debate over the matter.

Finding this out in the press, Oberstar wrote, "is unacceptable; you should have been fully candid with me." The Minnesota press had been reporting that Gov. Tim Pawlenty, prominently mentioned as a possible GOP veep candidate, has been saying his state's transportation department is not responsible for the collapse because the culprit was the bridge's design. Others say they'd like to hear more about whether inadequate inspections were a contributing factor.

"I strongly urge you to reconsider your decision and hold a public hearing," Oberstar said.

Not gonna happen. But we're told Oberstar will get a formal response, perhaps as early as today.