The Nation - News from July 19, 1989

The Senate brushed aside complaints that President Bush is packing the ranks of the nation’s envoys with unqualified political cronies and defeated a bid to restrict political appointments to 15% of the diplomatic corps. The vote rejecting an amendment by Sen. Albert Gore Jr. (D-Tenn.) was 79 to 20. Gore said he would try again today and offered an amendment to hold to 30% the number of ambassadors and senior State Department officials nominated for their political contributions. But Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and others contended that the proposed restriction would represent an intrusion on the President’s ability to conduct foreign policy.