Clinton Derides Vetting Process as a 'Nightmare'

Secretary frustrated by lengthy delays in filling top jobs
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2009 4:42 AM CDT
Clinton Derides Vetting Process as a 'Nightmare'
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton reacts to a question during a town hall meeting at the State Department in Washington last week.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Hillary Clinton told USAID staff yesterday that the Obama administration's vetting process for top jobs has become a frustrating "nightmare," CNN reports. Clinton was asked why  the agency is still without a new administrator. "It's not for lack of trying," she responded. "It takes far longer than any of us would want to see. It is frustrating beyond words."

The many questions candidates must answer include naming every foreigner they know, and listing every place they have lived since they were 18, according to Clinton. "Beyond a certain age you can't even remember when you were 18!" she quipped. Physician and anthropologist Paul Farmer was expected to be named as USAID head yesterday, but he is believed to be still entangled in the vetting process.
(More vetting stories.)

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