John McCain met this afternoon with President Obama's nominee to serve as US Ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Hill. A McCain aide described the meeting as "productive" but noted that "questions remain."
Although McCain did not sign the letter from five of his senate colleagues today, last week he joined Senator Lindsay Graham in a statement calling for Obama to "reconsider this nomination."
"The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is the world's largest, and our next ambassador will take the helm at a particularly critical time in our efforts in Iraq," McCain and Graham continued. "The next ambassador should have experience in the Middle East and in working closely with the U.S. military in counterinsurgency or counterterrorism operations. Mr. Hill has neither. Given these considerations, together with the controversial legacy Mr. Hill left in his North Korea diplomacy, we believe that the President should reconsider this nomination."
Over the weekend, former Vice President Dick Cheney also weighed in against Hill.
