White House to fight for Weld's confirmation

BY DAVID STOUT
New York Times

WASHINGTON The White House said Wednesday that it would fight to win
confirmation of Gov. William Weld of Massachusetts as ambassador to
Mexico despite fierce opposition by the
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

``We are in the final stages of preparing Governor Weld's nomination,''
Mike McCurry, White House press secretary, said. ``The president looks
forward to fighting hard for that nomination.''

But a congressional aide close to Sen. Jesse Helms, RN.C., who heads
the foreign relations panel, said the struggle over the nomination would
not only be difficult for the White House, but also
unwinnable.

``The only way William Weld is going to Mexico is as a tourist,'' the
aide said.

As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Helms can block the
nomination simply by refusing to schedule a hearing.

Helms, one of the most conservative members of the Senate, has said he
considers Weld soft on drugs (the governor supports the legalization of
marijuana for medicinal purposes), and so does not want him as an
ambassador to a country with a significant problem of drug trafficking.

The senator has also said he would consider Weld for an ambassadorship
to another country, but Weld said on Tuesday that he wanted to go to
Mexico City. The governor urged Clinton not to yield
to ``ideological extortion'' from Helms.

Weld, a Republican, spoke out shortly after the White House had seemed
to hint that his nomination to the Mexico post was not a doordie issue
for the administration. Asked on Tuesday whether sending Weld to India
was a possibility, McCurry had said, ``The president thinks he would
make an excellent ambassador.''

But later Tuesday, after Weld had spoken out on his own behalf, McCurry
said the president thought the Massachusetts governor would be a great
choice for Mexico.

McCurry said Wednesday the White House would enlist the help of Sen.
Trent Lott, RMiss., the majority leader, in getting Weld approved.

``It's pretty clear we will need strong Republican support if the
nomination is going to be confirmed,'' McCurry said.

Wednesday evening, Weld got some Republican support. Rep. Michael Castle
of Delaware, who got to know Weld when both men were governors, and 22
other House Republicans told Helms in a letter that Weld would make ``an
excellent representative for U.S. interests in Mexico.''

Asked whether Clinton himself would try to persuade Helms, McCurry said,
``I'll leave it open whether the president will be talking to the
chairman.'' McCurry hinted that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,
who has seemed to get along well with Helms, might talk to him.

Some of Clinton's critics have accused him of not fighting hard enough
for his nominees. Reminded of that Wednesday, McCurry said: ``Well, we
have fought hard for nominees this year that have been challenged, and
they've been confirmed, haven't they?''

Alexis Herman was one nominee who had a tough struggle on Capitol Hill.
The White House stuck by her until she won confirmation as Secretary of
Labor.

Weld has sometimes seemed to go out of his way to be unconventional. Now
in his second term, he lost an effort to unseat Sen. John Kerry in 1996.

This week, Weld said Helm's opposition to him ``has everything to do
with the future of the Republican Party.''

Posted at 7:06 p.m. PDT Wednesday, July 16, 1997