Obama names three more State Department picks

Breaking a several week logjam in naming new Foggy Bottom appointments that require Senate confirmation, the White House announced three senior State Department picks this afternoon: Esther Brimmer, as assistant secretary of state for international organizations, Philip Gordon, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, and Melanne Verveer, ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. "The President's decision to nominate an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues is unprecedented and reflects the elevated importance of global women's issues to the President and his entire Administration," a White House press release on the appointments says.

"Very interesting that they rolled out a couple of A/S picks before any of the undersecretaries had been named," a Hill foreign-policy hand commented. "Does that mean [others] are encountering serious vetting issues? Otherwise, why would they not be named now?" The process seems troubled, he added.