Hey look, Kennedy thinks he's important again. Guess EMC didn't donate to his slush fund.
Kennedy motive on Egan a mystery
Wary view on pick for envoy causes stir
By Anne E. Kornblut, Globe Staff, 7/22/2001
WASHINGTON - In public, Senator Edward M. Kennedy says he only wants to sit down and talk to Richard J. Egan about his views on foreign policy so he can judge Egan's qualifications to be US ambassador to Ireland.
But in private, Kennedy has expressed serious concerns about the Massachusetts billionaire, creating a stir in the political establishment. And no one in close range of the senator can fully explain his stance.
Theories abound. According to one Democratic official, Kennedy was ''bent out of shape'' over Egan's failure to pay him a courtesy call after President Bush officially nominated him on March 17. Other Democrats suspect Kennedy is waging war on Bush's foreign policy, holding Egan hostage until the administration gets more involved in Northern Ireland.
Still other officials, in both parties, insist Kennedy is flexing his muscles in the newly Democratic chamber to demonstrate his leadership on Irish matters while ultimately willing to let Egan get the job. One Republican familiar with the nomination blamed the problem on clumsy staff work and predicted Egan, a major GOP donor, would be confirmed.
The mystery of Kennedy's motives has shone a spotlight on the strange workings of the Senate, where one senator can, under the right circumstances, thwart the desires of a president. But the incident also speaks volumes about Kennedy himself - suggesting that after four decades on the job, he has learned to squeeze power out of virtually any situation.
''I think Kennedy's just saying, `He's not going to walk into this easily, and we'll question him on some of these things,''' said Elizabeth Shannon, a Boston University administrator and widow of former US ambassador to Ireland William Shannon.
Ron Kaufman, the Massachusetts committee man at the Republican National Committee, suggested the rumblings are politically motivated. ''This is all about a bigger thing that Democrats are doing to Republican nominees, which is delay, delay, delay,'' he said.
Representative Richard E. Neal, the Springfield Democrat who plays a leading role on US-Ireland issues in the House, offered a third view, saying the confirmation process offered Kennedy a chance to ''sort out not only policy but emotions as well.''
''Ireland is no longer a second-rate assignment,'' said Neal. ''Ireland has come a long way from the day when an ambassadorial nominee referred to the Loyalists and the Unionists, thinking he was referring to two different sides.''
Officially, Kennedy has not done anything to block Egan, a 64-year-old Dorchester native who earned his fortune from the computer data storage company he founded, EMC Corp., and went on to become a major financial supporter of George W. Bush.
When the Republicans controlled the Senate, Kennedy indicated he would let the Egan matter pass, although his public remarks upon Egan's nomination were far from effusive. Recently, however, he has expressed his reluctance to support Egan, according to several Democrats and Republicans.
He has reportedly offered varying reasons, noting that Egan failed to pay him a courtesy call, donated money to his Libertarian challenger last year, and has offered scant evidence of his expertise in US-Irish matters.
At the same time, two Democrats close to Kennedy, Senators Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, have added to the drumbeat of doubt, raising their own questions about Egan.
On Wednesday, Dodd, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he was ''not satisfied'' with Egan's qualifications. Two days later, Biden, the committee's chairman, said the nomination would not move forward until the Federal Elections Commission had completely reviewed the tens of thousands of dollars Egan contributed to Republican candidates in recent elections.
Republicans say they are undeterred, and one White House official said he expected the administration to continue supporting Egan. ''When you nominate somebody, you stick with them,'' the official said Friday.
But Republicans - and some diplomats in Ireland - also said they were somewhat baffled by the resistance. They expressed surprise at Kennedy's willingness to undermine a major Massachusetts figure with strong support in the Boston business community.
Several Republicans equated the situation to that of another Boston candidate, Michael Astrue, one of the Bush administration's picks to head the Food and Drug Administration. Although Astrue spent more than a decade in public service, Kennedy has questioned his qualifications on principle because Astrue now works in the biotech industry.
''These are qualified people from our state that are going to be great for our nation and our state,'' said Massachusetts Republican Party chairman Brian Cresta. ''I would be excited about these positions being filled by Massachusetts residents. ... I would hope that the delegation would take into consideration their abilities, their qualifications, and, quite honestly, their being hometown boys.''
Asked whether Kennedy was just playing politics, Cresta said, ''It may be.''
Dick Spring, an Irish Labor Party leader, said that given the rapid growth of Ireland's economy, a businessman such as Egan would be well-received. Of the concerns voiced by Democrats, Spring said, ''I don't see where these guys are coming from.''
Countered Massachusetts Democratic chairman Philip Johnston: ''Kennedy is not a petty person, and his history is that he has opposed presidential nominees only when he's had significant ideological problems with the nominee. Clearly he's troubled by some of Egan's history, and I think it's perfectly legitimate to have a serious inquiry.''
Officially, Kennedy spokesman Jim Manley said, the senator is ''looking forward to sitting down and having the chance to talk to Mr. Egan,'' which they are scheduled to do Friday at 10 a.m.
Ross Kerber of the Globe Staff contributed to this report. Anne E. Kornblut can be reached at
akornblut@globe.com
This story ran on page A3 of the Boston Globe on 7/22/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.
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