Obama’s Nominee To Be Ambassador To Mexico Withdraws Her Name

Maria Echaveste, director of the White House Office of Public Liaison poses in her office at the White House Thursday April 17, 1997. Echaveste s story is a classic American rags-to-riches tale, in which the daughter... Maria Echaveste, director of the White House Office of Public Liaison poses in her office at the White House Thursday April 17, 1997. Echaveste s story is a classic American rags-to-riches tale, in which the daughter of immigrant farm workers ends up with an office at the White House. Along the way, she defied her father to go to college, became a lawyer, converted to Judaism, and waged war on sweatshops from a little-known Labor Department office. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) MORE LESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s choice to be U.S. ambassador to Mexico has withdrawn from consideration.

The White House says Maria Echaveste cites a prolonged confirmation process as well as her family’s best interests.

Obama nominated Echaveste last September. She had yet to receive a confirmation hearing in the Senate.

A graduate of Stanford University and Berkeley Law School, Echaveste was deputy chief of staff and a presidential assistant during the Clinton administration. When Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of state, she appointed Echaveste a special representative to Bolivia.

Echaveste is a partner in the consulting firm Nueva Vista Group in San Francisco. A native of Texas who grew up in California, Echaveste would have been the first American woman to be ambassador to Mexico.

Her withdrawal was first reported by Politico.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  1. Well, in fairness, Congress was really, really busy since September, so not giving her a hearing is completely understandable. And with the Senate majority stable, what was the hurry?

    These guys would have needed to cut their vacations short, and maybe even work more than 3 days a week during the few weeks they DID work. And Mexico doesn’t really need an ambassador, does it?

    Maybe they were holding out to find someone more qualified, like Sarah Palin.

  2. Sarah can see Mexico from her Arizona meth lab…

  3. Score!
    You nailed it CVille

  4. Avatar for jinnj jinnj says:

    Really? I thought she had stopped doing that stuff … oh well … guess it kind of explains a lot …

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