WASHINGTON — President Obama, emphasizing the use of vigorous diplomacy to settle seemingly intractable problems, named two Democratic heavyweights Thursday as administration envoys to two of the world's most troubled regions.
Obama named former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Maine) as special envoy to the Middle East and former U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
By appearing at the State Department with his vice president, secretary of State and his new envoys, Obama underscored his departure from the Bush administration by again insisting that diplomacy take precedence over military power.
Former President Bush frequently was criticized for eschewing his State Department in international affairs and too quickly turning to military action or threats of force.
Obama, voicing a key theme of his presidency, said his administration would "use all elements of American power to protect our people and to promote our interests and ideals, starting with principled, focused and sustained American diplomacy."
Holbrooke, 67, is credited with helping forge the Dayton peace accord of 1995 that ended the war in Bosnia- Herzegovina, and is known as a hard-driving, sometimes abrasive diplomat.
Mitchell, 75, received plaudits for advancing peace in Northern Ireland as envoy there during the Clinton administration, and also headed a commission that looked for ways to end Israeli-Palestinian violence. He is considered a patient, evenhanded negotiator.
His appointment as Middle East envoy came a day after Obama placed calls to leaders in the region and pledged an early and sustained effort to seek peace, drawing another contrast with Bush, who critics said avoided the issue for most of his presidency before launching an initiative in 2007.
Mitchell's is the more politically sensitive appointment. It won praise from many sides, but some conservatives in Israel and among Israel's American supporters voiced concern that Mitchell could choose to exert new pressure on the Israelis. A report by Mitchell's commission in 2001 reportedly irritated the government of then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Former U.S. Ambassador Samuel Lewis, who recently visited the region, said there was "a lot of nervousness in Israel" about Mitchell. Some worry about how the Obama administration will view issues such as Israeli security needs and Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
