[Ecommerce] New USTR Ambassador nominated

[Gwen Hinze]

For those who may not have seen this yet:

Robert Portman Nominated to Lead U.S. Trade Office (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aur2L9BAFW.k&refer=top_world_news

March 17 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative Robert J. Portman was
nominated to be the nation's top trade negotiator, as President
George W. Bush seeks support in Congress for his agenda of using
international trade to spur economic growth at home.

Portman, a 49-year-old Republican from Ohio, would replace former
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, who left to take the No. 2
post in the State Department in February. At a press conference from
Washington today, Bush urged the Senate to quickly approve the
nomination, saying Portman ``has shown he can bring together people
of differing views.''

That ability will be critical as Bush tries to spur along global
trade talks, which have hit roadblocks over agriculture subsidies,
and convince lawmakers that new trade accords still make sense
against the backdrop of a record trade deficit and declining
manufacturing employment. Bush really sees Portman as a ``good
liaison with Capitol Hill,'' said Frank Vargo, vice president of the
National Association of Manufacturers.

Portman, who has been in Congress since 1993 and is a member of the
trade panel of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee,
has acted as a liaison between Republican congressional leaders and
the White House. A former trade lawyer at Patton Boggs LLP in
Washington, Portman also served as director of the White House's
lobbying affairs in 1989 through 1991 under George H.W. Bush, the
current president's father.

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