Senator Inhofe - Joining Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Conservative Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe has announced today that he will be filling the vacant seat on the SFRC that had been held open for Norm Coleman by the Republican Leadership. Now that COleman has officially lost his re-election bid in Minnisota to Democrat Al Franken, the seat had to be filled. His press release states:

"I look forward to doing all I can to support our allies and further democracy around the world, especially among the East Asian countries," Inhofe said in the release. "I will also put my personal knowledge of diplomatic efforts on the African continent, a very strategic continent to the future of the United States, to use in this new committee position."

Inhofe does have experience in foreign policy matters, having supported a free trade agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan. His selection is a bit od a surprise however, as most people associate Inhofe with his work on the Environment and Public Works Committee, where he is the ranking Republican member and the most prominent climate change skeptic in the legislature.