WASHINGTON, 24 August 2003 — President Bush bypassed the Senate on Friday to name a scholar accused of anti-Muslim bias to the board of a federally funded foreign-policy think tank.
Bush appointed Daniel Pipes to the board of the Institute of Peace, which was chartered by Congress to study ways to solve international conflicts.
Pipes has spoken out on the danger posed to the United States by Islamic militants, and presides over a group that monitors and critiques what US academics are writing about Israel and the Middle East. Critics, including some Muslim and liberal Jewish groups, have charged that he is an extremist who has no place in an organization aimed at promoting peace. Several senators opposed the nomination. But Bush avoided a wrangle in the Senate by using a special procedure that enables a candidate to bypass congressional review if he is named during a recess.
In a statement issued from Burbank, Wash., where Bush was visiting, he called Pipes a well-respected scholar. Pipes has support from such groups as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Anti-Defamation League.
Pipes, who has taught at Harvard University, is a former official of the State Department and the Pentagon, and a columnist for the New York Post.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who had opposed the Pipes nomination, said he was disappointed with the administration’s decision.
