While many in Congress have been fiercely critical of the C.I.A. for what they say was a monumental lapse in intelligence, the administration has remained silent.
The appointment has so far drawn raves from many faculty members at Columbia, where the top tier of the administration has remained largely male and monochromatic despite an increasingly diverse student body.
The administration has remained mostly silent on how self-insured institutions will be treated, other than to say that the details will be worked out in meetings with religious leaders in the days and weeks to come.
"Despite financing challenges associated with the economic downturn of 2008, the administration has remained steadfast in its commitment to the project, working collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure it became a reality".
And publicly, the administration has remained mostly supportive of the alliance effort, with the national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, declaring at the NATO meeting last month that in addressing the problems in Afghanistan, "NATO's answer today is help is on the way".
The efficacy of the Obama Administration's drone wars overseas is still yet to be demonstrated; instead, doubts and questions about the program have multiplied as the administration has remained willfully silent on the matter.
