Defense nominations approved after Senate delay

From Dana Bash
CNN Capitol Hill Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two Pentagon nominations, held up over frustrations about the level of congressional input into an ongoing comprehensive defense review, have finally been approved.

Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, allowed the nominations of Victoria Clarke for assistant secretary of defense for public affairs and William Haynes for Department of Defense general counsel to come to the floor Thursday night. They passed by voice vote.

The nominations had been held because of concerns on Capitol Hill that members of Congress were not sufficiently involved in discussions about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's top-to-bottom review of the military and defense strategy.

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A senior Republican aide said holds on the nominations were lifted "because of increased communication between the Pentagon and Capitol Hill on defense matters.

Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz traveled separately across the Potomac River from the Pentagon to the Hill on Thursday and held numerous meetings with Armed Services and Appropriations committee members in the Senate and the House, according to The Associated Press.