Marco Rubio is missing the mark

To the editor:

Marco Rubio, in his own TV advertisements, states that he would move our country forward, away from the leaders and ideas of the past. However, in blocking in the Senate the appointment of Roberta Jacobson to be the next ambassador to Mexico, Rubio is clinging stubbornly to outdated policies toward our southern neighbor.

Rubio, together with Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey who is facing federal corruption charges, are leading the fight to block Jacobson's appointment. Jacobson is a career diplomat who has served under Republican as well as Democratic presidents and is highly regarded by conservatives as well as liberals and would be welcomed by the government of Mexico, which has not had an ambassador from the United States since August when the preceding ambassador retired.

Rubio is blocking her appointment as a means of protesting her involvement in helping re-establish relations with Cuba, which Rubio did not want to see until Cuba showed improvement in human rights. Mexico, an important trade partner and the subject of much heated debate over immigration, a country in which on any given day hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens are living or visiting, sorely needs our ambassador. Delaying this post is reprehensible and if this is an example of the style of leadership that would move us away from failed policies of the past, Rubio is totally missing the mark.

Jim Davis

North Liberty