Baker, Dole, Darman Confirmed Unanimously

The Senate Wednesday swiftly and unanimously confirmed James A. Baker III as secretary of state, Elizabeth Hanford Dole as secretary of labor and Richard G. Darman as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Each was approved on a 99-0 roll-call vote.

Such early approval of three of President Bush’s Cabinet selections--five days after he took the oath of office--reflected a hopeful mood of bipartisan cooperation as the new Congress settles down to work with a new Administration.

Have Respect of Senate

It reflected also the long Washington experience and popularity of Baker, Dole and Darman, who all served in high posts under President Ronald Reagan and won the respect of the Senate long before their recent nominations.

Meanwhile, a dispute involving another Bush Cabinet nominee, Transportation Secretary-designate Samuel K. Skinner, dissipated Wednesday as a Senate committee, finding no evidence that Skinner had violated conflict-of-interest regulations, moved toward recommending that his nomination be confirmed.

Also Wednesday, the Senate opened confirmation hearings on former Sen. John Tower, Bush’s choice to be secretary of defense.

Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) said that another series of confirmation votes would be scheduled Tuesday on nominees approved by Senate committees.

Earlier, when asked by a reporter whether Bush’s Cabinet choices are being approved too easily, Mitchell replied: “Congress traditionally gives wide latitude to a President in choosing his Cabinet . . . . There has been careful deliberation, and the names submitted were generally of a high caliber.”

President Bush arranged a swearing-in ceremony today for Baker, Dole and Darman, although Baker planned to take his oath privately Wednesday evening so he could begin his new job immediately.

In recommending Baker’s approval, Chairman Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee noted that Baker had promised to consult fully and frankly with Congress in his new post.

“Virtually without exception, administrations begin with a reservoir of good will,” Pell said. “The events that lead to a breakdown of bipartisanship almost always stem . . . from a lack of openness and frankness.” He mentioned the Reagan-era controversies over aid to Nicaraguan rebels and the Iran-Contra scandal as two recent examples.

Dole, who served as secretary of transportation for four years under Reagan, was described by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) as one of the 10 most admired women in the world and as gracious and knowledgeable.

However, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, said that American workers had suffered from the Reagan Administration’s “pro-business attitude” for eight years and said he hoped for a better deal from President Bush and Dole.

Darman was praised by Sen. John Glenn (D-Ohio) for his “knowledge, eloquence, candor and wit,” but Glenn noted that he faces “the legacy of flawed budgetary policies of the Reagan Administration,” including a debt of nearly $3 trillion dollars.

One Senator Absent

Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) was absent and was the only senator who did not vote on the nominations.

The confirmation hearings for Transportation Secretary-designate Skinner opened with questions about conflict-of-interest allegations raised by Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum, who had charged that Skinner violated regulations during a criminal investigation of G.D. Searle & Co. in his final months as a U.S. attorney in Chicago in 1977.

Metzenbaum noted that Skinner had then joined Sibley & Austin, the law firm that represented Searle, and he called on the FBI to mount a full investigation of Skinner’s conduct.

That FBI report, reviewed by members of the Commerce Committee Wednesday, disclosed no significant evidence of wrongdoing by Skinner.

It showed, however, that Skinner had violated technical regulations by neglecting to forward to the Justice Department a copy of a letter he had drafted to recuse himself from cases involving Searle after opening negotiations with the law firm.

And it noted that Skinner, by directing that any decision to proceed with the Searle matter be put off until his successor took office, had effectively postponed the investigation at a critical time.

But after Skinner testified that he may have made “mistakes” in those instances, Metzenbaum, watching intently from the staff seating section, issued a statement withdrawing his opposition to the nomination.

Skinner found vocal support from committee members when, differing from the policy of the Reagan Administration, he expressed concern that deregulation of the airline industry under Reagan had hindered competition by granting certain airlines a near monopoly at certain hub airports.