Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Obama to Appoint the Daughter of Late John F. Kennedy as Ambassador to Japan


Why? Because she has been a staunch supporter of Mr. Obama.

I'm positive the Japanese will be thrilled. They like famous people just because they are famous for whatever reason.

Ambassador to the Court of St. James's will be the chair of Mr. Obama's presidential campaign. Ambassadors to France and Germany will be heads of investment firms who were instrumental in fundraising.

From Bloomberg News (2/27/2013):

Caroline Kennedy Said to Be Candidate for Envoy to Japan

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, is a leading candidate to become President Barack Obama’s nominee as U.S. ambassador to Japan, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Kennedy, 55, would replace Ambassador John Roos, a former technology lawyer and Obama campaign donor, as the U.S. envoy in Tokyo, according to the people, who asked for anonymity because the decision hasn’t been made official. While the president has signed off on Kennedy’s nomination, her vetting for the post hasn’t been completed, said one of the people.

An early backer of Obama in his 2008 run for president and a co-chairman of his 2012 campaign, Kennedy is one of several Obama political supporters and donors being reviewed for ambassadorships to top U.S. allies.

The president is considering John Emerson, the president of Capital Guardian Trust Co. as U.S. ambassador to Germany, said the people. For the U.S. embassy in France, the leading candidate is Marc Lasry, the chief executive officer of Avenue Capital Group LLC, who helped unite the fundraising networks of Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

After considering Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, as envoy to the U.K., Obama is leaning toward Matthew Barzun, finance chairman of Obama’s presidential campaign, for the job, officially known as ambassador to the Court of St. James’s.


For those who say, "Oh that's what every president does", Bloomberg article continues:

Obama has drawn ambassadors from the political ranks at a higher rate than the historical average of 30 percent, according to the American Foreign Service Association. In his first term, Obama nominated 59 ambassadors, including 40 fundraising bundlers, who lacked experience in the diplomatic corps.

(Full article at the link)


Avenue Capital Group is a private equity firm and hedge fund, specializing in distressed securities, with $12 billion asset under management.

Capital Guardian Trust is part of the Capital Group Companies with total group asset of over one trillion dollars.

Ms. Kennedy serves on the board of many non-profit organizations.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the Kennedy's die weirdo deaths. Does this mean she is going to die in a Fukushima accident?

NYUltraBuddha said...

Although I have nothing against Caroline Kennedy, and respect her accomplishments, I think it is disappointing that they are appointing someone who, besides having no foreign policy experience, has no experience with Japanese culture, and no Japanese language ability. Shouldn't that be a minimum requirement?

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

NYUltra, the days of Edwin Oldfather Reischauer are long gone.

Post a Comment