Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Presumptuous

The Telegraph tells the English that Caroline Kennedy will be their country's new ambassador when President Barack Obama is sworn in as president. "If Barack Obama makes it to the White House, Britain seems set to have its first Kennedy as American Ambassador to the Court of St James's since JFK's father, Joe," the Telegraph's Tim Walker reports in his Mandrake column. "Mandrake hears that it will be payback for Caroline Kennedy JFK's only surviving child and a power broker in the Democratic Party, for being such an enthusiastic cheerleader for Obama." Caroline's grandfather, Joseph Kennedy, proved to be a disastrous ambassador to Britain during the pre-World War II years with his appeasement and defeatism tendencies. His ambassador days were finished off in 1940 after he gave an interview in which he said, ''Democracy is finished in England. It may be here.''

Caroline Kennedy is credited with getting Sen. Ted Kennedy on board the Obama bandwagon. She is one of three people heading up Obama's vice presidential search committee. Sen. Evan Bayh's father, Birch, has had a close personal relationship with Ted Kennedy. Birch is credited with helping to save Ted's life after a plane in which the two were passengers crashed in 1964. Birch pulled Ted from the plane's wreckage. Son Evan has maintained a similarly close relationship with Kennedy family members.

7 comments:

artfuggins said...

She would make a wonderful ambassador...we should be so lucky.

Gary R. Welsh said...

That's what they say about anyone who is super rich. They don't have to pay income taxes while they're ambassadors. That's why so many rich people are chosen to be ambassadors.

Shofar said...

What qualifications does she have, other than the Kennedy name?

She has done nothing substantial other than trading on the Kennedy name. Granted she is an author, attorney, and is on several boards, but she has NO experience energy policy, foreign affairs, economics, or has any background from what I can find to indicate that she is qualified to represent the US to one of our stanchest allies.

What's next William Ayers as head of the FBI? Jeremiah Wright as Defense Secretary? How about Jimmy Carter as ambassador to Israel? Bill Clinton as ambassador to Hooters?

Give me a break! To simply give somebody the ambassadorship to our number one ally because they helped promoted your election is insane, especially in this day and age.

Oh well, the cult of personality keeps on raising its head. BO can do no wrong, BO is the lord high savior of us all, ad nauseum. Lets see how things work out in the next 70+ days. Especially if there are problems for/with the anarchists and the Denver Gitmo ends up making the MSM next week.

Jon E. Easter said...

Yes AI...that's exactly why John McCain would make a great ambassador after he retires from the Senate.

artfuggins said...

shofar.......get over it.........your childish assertions make you look like a fool.

varangianguard said...

shofar, obviously you need to learn about the politics of becoming a high profile ambassador.

Caroline Kennedy would make a fine Ambassador to the UK. Any "real" work that might need to be done would be done by a career diplomat anyway. But then, that isn't what a high profile ambassador is there for to begin with.

Shofar said...

Some history on who has served as Ambassador to the Court of St. James:
John Adams 1785-1788, James Monroe 1803-1807, John Q. Adams 1815-1817, Martin Van Buren 1831-1832, James Buchanan 1853-1856, all who went on to become President of the United States.

Modern history:
David K. E. Bruce 1961 to 1969 - former Ambassador to France and West Germany; Walter Annenberg 1969-1974 - publisher and businessman; Elliot Richardson 1975-1976 Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1970 to 1973, Secretary of Defense from January to May 1973, Attorney General from May 24 to October 1973, and Secretary of Commerce from 1976 to 1977; Anne Armstrong 1976-1977 first female Counselor to the President - she served in that capacity under both the Ford and Nixon administrations. She was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom; Kingman Brewster 1977-1981 former president Yale University; John J. Louis, Jr.1981-1983 businessman and media mogal; Charles H. Price II 1983-1989 financier and former Ambassador to Belgium; Henry E. Catto, Jr.1989-1991 Deputy Representative to the Organization of American States from 1969-1971, Ambassador to El Salvador from 1971 to 1973, the Chief of Protocol of the United States from 1974 to 1976, the Ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 1976 to 1977, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 1981 to 1983; Raymond G. H. Seitz 1991-1994 career foreign service officer; William J. Crowe 1994-1997 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush; Philip Lader 1997-2001 White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to the President, Director of the Office of Management & Budget; William Stamps Farish III 2001-2004 GW Bush appointee with no real background other than being friends with Bush who was know as the "invisible ambassador" in the UK; Robert H. Tuttle 2005- present Assistant to the President 1982, Director of Presidential Personnel 1985, the Board of Directors of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The office of Ambassador to the Ct. of St. James is not a position for light weights or neophytes. It is a position that needs to be filled by a person with gravitas. MOST of the appointments over the last 40+ years have been persons who have done something in their lives other than trade on their name and pedigree.

If BO wants to reward Kennedy, then fine appoint her as Ambassador to Switzerland.