Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Obama names Ambassadors

He unleashed a list today:

The White House put out a list of top ambassadorial posts today, naming an early supporter, former 9/11 Commissioner and Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer, Ambassador to India.

And some things never change: To the donors go the true plums.

Obama also gave out a traditional prize to a top fundraiser, making Chicago banker Lou Susman Ambassador United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland. A top California campaign fundraiser for Obama will be Ambassador to France.

Other interesting picks include Rev. Michael Battle, a prominent minister who will be the Ambassador to the African Union; Miguel Diaz -- a Catholic scholar, rather than the usual campaign donor -- who gets the Vatican portfolio; and former Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund President Vilma Martinez, headed to Argentina.

The rest, with less glamorous posts going to career foreign service officers:

* Thomas A. Shannon, Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil
* Laurie S. Fulton, Ambassador to Denmark
* Robert S. Connan, Ambassador to the Republic of Iceland
* John V. Roos, Ambassador to Japan
* Christopher William Dell, Ambassador to the Republic of Kosovo
* Patricia A. Butenis, Ambassador to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Maldives.

And the France appointment goes to:
To other capitals, Obama planned to nominate Charles Rivkin, an outside homeland security adviser, to France. A former financial analyst, he also ran entertainment companies such as The Jim Henson Company and Wild Brain Inc.

AFP

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