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Posts Tagged ‘Douglas Kmiec’
September 11th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
The Politics of Ambassadorships
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It is an old Washington refrain: political friend supports a presidential candidate and then gets a plum ambassadorship in a swanky country, likely one with a nice view or a beach.  This political quid pro quo happens countless times in D.C. but I was somewhat surprised to learn that it also happens across political parties, though the motivations might be the same.

Douglas Kmiec, Reagan official and former Dean of Catholic University Law School, drew some right-of-center criticism for his endorsement of President Obama.  Kmiec, a devout Catholic, was even refused communion because of his support for the pro-choice candidate.

However, despite the policy differences, Kmiec publicly endorsed Obama in an LA Times op-ed, and even wrote a book about then-Candidate Obama’s qualifications for office.

Of course, in D.C., no good deed goes unpunished and I learned from Catholic University this morning that Kmiec had been appointed ambassador to the beautiful island nation of Malta.  Surrounded by nothing more than the Med and fine dining, I’m sure Kmiec deeply regrets his decision last year, and I’m sure his vocal support for the President had nothing to do with his appointment.

Here’s a pic of the sunset in Malta.  It looks like rough times ahead for our new ambassador.