WH Rolls Out 4th Batch of Nominees for Ambassadors

On June 19, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts:

• Matthew Barzun, Ambassador to Sweden (Political Appointee)
• John R. Bass, Ambassador to Georgia (Career Diplomat)
• Ertharin Cousin, Nominee for U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture with the rank of Ambassador during her tenure of service (Political Appointee)
• James B. Foley, Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia (Career Diplomat)
• Kenneth E. Gross, Jr., Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan (Career Diplomat)
• Samuel L. Kaplan, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco (Political Appointee)
• Jerry P. Lanier, Ambassador to the Republic of Uganda (Career Diplomat)
• Teddy B. Taylor, Ambassador to the Solomon Islands, the Republic of Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea (Career Diplomat)

I’ll try to have some more on these nominees later. But just off the bat, wow! Two of these career nominees are coming out of Human Resources! Two have Iraqi-related previous assignments and one with military-related assignment. Two of the three political appointees in this list according to Public Citizen are not only Obama bundlers but also contributors to the transition.

Related Item: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 6-19-09