In the past couple of weeks, President Obama has appointed a handful of ambassadors who haven’t visited and don’t know much about the countries the president is sending them to. Sen. Max Baucus admitted that despite being sent to China, he is not an expert on China.
Obama’s appointments to be ambassador to Argentina and Norway are just as bad. The new ambassador to Argentina a) doesn’t speak Spanish and b) hasn’t ever been to Argentina. Robert Barber, Obama’s choice to serve in Iceland, also hasn’t been to Iceland.
Jon Stewart mocked Obama’s picks on The Daily Show Wednesday.
STEWART: “But it’s good to know that the Democrats are impervious to that because it means, we don’t have to worry about things that Democrats are in charge of. For instance, the ambassadors — appointed by our Democratic president. Surely he chooses them on their merits.”
ANDERSON: “George Tsunis is his name, he is a businessman. He has been nominated for the ambassadorship to Norway.”
QUESTION: “Mr. Tsunis, have you been to Norway?”
TSUNIS: “I have not.”
STEWART: “Okay, it’s a little weird he has never visited the country he is going to be the new ambassador to. This despite the tourism campaign ‘come to Norway, you may be our ambassador some day.’ But who really needs to go to Norway to understand it anyway. You use the Nordic track, you’ve basically been there. It’s fun.”
Watch the whole thing.
Stewart notes that all of Obama’s recent ambassadorial picks have one thing in common: They all raised a lot of money for Barack Obama’s campaigns. Except Baucus. He stepped down from the Senate, so President Obama could appoint his replacement there, which might help the Democrats hold onto the Senate. Stewart called that “non-financial corruption.”
Stewart jokes that Baucus’ qualifications to represent the US in China including having played Chinese checkers and escaping Chinese finger traps.
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