Petition Asking President Obama to Withdraw the Nomination of George Tsunis as U.S. Ambassador to Norway
A movement is afoot to petition President Obama to withdraw the nomination of George Tsunis as U.S. ambassador to Norway. As readers of this blog know, Mr. Tsunis, a wealthy campaign contributor with zero diplomatic background, put in a nails-on-the-black board performance at his hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January, displaying no knowledge of the country to which he is to be posted. The petition appears to be generated by Norwegian-Americans, who are appalled by this embarrassing nomination to their ancestral land. The following text from their petition captures the sense of opposition to the Tsunis nomination:
"So, as opposed to nominating as a U.S. ambassador a person who has successfully developed over the years of a career specific expertise, business relationships, and useful contacts relating to, say, Norway, instead, something far more grotesque occurs. Instead, an extremely wealthy individual who has donated obscenely large amounts of money politically is nominated (and usually confirmed) to offices the requirements of which are far beyond their background and work skills. Individuals who lack even the slightest knowledge, experience, and relationships to the country upon which they are about to be foisted are, on the contrary, allowed to pass through. Would you ever be offered and hired for a job paying nearly $200,000 per year for which you have absolutely no qualifications? No. Neither would I. And neither should Tsunis.
Unskilled purchasers of offices are, therefore, turned loose on unsuspecting foreign nations and American foreign policy alike as know-nothing/accomplish-nothing ambassadors who, in the very worst cases, such as that of Tsunis, even PRIOR TO their confirmation and arrival in office do far more HARM in U.S. international relations than they ever will do good."
To sign the petition, go to:
Petition to End the Tsunis Nomination as Ambassador to Norway
See also:
Why Does America Send So Many Stupid, Unqualified Hacks Overseas? ~ POLITICO Magazine