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On August 6, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Alan D. Solomont to be Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Official bio released by the WH below:

“Alan Solomont is Chairman of the bipartisan Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. He was appointed by President Clinton in 2000, re-appointed by President Bush in 2007 and elected chairman in 2009. Solomont has spent his professional career in the health and elder care arenas. He is Chairman of Solomont Bailis Ventures, which invests in early stage health care companies. He was the Co-Founder of HouseWorks, a home care company that helps seniors remain independent and supports families caring for aging relatives. He is also Founder and Managing Director of Angel Healthcare Investors.

As a Senior Fellow and Visiting Instructor at Tufts University, Mr. Solomont has taught an undergraduate political science course on the American Presidency. He has served on several nonprofit and for profit boards, including the Boston Medical Center, Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, Angel Healthcare Investors, The New Israel Fund, Israel Policy Forum, the University of Lowell and the University of Massachusetts, Tufts University, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, and the WGBH Educational Foundation. He has chaired the Board of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and Hebrew Senior life, a large nonprofit elder care provider in Boston.

Mr. Solomont holds a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Tufts University and a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.”

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OpenSecrets.org has listed Alan Solomont as one of Obama’s bundlers, raising a minimum of $500K for the election (Bundlers are people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who’s willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate in one big “bundle.”). Harper’s called him a nursing home magnate with broad interests in the heath care sector. Boston Globe called him a $4 Million Man. He was Obama’s fund-raising chief in the Northeast.

If confirmed, Mr. Solomont would succeed replace, Eduardo Aguirre, also of Texas, who was appointed US Ambassador to Spain during President G.W. Bush’s second term (2005-2009). There is a long list of non-career appointees who made it to Madrid; in fact, the last six ambassadors there were all political appointees. We have to go all the way back to 1986 to find a career diplomat who was appointed chief of mission to Spain (that was Reginald Bartholomew, 1986-1989).

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President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 8-6-09

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On August 6, President Obama announced his intent to nominate William E. Kennard to be Representative of the United States of America to the European Union (USEU), with the rank of Ambassador. Official bio released by the WH below:

“William E. Kennard is Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, a global private equity firm. Before joining the firm in 2001, Mr. Kennard was Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission where he advanced policies that brought the Internet to a majority of American households, greatly expanded investment in new wireless and broadband networks, and made digital technologies more available to schools, libraries, low-income communities and people with disabilities.

Before becoming FCC Chairman, he served as the FCC’s General Counsel and as a partner and member of the board of directors of the law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand (now DLA Piper). Mr. Kennard has received many honors and awards, including honorary degrees from Howard University, Gallaudet University and Long Island University. Mr. Kennard currently serves on the boards of directors of The New York Times Company, Hawaiian Telcom, Inc., and Insight Communications; in addition, he is a board member of several nonprofit organizations, including the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, One Economy Corporation, Common Sense Media, Year-Up Inc. and the Yale University Council.

Mr. Kennard is a graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School.”


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OpenSecrets.org has listed Bill Kennard as one of Obama’s bundlers raising a minimum of $500K for the election (Bundlers are people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who’s willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate in one big “bundle.”). He was also a tech advisor to Obama’s campaign, working alongside such fellow techies as Julius Genachowski and Google’s Eric Schmidt.

If confirmed, he would replace Kristin Silverberg, a Texan with impeccable conservative credentials who worked as aide to L. Paul Bremer in Iraq in 2003. The two other ambassadors to the EU preceding Ms. Silverberg were Rockwell A. Schnabel (2001-2005) and C. Boyden Gray (2006-2008 on a recess appointment ), both political appointees. Before you get all upset, this was not just a Bush thingy. The last six ambassadors to USEU were all political appointees. We have to go back all the way to 1991 to find a career diplomat appointed to this post (FSO James Dobbins, 1991-1993).

Related Item:
President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 8-6-09