From London, our colleague Catherine Mayer reports that the British (or at least the British press–not always the same thing) are in a tizzy over word that Obama plans to name one of his top fundraisers, Lou Susman, to be his ambassador to the Court of St. James. Catherine sends this report:
When his name first surfaced as a possible Obama pick back in February, the British press voiced disappointment. Journalists had been carried away by rumors of a VIP posting: Caroline Kennedy, Oprah, even Bill Clinton were touted as possible ambassadors.
Reports of Susman’s imminent appointment (subject to Senate confirmation) have now drawn a new burst of British sniping. Here’s a sample headline from tonight’s London’s Evening Standard: OBAMA PICKS CRONY FOR LONDON: FUNDRAISER NICKNAMED ‘VACUUM CLEANER’ WILL BE US AMBASSADOR.
The nickname reportedly derives from Susman’s ability to hoover up campaign funding for Obama. It’s hardly the change Obama pledged, complains The Guardian:
“Despite promising to end cronyism in Washington, Barack Obama is about to appoint one of his home town friends and financial backers to the plum posting of US ambassador to London.”
The paper describes Susman as “a lawyer and financier with little experience of foreign affairs.” Well, one of the first lessons this novice ambassador will learn is how to unpick the mixed messages from the British press.
Here’s a clue: the coverage has very little to do with Susman’s suitability for the post and much more about the Special Relationship. The British media is obsessed with the relationship, always taking its temperature and declaring crises. Government is usually more sanguine about it all. But there has been genuine nervousness in Whitehall about Obama’s feelings for Britain; a sense that his history gave him different and stronger connections with other parts of the globe than previous Presidents. Not to mention the unfortunate episode that saw Obama’s grandfather tortured by British soldiers during Kenya’s Mau Mau rebellion. Obama must still bear a grudge – – otherwise he’d have sent Oprah, right?
Add to that, Obama’s knack of inspiring political leaders to behave like moony adolescents competing for his attention. Britain’s politicians have it especially bad. A general election is due within the year; Prime Minister Gordon Brown is trailing his opponent David Cameron. Both men have paraded their good relations with POTUS, hoping to pick up some of his stardust in the process. In this context, toy helicopters (Obama’s ill-thought out present for the Brown kids) can do almost as much damage as a black hawk chopper. The G-20 summit in London wasn’t just about saving the world economy from disaster – – it was about saving face for the PM, and it worked very well, even though Michelle hugged the Queen and hogged the limelight. But the success of the G-20 has faded amid the expenses scandal here, and Susman’s appointment can be made to fit neatly into a narrative about the decline in Britain’s international standing – – and the special relationship.
So Susman shouldn’t worry. Once the Brits get over their disappointment, they’ll stop seeing him as Not-Oprah and remember he’s Close-to-Obama.