Caroline Kennedy Japan Ambassadorship Nomination: "Anata ga shitte iru."

Above, the National Diet Building, Japan's Capitol building.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

President Barack Obama has not very well distinguished himself in the field of foreign policy (well, he hasn't distinguished himself in domestic policy either). He has made a mess out of Libya (Benghazi is a prime case in point), exited Iraq too quickly and leaving it in a mess and plans on doing the same thing in Afghanistan. Screw-ups in Egypt and Syria. The list goes on and on.

His nomination of Caroline Kennedy is another potential Obama screw up. In The Japan News, David Rothkopf, CEO and editor-at-large of Foreign Policy, writes:

Early in 2008, back in the days when Barack Obama was hardly a shoo-in to be the Democratic nominee for president, Kennedy penned a piece for The New York Times called “A President Like My Father.” In it, she described Obama as a man who could inspire a new generation of Americans as her father, President John F. Kennedy, had inspired a previous generation. It provided Obama with a big boost and, along with the support he received from Sen. Edward Kennedy, gave the candidate the imprimatur of the political-celebrity wing of the Democratic establishment--a leg up in his tight race against then-Sen. Hillary Clinton. 

Other than writing this op-ed, Kennedy has not the slightest hint of a qualification to be ambassador to Japan. Trained as a lawyer, she has led a worthy life of dedication to family charities, other nonprofit organizations and writing. But she has no particular experience with Japan, no experience with diplomacy or foreign affairs, and no government experience. Hers is a nomination that reflects more on the president’s views toward the diplomatic service and by extension the entire Department of State than it does on anything she has ever done or shown interest in doing. It also by extension illustrates the ever-growing centrality of the White House and more importantly the president himself to the conduct of U.S. international relations.

Japan is too important to have the United States represented by such a novice. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post on the Kennedy nomination, I know of several G-fans who are more qualified than Kennedy is and with much more Japan experience.

When she wanted to be considered for an appointment to Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat from New York, Kennedy stumbled with her inarticulate speaking that was peppered with "you knows" throughout.

Well, if she does get confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Japan, she can start learning to say "you know" in Japanese. It is, "Anata ga shitte iru."*

To read the full article, go here.

*Courtesy of Google Translate.