OPINION:
Caroline Kennedy did not obtain her job as ambassador to Japan by responding to a help-wanted ad in The New York Times or taking a civil-servant employment exam. There are better qualified career State Department employees, businessmen, educators and ordinary citizens who speak fluent Japanese or frequently travel to or do business in Japan. These people are familiar with Japanese native culture and both domestic and foreign affairs.
Under President Obama, the rule of the land is “Do as I say, not as I do.” Our president has awarded more career politicians and campaign contributors ambassadorships than any past president. His promise of “change you can believe in” is true: The 99 percent continue to get whatever crumbs fall off the White House table, while the top 1 percent benefit from special favors.
These Obama treats include regulatory relief, tax-code deductions, exemptions from Obamacare, contracts and political patronage jobs (including plum assignments as ambassadors).
The appointment of Ms. Kennedy as ambassador to Japan seems merely a quid pro quo for political support of the Kennedy family. During the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primary, at a critical moment, the now-deceased Sen. Ted Kennedy and other prominent Kennedy family members gave their endorsement to Mr. Obama, pulling momentum from challenger Hillary Rodham Clinton. Mr. Obama’s nose is longer than Pinocchio’s.
LARRY PENNER
Great Neck, N.Y.
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