So far, President Obama has not been often accused of appointing administration officials on the basis of political favoritism.  In fact, just 128 days into office, he seems to have developed a reputation for doing the opposite.  Two of his cabinet members, Bob Gates and Ray LaHood, are Republicans.  Last week he appointed another Republican, Governor Jon Huntstman of Utah, to be Ambassador to China.  And perhaps most noteworthy, he passed over his friend and political ally John Kerry for Secretary of State, nominating instead his fiercest political rival.

All this has been passed off by Mr Obama’s political staffers as evidence of his presidency’s transcendence of old Washington politics.  And most commentators agree–though they also rightly allege that some decisions, such as the dispatching of potential 2012 rival Huntsman, could not have been made without politics in mind.

Given this pattern, most observers were shocked to learn that consensus choice for Mr Obama to send as Ambassador to Japan, Harvard professor and regional expert Joe Nye, was reportedly passed over in favor of a top fundraiser.  Alexander Wolf of the New Republic reports:

Silicon Valley lawyer and Obama fundraiser John Roos has reportedly been tapped as the next U.S. Ambassador to Japan. The news comes as a surprise, following widespread speculation that Joseph Nye, a Harvard professor and Japan expert, would be chosen for the post. But, as the Japanese Asahi Shimbun newspaper puts it, Roos seems to have edged Nye out for the job due to his “closeness” with Obama.

In the past, the key diplomatic post has been filled by a former Chief of Staff, a former Vice President and candidates with similarly weighty experience.

Jonathan Chait, also of TNR, delves further.

According to sources, members of Obama’s Asia-Japan experts team and the president’s closest aides made the final selection of ambassador candidate.

The selection team considered sending a well-known politician, such as Walter Mondale, a former vice president and ambassador to Japan; an academic well versed in U.S.-Japan relations, such as Nye; or a political supporter or close friend to the president.

Your blogger, of course, doesn’t know the first thing about postwar US-Japanese relations, and as a citizen, he’ll defer to the administration’s judgment.  But given the surprise of those who have most closely observed the situation, there does seem cause for concern that the President may have given in and embraced nepotism for the first time.

But then again, the Obama apparatus seems to have made into a science being several steps ahead of the press.  It may turn out, as some have guessed, that the administration needs a familiar face in Asia to complement the posting of Huntsman, whom the president has only met once or twice.  In any case, let’s hope upcoming news on the situation brings happier surprises.

Popularity: 1% [?]