In the news today was the story that Truman Hall, the residence of the Ambassador of the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), needed landscaping and a $700,000 budget was allocated for that purpose.
But it made me think - is this a different Ambassador than the one to Belgium? Just for clarity, the US Permanent Representative to NATO is Ivo Daalder, and the official website is http://nato.usmission.gov/. I can't find the address listed anywhere, but this is presumably for security purposes.
The US Ambassador to Belgium is Howard W. Gutman and their official website is: http://belgium.usembassy.gov/. Their address is Embassy of the United States of America, Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Régent, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.
The US Ambassador to the European Union is William Kennard and his official website is: http://useu.usmission.gov/. Their address is Rue Zinnerstraat 13, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.
And of course, these are separate from the US Ambassador to the Netherlands, (position empty since Sept. 2011), with website http://thehague.usembassy.gov/, and the Ambassador to Luxembourg, Robert A Mandell, website: http://luxembourg.usembassy.gov/. And the US Ambassador - Robert Mikulak - to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, Netherlands.
So these aren't all in Brussels, but that is 6 in a very small area. Can't any of these be combined? Well, maybe that is why a new ambassador to the Netherlands hasn't been appointed yet.
=============================
The intended ambassador to the Netherlands, Timothy Broas, was removed from consideration for the apppointment in July 2012 after he got a DUI. Why hasn't anyone else been nominated? Well, you have to raise $500,000 to get the seat and no one else cares that much to do it.
=============================
Update: June 23, 2013. Ambassador Howard Gutman allegedly solicited underage prostitutes, so he will be replaced by Denise Bauer. Her only qualification was that she raised $500,000 for Obama's re-election in 2012. What a joke.
No comments:
Post a Comment