ARLINGTON, Virginia—Announced on June 4, the day President Barack
Obama delivered his seminal speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, the
appointment of David Jacobson as ambassador-designate to Canada
understandably didn't get marquee media billing—even in Canada.
Of course, rumors of the Jacobson nomination had been bruited about
since April; the Washington word, however, was that the announcement
was being delayed so a suitable package of "political" and "career"
diplomatic appointments could be delivered simultaneously. In the end,
the Jacobson nomination was embedded in a group of eight that included
three active duty diplomats and one retired former ambassador.
The balance between political appointees and career diplomats as
ambassadors is always delicate. Although appreciating the persistent
historical reality of these appointments, career diplomats grit, if
not gnash, their teeth over each political nomination. Invariably,
these are to the larger "first world" and/or more dynamic posts (you
will not find a "David Jacobson" in Mongolia, Chad or Bolivia), and
residual resentment remains that diplomatic expertise is hardly
primary in presidential appointments. In effect, diplomatic political
appointees prominently illustrate the United States' patronage/spoils
system (Canadians send such worthies to the Senate).
The obverse of the coin, arguably, is that the president deems these
appointments so important that he wants them filled with individuals
personally connected to him. Bearing that thought in mind, it has been
20 years and six ambassadors since the last career professional (Tom
Niles from 1985-89) was the U.S. rep in Ottawa. Since then, the
position has been filled with individuals who could indeed pick up the
phone and call the president—and expect an answer. Too many career
ambassadors cannot expect to reach anyone more senior than the
assistant secretary in their geographic bureau. Ambassador-designate
Jacobson will have maximum access within the U.S. government when he
requires it.
And this is what Canadians should desire in a U.S. ambassador—an
individual who, when giving a speech or conveying a private demarche,
is clearly appreciated as a "connected" member of the administration
and not speaking "personally." Canadians may not have cared for some
of the messages delivered by recent U.S. ambassadors, but they could
be sure that these were approved communications in content and tone,
if not every last comma. Likewise, Canadians want a U.S.
representative they can be confident will convey responses and
observations at a level commensurate with the importance of the
topic—and that they won't be lost in the in-boxes of lower ranking
officials.
But this does not mean that the American ambassador "sells" Canada's
views to Washington. That is the job of the Canadian ambassador in
Washington. The U.S. ambassador and his embassy team will be
appreciative of and receptive to Canadian views on the proximate issue
of the day, but their objective remains to obtain Canadian acceptance
for any U.S. position.
In many respects, ambassador-designate Jacobson is ideal for the
position. His resumé has high-value background for a first world,
industrial state such as Canada: 30 years as a partner in the law firm
Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal focusing on complex commercial, class
action, securities, insurance and business litigation; founder of Atom
Works, an organization bringing together corporate, civic and academic
leaders to promote nanotechnology in the Midwest; and a member of
"CEOs for Cities," an alliance to advance the economic competitiveness
of cities.
His relationship with President Obama derives from political
fundraising (think but don't say "bag man"), and he was deputy
national finance chairman for the campaign. And in his current White
House capacity as special assistant for presidential personnel, he has
the thankless but highly influential role of vetting candidates for
vacant presidential appointments.
And while proximity to Canada doesn't mean familiarity (I recall a
visit to O'Hare airport where the newspaper kiosk had the Jerusalem
Post but not a single Canadian paper), there is a reasonable chance he
has more direct personal familiarity with Canada than a nominee from
Georgia or South Carolina.
Having been formally announced, Jacobson is now having official
meetings with U.S. interagency officials affecting our bilateral
relations—virtually every agency in the government. There will be many
sessions with the "Canada Desk" as well as briefings on every
outstanding issue, from mad cow disease to missile defence; there
really is no problem affecting Canada that does not have resonance in
the United States (and vice versa).
Former U.S. ambassador James Blanchard noted 75 files that he
encountered during his 1993 briefings; while some of the issues have
changed, the expectation that half will be trade-related probably has
not. Jacobson is also doubtless battling with the "mountain of
paperwork" concerning personal finances, noted by ambassador Blanchard
as "the worst part of the entire job."
Still ahead is the official hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee—yet to be scheduled—which, while pro forma for an
uncontroversial appointee such as ambassador-designate Jacobson, is
never taken for granted. And given the extraordinary demands on the
Senate's limited time prior to summer adjournment, (e.g., health care,
energy policy), finding a moment for even non-controversial
appointment hearings is difficult. This delay means that it is highly
unlikely that Jacobson will be confirmed prior to the annual July 4
Independence Day holiday/reception at the residence.
It is fortuitous that there is no current bilateral crisis. President
Obama's first foreign travel was to Canada; he clearly enjoyed the
experience—right down to the "Beaver Tail" cuisine at the ByWard
Market. There was no strained body language (a friendly back pat, but
no nickname for Prime Minister Harper); ultimately Canadians can
anticipate a formal visit with the ritual address to Parliament and
ceremonial trappings.
More personally, Jacobson has been characterized as a "snappy dresser"
and a fine golf player; his wife is also a lawyer, and they have two
children. If he follows his predecessors' recommendations, he will
soon be travelling throughout Canada, introducing himself and
gathering "in the flesh" impressions to fill out the skeleton of his
briefing papers.
David Jones is a former political counsellor who worked at the U.S.
Embassy in Ottawa from 1992 to 1996.