EXPERIENCE SPEAKS OUT: FORMER US DIPLOMATS FOR OBAMA
We are a diverse group of 292 former Foreign Service officers. Each of us has had extensive experience in implementing the international affairs and national security policies of both Republican and Democratic administrations. We have first hand knowledge of the grave multiple challenges of the Cold War, a period of peril but one in which the United States wore with honor the mantle of leadership. In cooperation with other democracies, and dialog with countries that were not, our nation found solutions to problems which seemed intractable. Senator Obama can place our nation again in that position of trust, credibility and respect.
With him, we call for a return to the successful reliance on bipartisan cooperation at home and close coordination on the use of active diplomacy with our friends and allies abroad, to face the challenges posed by those who are neither. We have watched with profound regret the frequent, costly failures of the current administration to apply these fundamental principles.
We, the undersigned, are firmly convinced that new American leadership is critical at this juncture in world history. We urge Americans, regardless of party affiliation, to select as our next president Senator Barack Obama, a leader with courage, intelligence, energy, a fresh perspective and a focus on the future. We believe based on our long foreign policy experience that he has the qualities needed to restore American leadership, credibility and respect in the world, the persona to make bipartisanship a possibility once again, and the judgment and vision to set our nation on the path to a better future.
Declaration Signatures
Abbott, Luisa
Abbott, Wilson Lynn
Adair, Marshall
Ahlgren, Charles S.
Apsler, Ruby
Arndt, Richard T.
Arnold, Terrell
Austin, Sheldon
Aylward, Rayna
Ayers, Patricia Connor
Baldyga, Leonard
Bahl, Byron
Baker, Robert
Barnes, Ambassador Shirley Elizabeth (Ret.)
Barnett, Elizabeth
Barry, Ambassador Robert L. (Ret.)
Bathrick, David D.
Battle, Ambassador Vincent M. (Ret.)
Bay, Janice Friesen
Beebe, James
Bennett, David C.
Benson, Raymond E.
Bentley, Robert
Berrington, Robin
Berry, Ann R.
Bigge, Joan
Binns, Ambassador Jack R. (Ret.)
Bitondo, Ron
Blane, Dianne
Blaney III, Harry C.
Blodgett, Steve
Booth, Richard
Bouton, Norman
Bova, Michele
Bowers, Gerard
Bresler, Ralph
Bridges, Ambassador Peter S. (Ret.)
Broderick, Amelia Fitzjohn
Brungart, Robert
Brynn, Ambassador Edward (Ret.)
Bumbrey, Sallybeth M.
Bumpus, James N.
Burleigh, Ambassador A. Peter (Ret.)
Butler, Letitia Kelly
Byrnes, Jill F.
Byrnes, Shaun M.
Cahill, Ambassador Harry A. (Ret.)
Calingaert, Michael
Carr, Robert K.
Cecil, Ambassador Charles O. (Ret.)
Cheek, Ambassador James R. (Ret.)
Cheshes, Ambassador Martin L. (Ret.)
Chester, Geraldeen
Chester, George
Chock, Alvin Keali'i
Clark, Jennifer
Clear, Taylor JESSE
Coe, Robert
Coffey Jr., Fred A.
Cohen, David
Coker, Irv
Conly, Jonathan
Coon, Ambassador Carleton S. (Ret.)
Coon, Ambassador Jane Abell (Ret.)
Cooper, Ford
Cotter, Ambassador Michael (Ret.)
Cronk, Ambassador Edwin (Ret.)
Crumpton, Sandra Ann
Curran, Ted
Cutler, Ambassador Walter L. (Ret.)
Czuczka, George
Dameron, Ambassador William H. (Ret.)
Darkins, William C.
Davidson, Duane
Davnie, William F.
Dawson, James W.
De Pree, Ambassador Willard A. (Ret.)
Dembro (née Mercurio), Sharon
Demitz, Sherwood H.
DiPaolo, Donna M.
Doggett, Clinton
Dolan, Daniel
DuBose, Robert
Duline, Charlene C.
Dunford, Ambassador David J. (Ret.).
Easum, Ambassador Donald B. (Ret.)
Ehrman, James
Eicher, Peter
Eisenbraun, Stephen
Elam-Thomas, Ambassador Harriet (Ret.)
Ely, Michael E. C.
Engle, Ambassador Gregory W. (Ret.)
Fairchild, Albert E.
Farley, Vince
Farrand, Ambassador Robert W. (Ret.)
Ferch, Ambassador John A. (Ret.)
Fernandez, Aurelius
Finberg, Donald
Fischer, Ambassador David (Ret.)
Flannery, Terence
Fromowitz, Sam
Frederick, David
Fry, Samuel
Gaines, William
Garon, John
Garon, Patricia
Gary, Phil
Gary, Viviann
Gerlach, Frederick H.
Gerson, Leslie
Gong, Richard D.
Gosende, Robert R.
Grant, Gail Milissa
Gray, David L.
Gray, Victoria
Gregory, Bruce
Gregory, Jerry
Gulliksen, Gail
Gunning, John
Haahr, James C.
Hardy Jr., Howard W.
Harrod, John P.
Harrop, Ambassador William (Ret.)
Harter, John
Hartman, Jan
Hatton, Charla
Head, Al
Heaphy, Eileen M.
Hill, Ambassador H. Kenneth (Ret.)
Hirsch, Ambassador John L. (Ret.)
Hoganson, Jerome
Holfeld, Joyce M.
Holmes, Brooke
Holmes, John W.
Hornblow, Michael
Houlahan, J. Michael
Howard, Barbara D
Huggins-Williams, Nedra
Hughes, David
Humphreys, Liam Jackson
Hutcheson, James W.
Huxtable, John A.
Illing, Robert
Johnson, Joe B.
Johnson, Charles N.
Johnson, Ambassador Darryl N. (Ret.)
Jones, Ambassador George F. (Ret.)
Jones, Ralph T.
Keene, Douglas R.
Keiswetter, Allen
Kemper, Joseph M.
Kendall, Harry
Kiesling, John Brady
Kilgour, Mary C.
King, Wayne
Korff, Michael
Korky, Ann
Kuchel, Ambassador Roland K. (Ret.)
Kushlis, Patricia
Kushlis, William J.
Laroche, Dick
Lambert, Lynne
Lanpher, Ambassador Edward Gibson (Ret.)
Latham Jr., Ernest H.
Leidel, Ambassador Donald C. (Ret.)
LeMaistre, Alice
Lerner, Patricia J.
Levin, Ambassador Burton (Ret.)
Lewis, Ambassador Samuel (Ret.)
Lippe, Michael
Loftus, Gerald
Lundin, John
Lundy, Walter A.
MacManus, Elizabeth Keys
Magee, Ambassador Charles T. (Ret.)
Mahan, Val
Malloy, Edward M.
Martin, Thomas M.
Marks, Ambassador Edward (Ret.)
Marwitz, Toni
Matheron, Ambassador Richard C. (Ret.)
Matthews, Wade
Mattox, Henry
Maule, Robert W.
Maushammer, Robert J.
McCoo, Millie
McGuire, Ambassador Kevin J. (Ret.)
McGuire, Harriet
McKee, Richard
McKniff, Joan
McNeil, Ambassador Frank (Ret.)
Meeks, Bill
Meer, S. Ahmed
Miller, David Norman
Molldrem, Vivikka
Monblatt, Steve
Monk, Amy
Monk, David B.
Moore, Alice
Moser, Leo John
Mueller, Richard W.
Murphy, Peter K.
Murphy, Sandy
Myrick, Ambassador Bismarck (Ret.)
Nagy, Ernest
Nance, William B.
Nethercut, Richard D.
Norris, James
Oakley, Ambassador Robert P. (Ret.)
Oakley, Phyllis
O’Connor, Thomas E.
O’Donnell, Thomas J.
O’Farrell, Paul
Oglesby, Donna Marie
Olds, Suzanne
O’Neill, Rosemary D.
Orley, Ray
Palma, Carole
Parker, Donald
Parker, Norma J.
Patterson, Sue
Peck, Ambassador Edward L. (Ret.)
Perrin, Patricia E.
Perry, Ambassador Jack R. (Ret.)
Pomeroy, Thomas Alexander
Pope, Ambassador Laurence (Ret.)
Powers, Robert A.
Precht, Henry
Rackmales, Robert
Ransom, Marjorie
Reeber, Mary K.
Reinhardt, Ambassador John E. (Ret.)
Richmond, Yale
Rose, Victoria
Ross, Sherman
Rucker, Robert L.
Savage, John
Schacknies, Rosina
Schaffer, Ambassador Howard B. (Ret.)
Schertz, Mary Lou Kate
Schiff, Stanley
Schoonover, Ambassador Brenda (Ret.)
Schwartz, Deborah R.
Sebastian, Ambassador Peter (Ret.)
Segars, Ambassador Joseph M. (Ret.)
Senser, Robert A.
Serwer, Daniel
Sharpless, Ambassador Mattie R. (Ret.)
Sheinbaum, Gilbert
Sinding, Monica Knorr
Sinding, Steven W.
Smith, Ambassador Pamela H. (Ret.)
Smith, Paul R.
Spalding, Peter
Spiro, Joel
Springer, Richard L.
St. John, John J.
Stahnke, Paul K
Stern, Robert
Sterner, Ambassador Michael (Ret.)
Streeter, Alvin
Stefan, Adrienne
Sundquist, Alexandra
Sutton, Gerald
Svengsouk, Thvanh
Swain, Diana
Takahashi, Lorraine
Tetro, Robert
Tompkins, Tain
Tomseth, Ambassador Victor L. (Ret.)
Tongour, Nadia
Tonkin, Thomas
Troy, Carl
Tuch, Hans N.
Turner, Linda
Usrey, Gary
Villareal, G. Claude
Vincent, John
Virden, Dick
Von den Steinen, Erwin
Weinland, Helen
Wells, Sharon
Wheeler, Evelyn
White, Robin L.
Williams, Albert N.
Williams, Nicholas
Williams, Ambassador Richard (Ret.)
Wilson, Dwight
Wolcott, Peter
Wood, Susan
Wozniak, Robert
Zelle, Susan W.
(Updated from original post on 8/20/08)
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10 comments:
Can anybody tell me how many retired diplomats still exist. Knowing that number I will be able to put into perspective just how influential these 230 diplomats really are.
It would be interesting to know the party affiliations of these individuals.
I was always under the impression that State Dept. professionals were simply that and not political in any way. How times have changed.
Re Mr. Mauriello's comment of August 23, Foreign Service personnel, like other government employees, are covered by the Hatch Act and cannot be involved in partisan, party politics. As the declaration notes, all these people have worked for Republican and Democratic administrations and presumably faithfully carried out the policies of those administrations. Once they retire, however, they're free to endorse anybody they like!
The fact that these people have sworn an oath to the US, have worked for Republican and Democratic Presidents, and come together like this makes this list pretty impressive.
FPPfO includes members of both parties, so I wouldn't be surprised if there are long-standing Republicans on this list.
Why not ask Jim Leach to declare? See below..
Associated Press / August 13, 2008
Top GOP moderate endorses Obama
DES MOINES - A leading Republican moderate with a foreign policy background endorsed Democrat Barack Obama yesterday, aiding the candidate's efforts to demonstrate appeal to members of both political parties.
Former US representative Jim Leach of Iowa was among a group of Republicans, including former senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who said they were crossing party lines to support Obama.
"I'm convinced that the national interest demands a new approach to our interaction with the world," Leach, a foreign service officer before being elected to Congress, said in a conference call with reporters.
Leach served 30 years in Congress before losing a reelection bid in 2006. As a moderate, he was often at odds with the conservative GOP leadership, and like Obama opposed the Iraq war.
Leach predicted many Republicans and Independents would be attracted by Obama's campaign but said his decision to endorse a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time wasn't easy.
How "diverse" can a group who call themselves "Foreign Policy Professionals for Obama" be?
Can someone check this list and determine how many are in fact "former diplomats". I get the impression that many are still working for the governement in some capacity which might put them in violation of the Hatch Act.
Bradford: You'd be surprised at the diversity of background, experience, and political view point of the signatories. You won't be surprised, however, by their devotion to the well-being of their country. Collectively, these people have given hundreds of years in honorable service to the United States.
Anon@8:27: Your impression is false. All candidates are vetted. All are retired and no longer in government service. None are bound by the Hatch Act.
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