DFL fundraiser Kaplan is top prospect for ambassador to Morocco.
| Summary: Minneapolis attorney Sam Kaplan, a prominent DFL DFL Deutsche Fussball Liga (German Soccer League) DFL Democratic-Farmer-Labor (political party in Minnesota, to which state Democrats belong) DFL David Florida Laboratory fundraiser, is in line to become the U.S. ambassador to the North African North Africa A region of northern Africa generally considered to include the modern-day countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. |
Minneapolis attorney Sam Kaplan, a prominent DFL fundraiser, is in line to become the U.S. ambassador to the North African kingdom of Morocco, according to four well-placed Democratic sources with direct knowledge of the appointment.
Kaplan, a top cash "bundler" for President Obama's 2008 campaign finance committee, is being vetted by White House officials and is expected to be named to the post soon, according to the sources.
Neither Kaplan nor the White House had any comment Friday.
As ambassador to Morocco, a moderate Arab nation and U.S. ally, Kaplan would become another voice from Minnesota in the greater Middle East, joining Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison Keith Ellison may refer to:
- Keith Ellison (football player), an American football player
- Keith Ellison (politician), a member of the U.S. Congress from Minnesota
- Keith P. Ellison, a U.S. federal judge
While Ellison was the first Muslim elected to Congress, Kaplan would be one of a small number of Jewish ambassadors who have been sent to the region.
Kaplan, 72, would be the first Minnesotan to serve as a U.S. ambassador since Benson Whitney Benson K. Whitney is the current United States Ambassador to Norway. He was managing general partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund and former President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association. He was also chief executive officer of Whitney Management Company. , who was appointed ambassador to Norway in 2005 by President George W. Bush and still holds that post. He would also follow in the footsteps of former Vice President Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (born January 5, 1928) is an American politician and member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (largely established by former Vice President Hubert Humphrey). , who was President Bill Clinton's ambassador to Japan.
Kaplan's appointment would be subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. His name has been widely circulated in recent weeks as government officials have reportedly been interviewing friends and associates in Minnesota, according to a half-dozen political figures contacted by the Star Tribune For the Wyoming newspaper, see .
The Star Tribune (also Star trib or Strib, as it is often referred to) is the largest newspaper in the U.S. .
Making a statement
Kaplan and his wife, Sylvia, a well-known restaurateur res·tau·ra·teur also res·tau·ran·teur
n.
The manager or owner of a restaurant.
[French, from restaurer, to restore; see restaurant. , have long been major financiers and power players in Democratic circles in Minnesota, where they helped launch the political career of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone Paul David Wellstone (July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was an American politician and two-term U.S. Senator from Minnesota. He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and was a professor of political science at Carleton College before being elected to the Senate .
Together, the Kaplans raised between $100,000 and $200,000 for the Obama campaign, ranking them among the campaign's top 500 bundlers, according to the Center for Responsive Politics "The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and the effect of money on elections and public policy. . (Bundling is the collection of donations from a number of contributors.) They were also among the biggest Minnesota fundraisers for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee for president.
Several political associates of the Kaplans said the couple would welcome the posting in Morocco, and both are expected to take up residence there.
Big donors are often rewarded with key ambassadorships, and Kaplan's would be particularly significant for the Obama administration's outreach to the Arab world.
Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said the region is a sensitive one for U.S. policymakers and was for a long time off-limits to Jewish diplomats.
Mordecai Noah, sent by President James Madison as a consul to the Kingdom of Tunis in 1813, was rejected by that country's Muslim rulers, in part on religious grounds.
In modern times, the barrier was broken by Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon's secretary of state, who negotiated an end to the 1973 Yom Kippur War Yom Kippur War: see Arab-Israeli Wars. between Egypt and Syria, and Israel. That episode was followed by American Jewish diplomats such as Samuel Lewis, ambassador to Israel from 1977 to 1985, and Marc Ginsberg, ambassador to Morocco from 1994 to 1998.
"Sometimes the State Department likes to make statements with their appointments," Hunegs said. While he has no direct knowledge of the Kaplan appointment, Hunegs added, "This would be saying that Morocco plays an important role in the Middle East negotiations, and it's seen as a trusted nation for the U.S."
Morocco, with a significant Jewish minority, has served as an intermediary in Arab-Israeli negotiations in the past and could be expected to serve a constructive role again by the Obama administration.
Rick Jauert, a spokesman for Ellison, who is traveling to the Middle East this week as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee See also United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The Foreign Affairs Committee is one of many Select Committees of the British House of Commons, which scrutinises the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. , said Ellison knows Kaplan well and would welcome him as an ambassador in the region.
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