An embassy fit for a Kennedy

last updated 8 January 2015

Caroline Kennedy is being vetted for the position of U.S. ambassador to Japan, and the president reportedly intends to appoint her in the next few weeks. Kennedy, the last surviving member of President John F. Kennedy’s immediate family, was an early Obama supporter and served as co-chairwoman of his re-election campaign. Her appointment would continue a long tradition of rewarding political support with ambassadorships. But critics have attacked Kennedy’s lack of government and business experience, pointing out that she was forced to abandon her last, brief venture into politics—a bid for one of New York’s Senate seats in 2008—after a series of awkward public appearances.