Caroline Kennedy would be a win for Australia
US political scion Caroline Kennedy would bring Asia-Pacific bonafides and the ear of Joe Biden if she is picked to head up the American embassy in Canberra.
US political scion Caroline Kennedy would bring Asia-Pacific bonafides and the ear of President Joe Biden if she is picked to head up the American embassy in Canberra.
Multiple reports from Washington over the weekend say Ms Kennedy – the former US ambassador to Japan and the only living child of former president John F Kennedy – is in the box seat to become the next US Ambassador to Australia.
Ms Kennedy – a Democratic Party powerbroker who helped both Mr Biden and his predecessor Barack Obama secure the presidency – would also be the first woman to represent the United States in Australia.
Long time Democratic Party strategist Bruce Wolpe said Ms Kennedy’s expected appointment would show the importance of Australia in the Biden administration’s foreign policy in the era of a rising China.
“She would be a very distinguished appointment … and she has the trust of the president,” he said on Sunday. “Ambassador Kennedy acquitted herself exceptionally in Japan and she is very familiar with the alliances and pillars that make up the Asia-Pacific.”
Ms Kennedy was only 5 when her father – who served as president for less than three years – was assassinated while campaigning in Dallas, Texas in 1963.
She entered the national political arena relatively late when she and her uncle, the late senator Teddy Kennedy, endorsed Mr Obama over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2008. The endorsement is credited with helping Mr Obama to ultimately win.
Ms Kennedy went on to serve as Mr Obama’s envoy to Tokyo from 2013 to 2017, and during the 2020 Democratic primaries, she gave give another consequential endorsement to Mr Biden’s campaign when it looked like failing.
Mr Wolpe said her relationship with Mr Biden would be a significant asset to Australia.
“She knew him from working in the White House and her uncle Teddy served with the president for years in the US senate. There are deep personal ties,” he said.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said Ms Kennedy could give the nation with significant links to Washington and Tokyo. “She’s more than a celebrity, she’s a person of substance. Her appointment shows America has higher regard for us than we have for ourselves,” he said.
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