The new US ambassador to Germany

William Timken

One thing I like about Australian TV is the broader world perspective that they give the news. In particular, there is a channel called SBS, a quasi-government channel sort of like the UK's BBC. They broadcast news programs from other countries. Some counties, like Italy, get 30 minutes a day. Other countries get one program a week.

The German news is broadcasts in both English and German. I happened to catch the German news yesterday. They were talking about the new US ambassador to Germany, William Timken. They pointed out that Mr. Timken has no experience as an ambassador, nor does he speak any German. The news program also pointed out that his predecessor, ambassador Daniel Coats, also did not speak any German.

I got the point of the matter. They are peeved that the US can't be bothered to give them an ambassador that they feel is worthy of the US-German relationship.

Mr. Timken is the chairman of the family-owned steel company Timken Company in Canton, Ohio He is a big contributor to Bush's election campaign. Obviously, some Germans feel that Mr. Timken bought the posting from Bush.