ROEMER RESIGNS AS AMBASSADOR TO INDIA

Upon opening the pages of the South Bend Tribune recently I learned that Tim Roemer, a democrat, submitted his resignation as our Ambassador to India. I was both shocked and disappointed to say the least. I knew and worked closely with Tim when he was the 2nd Congressional District Member of Congress, and believe he represented his District with distinction and dedication.

When he chose not to run for another term in Congress about seven years ago he reasoned that he wanted to spend more time with his family and so he took a lucrative position with a politically based organization in Washington. It further surprised me having made his statement concerning his family that two years ago he accepted Obama’s appointment as Ambassador to India that would take him, and I assume his family, to distant India.

I guess that a politician’s actions should never shock me, but being a trusting naïve sole they repeatedly do just that. Now Roemer says he told Obama he would only make a two year commitment to the Ambassador appointment. Again the subject of “family considerations” is mentioned in a Los Angeles Times bylined article in the South Bend Tribune. While reference was made to the Indian government’s decision to not purchase $11 billion of American made aircraft I doubt that is the real reason for his decision to depart his very prestigious and sensitive post.

I suggest that there are political motivations pulling Roemer back to the good old USA and/or the lure of another big money job in Washington. Maybe, just maybe, the foul smells that consume all of India got to Tim and his family and that influenced the decision is also a possibility.

Of concern to this scribe is the fact that shifting U.S. Ambassadors in India and anywhere else in the world is a damn expensive proposition. Can you imagine what it costs to move a family from Washington to India and then back to the USA within two years? That action is simply not good business, and economically it makes not one ounce of sense, but I am learning that little in politics does.

No wonder this country is experiencing economic difficulties when our government and actions by its employees cause excessive wasteful expenditures. There is more to this story, and it will be extremely interesting to learn what the real reason is behind this resignation. I think Tim Roemer will be running for some other political position in the near future.

Do you suppose that Roemer is positioning himself for a possible run against long time Indiana Republican Senator Richard Lugar in the next election? That would return him and his family to his original political base in the 2nd Congressional District and South Bend. Roemer could be a stronger candidate than current Congressman Joe Donnelly (D-IN) who is considering a run after the Republicans altered the District’s geographical map. There is also the possibility that Roemer would consider a run to be the next Governor of Indiana. Time will tell if my considerations are accurate.

Apparently the lure of one government pension is insufficient for Roemer’s appetite. One could only wonder just how his return to elected office would impact his repeated deep concerns for his family this time.

COMMANDER GRANGER