The Case of the Missing U.S. Ambassador (Updated)

The U.S. Ambassador was conspicuous by his absence at the recent unveiling of a Ronald Reagan statue in London.

(update: The Ambassador was at the iunveiling, but skipped the banquet. Thanks to reader M. Miller for bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the error.)

On July 4, the London Evening Standard reported the unveiling of a bronze, larger-than-life statue of Ronald Reagan in London's Grosvenor Square. American Ambassador Louis B. Susman wasn't there. So where was Louie? And, how do you get to be the American Ambassador to Great Britain in the first place?

Simple. You bundle money for Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 in the amount of $500,000.

Bundlers are a ubiquitous part of American politics. Norman Hsu was one of the more notorious bundlers. But not all bundlers run Ponzi schemes. Susman merely tapped his rich friends for donations to Obama's campaign and then, coincidentally, he ended up living in the Ambassador's residency in London.

The London Evening Standard, one of those pesky British papers that pose questions that the White House Press Corpse (not a typo) won't ask, wondered where Susman was during the unveiling of the statue. You have to love the title of their article - "The riddle of the missing US ambassador as London toasts Ronald Reagan centenary."  

For all you "Yea, but what about Bush..." folks, here are some of the findings reported from an iWatch News investigation in an article entitled "Obama rewards big bundlers with jobs, commissions, stimulus money, government contracts, and more":  

"Under pressure from watchdog groups, Obama disclosed the names of hundreds of bundlers during the 2008 campaign, listing them by ranges starting with at least $50,000, then $100,000, $200,000 and more than $500,000. The campaign identified the bundlers by name, state of residence, and in some cases, their employers. When the new administration set up shop in the White House on Jan. 20, 2009, the money raisers quickly followed. White House visitor logs show about 800 bundler visits during the formative early months of the administration, and overall the top-tier bundlers tended to show up far more often than those at the bottom rung. Bundlers have been guests at concerts, state dinners and informal parties, such as the first family's Super Bowl parties, or in a few cases to bowling outings and other special events to which they brought along spouses and family members...The iWatch News investigation confirmed that at least 18 other bundlers have ties to businesses poised to profit from the president's political agenda, through stimulus money, government contracts, or other spending to promote clean energy technology or green development..."

And now here's the finding that will really vex the "Yea, but Bush..." folks:

 "Public Citizen in 2008 found that George W. Bush had appointed about 200 bundlers to administration posts over his eight years in office. That is roughly the same number Obama has appointed in little more than two years, the iWatch News analysis showed."

Now there's an example of fundamentally transforming America!

Susman wasn't mentioned in the iWatch article, but, since he's from Chicago, the Chicago Mag.com picked up on his bundling prowess.

So what's the answer to the "riddle" of Louie's absence at the ceremony unveiling the Reagan statue? Maybe he was busy doing what he does best -- bundle contributions for the President.