Brody's Notes... White House official says President to nominate openly Gay lawyer for ambassadorship

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Oct 7 | A senior White House official indicated Wednesday that President Barack Obama has selected openly Gay lawyer David Huebner, as his nominee for the post of United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

It is likely that Huebner will be confirmed by the Senate and would be the administration's first openly gay ambassador.  Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both had openly gay ambassadors confirmed during their administrations.

Currently based in Shanghai, China with the law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP. Mr. Huebner heads the firm’s China Practice and International Disputes Practice. He specialises in international arbitration, mediation, and cross-border litigation, and advises clients on corporate compliance and governance issues. He serves as the firm’s Chief Representative in China.

Huebner, a graduate of both Princeton University and Yale Law School, is also currently the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's general counsel and previously served on the group's board.

David Huebner * Photo by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton 

The announcement is seen as a conciliatory gesture just days before President Obama speaks to the 13th annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign on Saturday as well as the National March For Equality on Washington Sunday.

The President's relations with the LGBT activist community are seen by most Washington political observers as severely strained due to a perceived lack of focus and diligence on the President's part in repealing the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy, not taking any concrete steps by urging Congress to rescind it. Some former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have acknowledged that policy is flawed and current Chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen, signed off on a journal article that called for lifting the ban, arguing that the military is forcing thousands of military members to live dishonest lives. The President has also drawn heavy criticism on not moving forward to push the Congress repeal the Defence of Marriage Act.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said;

"The president made commitments on those issues — not just, quite frankly, in a presidential race but ran on some of those commitments in a Senate race," Gibbs said. "They are commitments that are important to him and he is intent on making progress on those issues and is working with the Pentagon to ensure, at least in 'don't ask, don't tell,' that we make progress on it."

 In retrospect, that appears to fall short of this statement made by then  presidential candidate Obama in a 2007 statement on LGBT issues;

"At its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."