Ortega Congratulates Obama on Win

President Daniel Ortega called U.S. Ambassador Robert Callahan late Nov. 4 to congratulate him on the election of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, according to U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Kristin Stewart.

During the U.S. presidential campaign, Ortega called Obama’s campaign “revolutionary” and once expressed his concern for the safety of the life of the Democratic candidate.

Stewart said that once Obama takes office in January, Ambassador Callahan, who has been ambassador here for less than three months, will render his letter of resignation as a formality done by all ambassadors when a new president takes office. However, she added, because Callahan is a “career ambassador” as apposed to a “political appointee,” his resignation is not expected to be accepted and he will continue to serve out his two-year term here.

Although all U.S. ambassadors serve at the discretion of the president, the career appointees – who represent some 60 percent of all envoy posts around the world – don’t normally change their posts when a new president takes office.

–Tim Rogers