Louis Susman seeks speech writer after being named US ambassador to Britain The 71-year-old, who gave $200,000 to the Obama campaign, was named in the post last month amid claims that the new president was continuing the traditional White House system of patronage. It can now be disclosed that the retired vice chairman of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking is seeking an aide to improve his ambassadorial skills. An advertisement for the £40,824, 32-hours-per-week speech writer post says "a deep knowledge of British politics, media and society" is required. The move comes even before Mr Susman's appointment has been ratified by the American Senate. Officials of the Obama administration were stung by criticism that Mr Susman's appointment showed they were not serious about changing the decades-old culture in Washington of rewarding political donors. Ronald Neumann, of the American Academy of Diplomacy, said it suggested key diplomatic postings were still seen as "the last vestige of the spoils system." Mr Susman a sometime lawyer, banker and political operative from Mr Obama's hometown Chicago, will soon take up residence at Winfield House, the US ambassador's residence in London on the edge of Regent's Park. He will succeed Robert Tuttle, a car dealer, art collector and donor to George W Bush, who had a row with Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, when he refused to pay the congestion charge.
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