Tom Schieffer

John Thomas "Tom" Schieffer (born October 4, 1947) is the Ambassador of the United States to Japan, and was Ambassador to Australia from 2001 to 2005. A friend and former business partner of President George W. Bush, Schieffer is a highly visible defender of the policies of the Bush Administration.

Ambassador in Canberra

Schieffer presented his credentials in Canberra on August 23, 2001. A political appointment had been expected, since nearly all U.S. Ambassadors to Australia have been political appointees. Australian governments have usually valued the fact that the U.S. Ambassador has had personal links to the President of the day.

Related Topics:
Canberra - August 23 - 2001

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Within weeks of Schieffer's arrival in Canberra the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States made him a prominent figure in Australia. On the day of the attacks he was in Washington, D.C, accompanying visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard. In Australia he made frequent media appearances and spoke at memorial services and other meetings which condemned the attacks. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks he commanded bipartisan respect among Australian politicians.

Related Topics:
September 11 terrorist attacks - Washington, D.C - John Howard

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During 2002 and 2003, however, Schieffer came under increasing criticism for his closeness to the conservative Howard government, which was a prominent ally of the Bush administration before and during the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Related Topics:
2002 - 2003 - 2003 invasion of Iraq

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Schieffer's relations with the opposition Australian Labor Party deteriorated after the November 2001 election, when Simon Crean replaced the pro-American Kim Beazley as leader. The Ambassador's relations were even more strained with Mark Latham, who replaced Crean as Labor leader in December 2003. Latham had previously described Bush as incompetent and dangerous, and his pledge in March 2004 to withdraw Australian troops from Iraq ensured that his relations with Schieffer remained cool.

Related Topics:
Australian Labor Party - November 2001 election - Simon Crean - Kim Beazley - Mark Latham - 2003 - 2004

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Following Latham's pledge, Schieffer said that such a policy would encourage terrorist attacks such as the Madrid bombings. This further sdtrained his relations with the opposition.

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After Bush's victory in the November 2004 presidential election, Schieffer announced that he would not be serving another term in Canberra. He returned to the United States at the end of 2004, although he did not formally resign as Ambassador until April 1, 2005.

Related Topics:
November 2004 presidential election - April 1 - 2005

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