Subject: Ambassadorship to Spain
From: "Alice Madden" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 20:16:32 -0700

Hi John!

I am loving my new position as Climate Change Advisor to the Governor and still greatly enjoy working with your Energy team.

An old family friend, James Dowd, has applied to become Ambassador to Spain.  His application is attached.

I understand that he has strong bi-partisan support including from Senator Claire McCaskill, Senator & Ambassador Jack Danforth, and former Ambassador to Spain Ed Romero.  In addition, he has the endorsement of the following:

   *   Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

                           *   Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), Member, Senate Armed Services Committee.

               *   Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS).

               *   Governor Jon Corzine (D-NJ).

               *   Moises (Moe) Vela, Director of Administration for Vice President Joe Biden.              

               *   Honorable Dick Gephardt, former Majority Leader in Congress.

               *   Honorable Robin Carnahan, Missouri Secretary of State and U.S. Senate Candidate.

               *   Honorable Chris Koster, Missouri Attorney General.

               *   Mr. Jeremy W. Alters, Miami, Florida - Member, Obama National Finance Committee.

               *   Mr. Gary Robb, Kansas City, Missouri - Member, Obama National Finance Committee.

               *   Mr. Bob Clark, St. Louis, Missouri - Member, Obama National Finance Committee.

               *   Mr. Javier Salgado, CEO, Abengoa Bioenergy of Seville, Spain and St. Louis, Missouri.

Jim has 25 years of experience with Spain.  His wife is from Spain and his children are all bi-lingual and bi-cultural.  He speaks Spanish like a native and has a deep understanding of Spain, its culture, and its interests.  He also knows Laura Nichols and Dan Restrepo at CAP if you want to ask them about him.

Great guy; great family (I went to prom with his cousin in 1976!).

Hope you are well,

Alice Madden

3038662569

[email-masked]