Ponderings

Ambassador to Netherlands

Roland Arnall in the US ambassador to the Netherlands, and once former owner of Ameriquest mortgage (He relinquished his position after it was bought by Citigroup). Mr. Arnall was also a large contributor to the 2004 Bush Campaign. The world is strange and corrupt I feel, Ameriquest was hit with a 3 million dollar settlement with the Justice Department in 1996. The company formerly owned by Mr. Arnall was a source of sub prime lending now effecting the stock market. According to the OC-register
"Allegations of misdeeds are a blow for a company whose executives have been prominent donors to campaigns for state and national political posts.

Ameriquest's co-chairpersons, Dawn and Roland Arnall, each raised at least $200,000 for President George W. Bush's re-election campaign. Arnall family members and 155 Ameriquest employees together contributed $242,500.

Ameriquest and three of its subsidiaries contributed $1 million to Bush's inaugural last month.

The company also contributed $100,000 to oppose the 2003 recall of California Gov. Gray Davis before giving $157,400 to the campaign of the man who replaced him, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Feel free to have a look at his profile on the Forbes 400 list here

To say the crisis comes without profit would be very misleading. By the way former owner of the Texas Rangers George W. Bush, built a stadium named after Ameriquest just after purchase of the team. Odd?

Check out the ambassadorships given out to Spain, another former Baseball team owner George Argyros, who also happens to be on the Forbes 400

Oh by the way look like the LA Times has a whole list of them here