Al Kamen writes: Obama to favor Diplomats over Big Donors for Ambassadorships



But fat cats should not despair. Obama added that it would be "disingenuous" to say he won't appoint non-career folks. So there's hope you'll still be able to buy a decent spot somewhere. But you might want to think small and brush up on your language skills. Pols and pals and contributors usually get only about 25 to 30 percent of the roughly 170 country ambassadorships, but they are always the plummest spots. Washington Post reporter Al Kamen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tunisia.

Al Kamen writes: Obama to favor Diplomats over Big Donors for Ambassadorships

Greg Craig's New Mantra: The President Is Not Your Mascot

By Al Kamen
Monday, January 12, 2009; Page A11

Patronage Isn't Quite Dead

You could hear the career diplomats around the world cheering Friday when Obama indicated he was going to favor folks from their ranks when picking ambassadors. A reporter asked if he planned to appoint "big donors" to ambassadorships.

"My general inclination is to have civil service [that would be the Foreign Service], wherever possible, serve in these posts," he said. "And we have outstanding public servants, and I've spoken with Secretary of State designee Hillary Clinton about the importance of rejuvenating the State Department. I want to recruit young people into the State Department to feel that this is a career track that they can be on for the long term. And so, you know, my expectation is that high-quality civil servants are going to be rewarded."

But fat cats should not despair. Obama added that it would be "disingenuous" to say he won't appoint non-career folks. So there's hope you'll still be able to buy a decent spot somewhere. But you might want to think small and brush up on your language skills. Pols and pals and contributors usually get only about 25 to 30 percent of the roughly 170 country ambassadorships, but they are always the plummest spots.

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Headlines: January, 2009; Diplomacy; Figures; Peace Corps Tunisia; Directory of Tunisia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Tunisia RPCVs; Journalism; Humor

When this story was posted in January 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez.

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PCOL's Candidate for Peace Corps Director Honduras RPCV Jon Carson, 33, presided over thousands of workers as national field director for the Obama campaign and said the biggest challenge -- and surprise -- was the volume of volunteer help, including more than 15,000 "super volunteers," who were a big part of what made Obama's campaign so successful. PCOL endorses Jon Carson as the man who can revitalize the Peace Corps, bring it into the internet age, and meet Obama's goal of doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.

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December 14, 2008: This Month's Top Stories Michael Adlerstein to make UN green 21 Nov Harris Wofford writes: America at a turning point 14 Nov Margaret Krome writes: Obama win shows power of idealism 11 Nov Joseph Acaba to fly on February Shuttle Mission 11 Dec Mary Matterer caught in Bangkok protests 6 Dec Gen. Victor Renuart Jr. son served in Peace Corps 6 Dec Kim Kohler opposes mega-projects in Guatemala 5 Dec Gretchen Snoeyenbos' small town in Mali 5 Dec Tim Shriver Calls for 'Dept of Development and Service' 4 Dec Phil Lilienthal brings camp to kids in South Africa 3 Dec New Peace Corps for Kids Web Site 3 Dec Ilene Gelbaum brings infants into the world 26 Nov Jonathan Zimmerman writes: Nepal's ban on private schools 26 Nov George Packer writes: Will Obama Change? 25 Nov Aly and Buddy Shanks exhibit African art 23 Nov Luke King heads Mercy Corps in Congo 23 Nov Echoes of JFK unavoidable in Obama Presidency 23 Nov Joseph Opala Connects Africa to Gullah Community 21 Nov William Yeatman writes: Coal in Kyrgyzstan 20 Nov Doyle may become next PC Director 14 Nov Michael O'Hanlon writes: How to Win in Afghanistan 14 Nov New: More Stories from October and November 2008.

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Some PCVs return to Bolivia on their own Peace Corps has withdrawn all volunteers from Bolivia because of "growing instability" and the expulsion of US Ambassador Philip Goldberg after Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the American government of inciting violence in the country. This is not the first controversy surrounding Goldberg's tenure as US ambassador to Bolivia. Latest: Some volunteers have returned to Bolivia on their own to complete their projects.

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PCVs Evacuated from Georgia The Peace Corps has announced that all Volunteers and trainees serving in the Republic of Georgia are safe and they have been temporarily relocated to neighboring Armenia. Read the analysis by one RPCV on how Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili believed that he could launch a lightning assault on South Ossetia and reclaim the republic without substantial grief from Moscow and that Saakashvili's statements once the war began demonstrated that he expected real Western help in confronting Russia.

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