Watching Washington is hot on the trail of the breaking story that ambassadorial appointments go to campaign donors.
Ambassadorial posts in London and Rome have gone to a pair of the President’s wealthy friends — who just happened to raise a ton of money for his re-election campaign.
Apparently this isn’t about the appointment of Joseph Kennedy as Ambassador to the Court of St. James, after he “donated, loaned, and raised a substantial amount of money for FDR’s presidential campaign.” When Democratic heroes do it, it’s normal and acceptable…when Republicans do it, it’s hot news and evidence of corruption.
I was under the impression that the habit of giving ambassadorships to big donors and party activists had never gone out of style for either party and frankly I think it’s a good thing. That we should be represented by people committed enough to the elected President’s agenda to have helped get him there rather than career bureaucrats who may put the State Department’s institutional agenda ahead of the nation’s interest seems like a good idea.